What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? (September)

At this time, the seeds of Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea canadensis) are likely ready for harvest.

Enchanter’s Nightshade blooms for approximately one month (beginning in week 4 of June), sets fruit and then its seeds become ripened by September. This herbaceous perennial can be found in woodland settings with dappled sunlight or medium shade. It can be used in a woodland setting, naturalized area, or shady garden. Once established, it spreads by both seed and rhizomes, often creating small colonies.

Photo Credit: (c) 2010 Katy Chayka,
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/enchanters-nightshade#lboxg-6

Seed Collection:

Photo Credit: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/circaea-lutetiana-subsp-canadensis/

Fruit is an oval 2-chambered seed capsule 2.8 to 4.5 mm long and covered in hooked hairs that attach themselves to anything that passes by. When mature, the capsule turns brown, but it does not split open and it has several distinct ribs or grooves on its surface.

Photo Credit: http://www.mpnature.com/plants/pages/hf_enightshade.html

Collect them by carefully cutting the plant stem containing the ripe capsules with garden scissors while attempting to avoid having each attaching itself to you.

Processing of Harvested Seed and Storage:

Photo Credit: https://awaytogarden.com/the-season-for-saving-seed-with-ken-druse/

Place the seed capsules in a closed paper bag and leave them for a week or so.

Since the capsules do not open and each is attached to the plant stem by a short stalk, there may not be much reason to thresh the seed capsules.  However, do remove each seed capsule from the larger plant stem.

Photo Credit: https://www.weberseeds.de/circaea-lutetiana.html

Enchanter’s Nightshade seeds can be stored and should remain viable for 1-2 years in a paper envelope.

Seed requires three to five months of cold/moist stratification prior to germination.

Photo Credit: https://theherbalacademy.com/cold-stratification-herb-gardening/

Place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag.  Leave in the refrigerator for 90-140 days before germinating.

Propagation by Seed:

It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.

Peat cells are biodegradable and easy to use.
Photo Credit: valkyrieh116 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/4360193931/)

Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds.  To do so, plant each seed no deeper than 1/4 inch into your potting mix. Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination is notoriously irregular and slow, requiring up to 3-4 weeks. Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.

Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.

Enchanter’s Nightshade

To learn more about this native wildflower, please view my prior post What Wildflower Begins Blooming This Week? (June week 4), published on 6/27/2020.

Happy harvesting!

What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? (Late August)

This post is the first in what will become an ongoing occasional series each year when the seeds of native forbs have ripened and would be ready for your harvest should you wish to add those native plants to your garden or home landscape.

At this time, the seeds of Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) are likely ready for harvest.

Hairy Beardtongue blooms for approximately 4-6 weeks (beginning in week 2 of June), sets fruit and then its seeds become ripened by late August and September. This herbaceous perennial can be found in forests, glades, forest margins, rocky woodlands, and along roadsides. It is great for borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens, and pollinator gardens. Once established, Hairy Beardtongue will readily self-sow.

Photo Credit: https://growitbuildit.com/hairy-beardtongue-penstemon-hirsutus/

Seed Collection:

Photo Credit: https://growitbuildit.com/how-to-save-penstemon-beardtongue-seed/

Usually about six weeks after blooming, the fruit that forms is a capsule (a dry fruit derived from a compound pistil that contains many seeds) that is roughly 1/4″ to 3/16″ diameter. When the capsule turns brown and hard, the seed should be ripe. If left alone, these capsules will linger throughout the winter until the following spring, with many splitting open naturally throughout the winter.

Photo Credit: https://growitbuildit.com/how-to-save-penstemon-beardtongue-seed/

Collect them by carefully cutting the branched plant stem with garden scissors containing the ripe capsules. Do not pull the capsules from the plant as that runs the risk of popping them open and spilling their tiny seeds.

Processing of Harvested Seed and Storage:

Photo Credit: https://awaytogarden.com/the-season-for-saving-seed-with-ken-druse/

Place the seedheads in a closed paper bag (to ensure that none of the seeds are lost as the seed capsules dry out) and leave them for a week or so.

Photo Credit: https://growitbuildit.com/how-to-save-penstemon-beardtongue-seed/

Then thresh the seedheads by simply reaching into the bag and squeezing the capsules or use a dough roller over the bag to pop the capsules to separate the seeds from the husk. Sift seed through a sieve or common kitchen strainer to remove the chaff.

Photo Credit:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/penstemon-hirsutus-hairy-beardtongue-prairie-moon-nursery.html

Hairy Beardtongue seeds can be stored and should remain viable for up to a couple of years in a paper envelope.

Seed requires one to two months of cold/moist stratification prior to germination.  If stratified, germination rates are 65%-80%.

Photo Credit: https://theherbalacademy.com/cold-stratification-herb-gardening/

Place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag.  Leave in the refrigerator for 30-60 days before germinating.

Propagation by Seed:

It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.

Peat cells are biodegradable and easy to use.
Photo Credit: valkyrieh116 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/4360193931/)

Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds.  To do so, place seed on top of your slightly moistened potting mix (seed needs light to germinate). Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination takes 10-21 days.  Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.

Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.

Hairy Beardtongue

Happy harvesting!