A time for renewal and seed collection
With early morning temperatures dipping into the 60s, I feel a renewed interest in my garden and just being alive! But so many of our plants are quite literally "burned out" from weeks of relentless heat and humidity. Their leaves are covered in spots and they've split and broken.
So I've started the process of cleaning out my annual beds, which are mostly Zinnias. Pulling out old plants doesn't have to be depressing, it can also be quite satisfying! Many of these zinnias were planted months ago and have provided nectar for countless butterflies and insects. And their multi-colored blooms have enriched our lives all summer.
But there is a time and season for everything, and I'm ready to move on, lol.
So while it is a little sad to be pulling them out, especially since they still have so many blooms, I also really enjoy the process of cleaning and starting anew. There is something so satisfying about a freshly cleaned and weeded flower bed... it just looks so cared for. It looks loved!
But I do have some reservations about pulling up annuals right now as they are still throwing out flowers and feeding insects and birds. Zinnias, in particular, provide nutrient-rich seeds for birds like goldfinches. I am planning to pull my zinnias in "stages", allowing some to completely dry out and provide food. Gardening, for me, is a balance between letting plants mature, seed, and provide for nature, yet also considering the human preference for order and intentional design. This balance is hard to achieve, yet I glean solace from knowing there is no right or wrong answer.
You might also want to consider saving your own flower seed. It really is easy! I do this by clipping the brown dried-out flowers into a paper bag. (I try to collect from as many different colors and forms so that I get an unexpected mixture next year).
Once you've filled your bag with spent flowers, I'd suggest going inside and spreading them out on a towel or paper and allowing them to thoroughly dry for 4 to 5 days. Once I can crumble them in my fingers and they feel bone dry, I store all the material (chaff and all) in a paper bag for the winter. You don't have to clean them! That's just too much work that doesn't really pay off.
I like to store my dry seeds in my underwear drawer so that I'll never forget where they are. (I can't tell you how many bags of seed I've lost or forgotten to plant simply because they were out of sight). For absent-minded unorganized individuals like me, it is essential to keep important things in plain sight. Oh, and you should also label your bag with the name and date.
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