Hi Lovelies,
With fall in full swing, it’s a good time to learn how to save seeds of some of my favorite flowers. Luckily for me, collecting seeds from many plants is super easy – one of these being, zinnias.
When saving seeds of anything, it’s important that the varieties that you’re saving aren’t hybrids. You’ll want to save seed from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. I see zinnias as the rockstars of my garden. For months and months they put on an amazing show and keep on blooming, without fail. However, if you want to save seeds, you’ll have to stop cutting the flowers at some point to let the blooms pass. As this happens, your plants will get really, really ugly. No, like seriously ugly. When you combine that with a case of powdery mildew (like I usually get in fall), it’s best to have the zinnia bed hidden where your neighbors won’t judge you for your seemingly neglectful gardening.
To save seed, I simply pick the dried flower heads and rub them in my hand. Some people go to the trouble of tagging flowers with specific qualities that they like and others even try to pollinate and breed their own! Unfortunately, my life isn’t that organized, and I’ve accepted that it probably will never be.
Once I get my seeds, I throw them in a coin envelope and store them in a cool drawer until spring planting.
Have you ever saved zinnia seeds? What your favorite type? How did you do it?
Reblogged this on The Allotment Wife.
You need to stop telling me about all these lovely flowers. My lust list is growing constantly. 😜 Have you favourites of the zinnia?
But loving these free propagation tips. My gladioli were amazing this year and I’ve left seed heads on them to try and save seeds this year.
Oh! I should do a post about gladiolus! You can just pull the bulbs after your frost If they don’t survive the winter where you live. Plus, the little cormels will eventually grow to produce a flower! As for my favorite zinnia, definitely benary’s salmon!
Oooo. I splashed out on a dahlia that colour this year. Haven’t a clue what name it is though. 😊
Oh, my goodness, you and your site are answers to my prayers. I planted Zinnia’s for the first time ever this year, and they were awesome. Now I know how to save the seeds. Yeah!!! Thanks for visiting my blog. 🙂 Keep posting and I will keep reading.
Aw, thanks so much! Glad it was helpful! 🙂
I’m glad they are still blooming and I didn’t cut them all down. Now I know not too.
Hi Freshcutky. Do you find your seeds come true when you save them like this? Do they not all get muddled up by the bees? Or is that part of the fun, and you buy ‘special’ ones new each year (like Benary Salmon), but otherwise go with the flow of how the saved ones turn out?
Great point! This is one of the big reasons that I always buy new seed every year. I grow pretty much every color zinnia and the bees certainly have their way with the field. In the future, when I have more space, I definitely foresee a lot more seed saving and fun when it comes to planting. 🙂 🙂