Single Pink Poppy

Most of my favourite plants are the ones that self-seed. Nature does all of the work without any effort on my part. Many gardeners have become obsessed with trying to control nature rather than working with it.
Seed sowing is one example. When should you sow seeds? All plants are different and some of them are best sown in spring. But many hardy annual and biennial plants just finish flowering in late October or early November and they continue to produce seed throughout the winter. These plants are naturally ripening their own seed and sowing it themselves when the conditions are right for them. No human intervention necessary!

Poppy Seed Head

Seeds are ready when the seed capsule dries out and opens it’s lid. Give the seed pod a little shake and listen to it. If you can hear the seeds rattling it means they are ready for harvesting. Always harvest seed on a dry, sunny day and after any dew or fog has cleared.

Peony Flowered Poppy

Evening Primrose

When the seed pods open they are ready for harvest.

Love-in-a-Mist. Also looks great in the rain!

Seed pods will open when the seeds are ripe for harvesting. Leave them alone and they will self seed.

I love cheery Feverfew!

Seeds are ripe when the petals have fallen and the yellow centre of the flower has dried out and turned brown.

White Honesty

Honesty seed ready for harvest. Remove the outer paper-like protective layer to extract the seeds.

Save the stems for the most beautiful winter dried-flower arrangements.

Borage

Seeds ripen very quickly. They go from ‘not-ready-to-harvest’ to ‘already-self-sown’ in about 24 hours. Tedious to save seed by hand.

Elecampane is one of my favourite plants.

Seeds dispersed by nature!

All seeds are available by mail-order at www.theherbgarden.ie. New website and online shop coming soon..