Definitely! Go ahead and gather the seeds and sow them. You can either sow them right away or if it's going to be a few days you can dry them and then sow them.

I still have seeds of Buddleias, Phlox, Echinaceas, Lynchnis, etc, out there at this time of year and in the past have gathered and sowed them with great results since they've stayed in their natural environment all winter long.

Have fun. :O)

I noticed yesterday that the datura down the street still has seed pods on it. I took a walk last night and grabbed a couple. Most have fallen out, but there's still many inside each pod. Think I'll crush them and scatter them in the yard today. I've already sown 3 containers for me, my sister, and a friend. Never can have too many fast growing, HUGE annuals while waiting on the perennials. Also collected buddleia seeds last month from a plant in Virginia. They were sown three weeks ago and have already sprouted. So yeah, go for it.

I still have a Delphnium stalk standing upright on the porch, u bet I will sprinkle the seeds.

This got me going this morning. I just snagged Sweet Autumn Clematis and Blue Monkshood.

Thanks for all your responses! I'm heading outdoors to snip away! This will be my second year of perennials. I wasn't sure if I should cut them back in the fall, or not..so I just left them. I'm glad I did now! I just joined this group two days ago, and can't keep myself off this website. I'm calling everyone I know to keep their containers for me. I'm going to plant my *first* of many, containers today. It's 70 degrees....I'm ready for spring, however learning about winter sowing, I won't be disappointed now when it drops back to the 30's next week.

Got real excited about this. Went back out this afternoon and collected sweet basil, hosta, jalapeno pepper and some dwarf crepe myrtle in addition to the monkshood and autumn clematis.

Have to tell you it took me couple hours to sift through these pods and things, but good therapy. I've never collected seeds before from my own plants.

Now here's a question for you: if I decide to offer these seeds in trade or just for nothing in return, is it appropriate to offer them on this forum or is that not PC? Do I have to go the the seed exchange?

Prof

Prof,
I think the answer to your question is one of opinion. There is a wintersowing seed exchange, but it is frequented mostly by people from this forum. I think if you mention that you have a few particular seeds available and you want them to go to your friends here, that would be fine. Certainly, if people here mention that they are looking for something, or that they had a germination failure of a particular plant, we all jump to find them replacements if possible. Do what makes you comfortable.

Martha

Hey Prof, what color is the crepe myrtle, what do you mean by dwarf, and do you want some butterfly bush seeds?

The very first seeds I ever collected were from some forgotten snapdragons that didn't get cleaned up in the fall. They did well, so there was no turning back! I just "rescued" some datura pods that have been outside all winter, & I'm sure they'll be fine. Your perennials should be fine too-go for it! (I love being an enabler!)

Hey retiredprof, I have traded and offered for SASBE some of the seeds I collected from my plants this past fall (Yvonne's Salvia, Salvia Coral Nymph, Asters, Asclepias, etc.). But I performed germination tests on most (not all) of them back in January to test their viability, with good results. So I felt pretty confident that I wasn't sending people "duds".

I am sowing a bunch of the collected seed this year because I am very curious how they sprout and what the babies will be like.

Thanks, folks. This forum is my "home", so I thought I would want to offer anything I have here. I'm the anal-retentive, have to be "good corporate citizen" guy. Thanks, Martha.

Token: The crepe myrtle is a brilliant deep pink-purple kind of color. By dwarf, I mean dwarf. I've had the thing for six years and it's four feet tall. Since I'm 5'6", I planted the garden in all "dwarves" ten years ago. Dwarf this, dwarf that, mini this, munchkin that. It's hysterical. "And this is the dwarf garden..."

I'm scared of anything taller than I. Is your butterfly a junior petite?

Sorry to say the butterfly is a rapid grower quickly shooting past my 6'1 tall head. The white one gets even larger and should be 6-8' tall this year. It's a "White profusion".

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Mountain Valley Growers