I’ve just planted seeds of the native plant Flowering Spurge.
I first discovered Flowering Spurge tangled with weeds in a wire fence. Each blossom was stunningly white and smaller than the tip of my little finger. I was dumbstruck with its beauty.
I lusted to have it in my garden. So I watched for the time to collect seeds. I had to wait for weeks and weeks.
How the seeds are formed
In the blossom’s center was a pale, asterisk-like structure, made of the styles (the flower’s female parts, which receive pollen). Below the styles, a green seed capsule formed and ballooned up.
The styles darkened and curled but were still there, at the top. When the capsule faded to tan, I guessed the seeds must be almost ripe.
How I collected the seeds
I pulled a capsule straight up from the flower. The styles slipped easily right through the capsule, leaving a hole in the center.
To keep the seeds from escaping, I had to pick the capsules as soon as they lost their bright green color. I couldn’t pick them all at once, because only a few ripened each day. I brought them home and put them in a jar, with the lid off so the seeds could continue to dry.
One by one, the seed capsules exploded. I heard small pings as seeds hit the glass. The first seeds flew all over the room, until I put gauze over the top of the jar.
Preparing the seeds
Packaged flower seeds off the store rack are easy. Put them in the ground, and you get plants. That does not work for many perennials.
Seeds of native perennials in cold climates don’t sprout until after they experience the cold and damp of winter, followed by spring. In the wild, only a few seeds germinate and grow, but that’s enough for plants to replace themselves. However, we gardeners want more. Collect seeds. Give them ideal conditions. Get lots of plants. Enough to share!
Cold stratification
We have to provide seeds with a period of cold and damp (“cold stratification”). Each plant has its own time requirement. For Flowering Spurge, it’s 30 days.
I put seeds in damp planting mix into the refrigerator. When I take them out 30 days later and set them under growing lights, they’’ll sprout.
When they’ve sprouted and the danger of frost is past, I’ll transplant them into small pots and move them outdoors. After they’re big enough, I’ll give them permanent homes in my garden.
The first year, the plants grow but won’t bloom. Perennials need a full year to develop good roots. Second year, they bloom. Growing from seeds takes patience.
Why I love Flowering Spurge
Flowering Spurge supports the life of many beings. Bees and other insects enjoy its pollen and nectar. Turkeys, Bobwhites, Mourning Doves, and Horned Larks eat the seeds.
This plant is not fussy about soil or water. It grows wild in fields and ditches. It’s a joyful addition to any garden.
Flowering Spurge
My daughter used to call this prairie baby's breath.
Thank you for the info about collecting and growing seeds. It’s good information to have.