Collecting and Using Native Plant Seeds
Butterflyweed & Other Milkweeds:
Collect milkweed seeds when the pods dry up and split open.
Butterfly weed and other milkweed seeds need to spend a certain amount of time in the cold in order to germinate. This is called cold stratification and this process occurs naturally outdoors when seeds fly out of the milkweed pods, drop to the ground, and spend the next few months in low winter temperatures and moist conditions (snow).
The easiest way to sow milkweed seeds is to sow them directly outdoors in late fall. If you plan to start your seeds indoors, then you can place the seeds on a moist paper towel, fold the paper towel and place that in a Ziploc bag or plastic container. Keep that in the refrigerator for 3-4 few weeks to replicate that cold, moist environment that the seeds need.
MONARDA (BEE BALM):
Collect monarda seeds once the flower heads dry up and turn brown (about 4 weeks after flowering). Simply tip the flower heads upside down in a container or paper bag and the seeds will fall out. Spread the collected seed out on a plate and manually separate the seeds from the dried plant material. Alternatively, pass everything through a mesh colander to separate the seeds. Wild Bergamot (monarda fistulosa) generally yields more seeds than Scarlet Bee Balm (monarda didyma) but both are a food source for birds, so remember to leave most of the seed heads up through winter! Store the seeds in a cool, dry place.
Seeds can be started indoors or they can be sown directly outdoors in early spring and in late summer/early fall.
aNISE hYSSOP (AGASTACHE FOENICULUM):
Agastache is a bee favorite and keeps the bees busy well into fall. Collect seeds when flower heads have dried out and turned brown. Simply strip (or pull off) the dry seed head from the stem over a bowl. Pass the material in the bowl through a mesh colander to separate the tiny seeds. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place.
Sow agastache seeds directly outdoors in spring after the danger of frost has passed. They can also be sown throughout the summer months as needed.