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Seed ripening times |
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I like lists...
Right when the hot sticky days of summer start, and I feel less and less like
engaging in the more strenuous gardening activities, collecting seed becomes
a favored task. I like gathering seed of as many varieties as possible, to
have a good selection both for my own winter seed-starting activities and for
trading with fellow seedaholics. Of course, by early summer I've already missed
some of the plants that set seed before that time - and with the sheer number
of different plants in our garden, many plants get overlooked every year.
That's where this project started - my own desire to have a schedule that
shows when seeds ripen for the plants in my garden. For me to print out and
carry around with me on those lazy hot days, armed with a supply of little jars
and pruning shears. Since gardening is by now an activity I share with my
online visitors, I'm putting the information in each of my plant portraits;
on this page, you get them in chronological order. I started this a few years
ago, and have been updated my records as I collect seed each year.
Which means this page will get just a bit more useful every year...
The exact timing of each variety's ripening of course depends on climate
and gardening conditions - but hopefully the relative sequence of ripening is
more or less the same, even if Southern gardeners will to adjust the dates
forward and cold-climate gardeners will have to wait a bit longer.
early MayAcer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
early JuneAcer palmatum (Japanese maple)
Anemone cruciata (windflower)
Draba aizoides (whitlow-grass)
Pulsatilla vulgaris (pasque flower)
mid-JuneGeranium bohemicum
Silene dioica (catchfly)
Tragopogon porrifolius (purple salsify)
late JuneAnemone baldensis (Mt. Baldo windrose)
Aquilegia bertolonii (columbine)
Aquilegia canadensis (wild red columbine)
Centranthus ruber (Jupiter's beard)
Dianthus myrtinervius (Albanian pinks)
Erodium manescavii (heronsbill)
Galega orientalis (oriental goat's rue)
Geranium macrorrhizum (bigroot cranesbill)
Geranium pyrenaicum (hedgerow cranesbill)
Helleborus niger (Christmas rose)
Helleborus x hybridus (lenten rose)
Lewisia cotyledon (bitter-root)
Papaver atlanticum semiplenum (poppy)
Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop; wild stonecrop)
Thermopsis montana? (golden pea, golden banner)
Viola jooi
extended period, starting late JuneGeranium x oxonianum 'Claridge Druce' (cranesbill)
Viola labradorica (Labrador violet)
early JulyAethionema cordifolium (Lebanon stonecress)
Asperula orientalis (blue woodruff)
Bupleurum griffithii 'Decor' (thorough-wax)
Cotula hispida
Epilobium angustifolium (willow orchid)
Geranium eriostemon (cranesbill)
Geranium pratense (meadow cranesbill)
Globularia meridionalis (globe daisy)
Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican hellebore)
Lesquerella alpina (alpine bladderpod)
Lupinus hybrids (lupine)
Luzula nivea (snowy wood rush)
Melica altissima atropurpurea (Siberian melic grass)
Papaver somniferum (bread poppy; opium poppy)
Phacelia tanacetifolia (fiddleneck)
Polemonium pauciflorum
Polemonium pulcherrimum 'Blue master' (Jacob's ladder, Western sky pilot)
Scutellaria altissima (tall skullcap)
Semiaquilegia ecalcarata (spurless columbine)
Sisyrinchium graminoides (blue-eyed grass)
Tanacetum coccineum (painted daisy)
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium (meadow rue)
extended period, starting early JulyDigitalis thapsi (pink foxglove)
Geranium psilostemon (cranesbill)
Linaria reticulata 'Flamenco' (toadflax)
mid-JulyAllium cristophii (star of Persia)
Allium vineale 'Hair'
Aubrieta deltoidea (purple rock cress)
Carex muskingumensis 'Wachtposten' (palm sedge)
Consolida ajacis (rocket larkspur)
Cosmidium burridgeanum
Dianthus giganteus
Levisticum officinale (lovage)
Linaria dalmatica (broadleaf toadflax)
Linum lewisii (blue flax)
Lychnis chalcedonica (Maltese cross)
Phyteuma scheuchzeri (rampion)
Salvia argentea (silver sage)
Salvia regeliana (hardy ornamental sage)
Scutellaria alpina (alpine skullcap)
Scutellaria serrata (skullcap)
Silene armeria (garden catchfly; none-so-pretty)
Tellima grandiflora (fringe cups)
extended period, starting mid-JulyCalendula officinalis (pot marigold)
late JulyAchillea 'Schwellenberg' (yarrow)
Cephalaria gigantea (golden scalehead)
Impatiens glandulifera (policeman's helmet; Himalayan balsam)
Lathyrus clymenum (Spanish vetchling)
Lavatera cachemiriana (tree mallow)
Lunaria annua (honesty; moneyplant)
Nigella damascena (love in a mist)
Penstemon smallii (Small's penstemon)
Sisymbrium luteum
Trollius 'Golden Queen' (globeflower)
Ursinia anethoides
extended period, starting late JulyLathyrus latifolius (perennial sweet pea)
early AugustAchillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold' (fern-leaf yarrow)
Agrostemma githago (corn cockle)
Alchemilla bulgarica (lady's mantle)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Baptisia pendula (white false indigo)
Beta vulgaris (cicla group) 'Bright Lights' (swiss chard)
Dracocephalum ruyschianum (dragonhead)
Eryngium agavifolium (agave-leaved sea holly)
Lathyrus tingitanus (Tangier pea)
Leibnitzia anandria (Leibnitz daisy)
Lysimachia atropurpurea (burgundy gooseneck loosestrife)
Phlomis tuberosa (Jerusalem sage)
Scabiosa stellata (starflower pincushions)
mid-AugustAstrantia major (masterwort)
Campanula persicifolia (peach-leaf bellflower)
Dianthus knappii
Eryngium variifolium (Moroccan sea holly)
Helichrysum bracteatum (strawflower)
Legousia speculum-veneris (Venus' looking glass)
Leonotis leonurus (lion's ear)
Primula veris 'Sunset shades' (English cowslip)
Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' (golden feverfew)
Thalictrum lucidum (shining meadow rue)
extended period, starting mid-AugustDracocephalum moldavicum (Moldavian dragonhead)
late AugustAllium aflatunense (Persian onion)
Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed; bloodflower)
Baptisia alba (white false indigo)
Callirhoe involucrata (poppy mallow; winecups)
Digitalis grandiflora (yellow foxglove)
Kolkwitzia amabilis 'Pink Cloud' (beautybush)
Lysimachia minoricensis
Melampodium paludosum 'Million Gold' (gold medallion flower; African zinnia)
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox)
Sida elliottii (Elliott's fanpetals)
Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant)
Verbascum thapsiforme (woolly mullein)
early SeptemberCardiospermum halicacabum (balloon vine, love in a puff)
Cassia marilandica (American senna)
Eryngium bourgatii (Pyrenees sea holly)
Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
Penstemon x mexicali 'Red Rocks' (beardtongue)
mid-SeptemberDesmodium canadense (showy tick trefoil)
Dianthus amurensis 'Siberian Blues' (Amur pink)
Geum ponticum (avens)
Hibiscus moscheutos (hardy hibiscus; swamp rose-mallow)
Lychnis x arkwrightii 'Vesuvius' (Arkwright's campion)
Prunella laciniata (cutleaf self-heal)
Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow rue)
extended period, starting mid-SeptemberClematis integrifolia
late SeptemberAllium sphaerocephalon (drumstick allium)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (blue stars)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Astilboides tabularis
Ceratotheca triloba (African foxglove)
Dahlia 'Jazz'
Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover)
Gentiana dahurica (gentian)
Gillenia trifoliata (bowman's root, indian physic)
Hemerocallis middendorffii (Amur daylily)
Iris domestica (blackberry lily)
Iris sibirica (Siberian iris)
Penstemon cobaea (showy beard-tongue)
Platycodon grandiflorus (balloonflower)
Polemonium foliosissimum flavum (towering Jacob's ladder)
Ratibida columnifera (prairie coneflower; Mexican hat)
Ratibida pinnata (drooping or grey-head prairie coneflower)
Sanguisorba hakusanensis (Korean burnet)
Sedum aizoon (stonecrop)
Stachys minor (little betony)
Stachys monnieri 'Hummelo' (alpine betony)
Teucrium hircanicum (germander)
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower)
Veronicastrum virginicum (culver's root)
extended period, starting late SeptemberDicranostigma leptopodum (yellow poppy)
early OctoberAllium humile
Amsonia illustris (Ozark blue star; shining blue star)
Arisaema triphyllum (jack in the pulpit)
Chasmanthium latifolium (sea oats)
Cryptotaenia japonica 'Atropurpurea' (Japanese parsley)
Desmanthus illinoensis (bundleflower; prairie mimosa)
Dianthus japonicus
Eupatorium maculatum 'Purple bush' (spotted Joe-Pye weed)
Gentiana asclepiadea 'Alba' (willow-leaf gentian)
Hypericum androsaemum 'Albury Purple' (purple St John's wort)
Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst' (golden St John's wort)
Ipomoea hederacea (ivy-leaf morning glory)
Ipomoea sloteri (cardinal climber)
Isodon excisus
Liatris ligulistylis (meadow blazing star)
Liatris spicata (blazing star; gayfeather)
Mimulus alatus (monkeyflower)
Nepeta subsessilis 'Sweet Dream' (catmint)
Pennisetum orientale 'Karly Rose' (fountain grass)
Perilla frutescens (shiso, beafsteak mint)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's seal)
Rudbeckia maxima (giant coneflower)
Salvia glutinosa (Jupiter's distaff)
Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)
Thymophylla tenuiloba (Dahlberg daisy)
Tinantia erecta (widow's tears)
Trichostema dichotomum (blue curls)
Veronica longifolia 'Blauriesin' (long-leaf speedwell)
Xanthisma texana (sleepy daisy)
mid-OctoberAmaranthus gangeticus (elephant head amaranth)
Caryopteris divaricata (bluebeard)
Chaenomeles 'Toyo Nishiki' (flowering quince)
Codonopsis lanceolata (bonnet bellflower)
Geranium wallichianum 'Buxtons Blue' (cranesbill)
Ipomoea coccinea (scarlet creeper; red morning glory)
Peltoboykinia watanabei
Proboscidea louisianica (ram's horn, unicorn plant, devil's claw)
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (slender mountain mint)
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint)
Rudbeckia triloba (brown-eyed susan)
Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red' (autumn sage)
Salvia roemeriana (cedar sage)
Solanum surratense
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Styrax japonicus (Japanese snowbell)
Syneilesis palmata (palmate umbrella plant)
Talinum paniculatum (jewels of Opar)
Thalictrum delavayi (Yunnan meadow rue)
Thalictrum rochebrunianum (lavender mist meadow rue)
Verbesina alternifolia (wingstem)
Vitex negundo (chastetree)
late OctoberAgastache scrophulariaefolia (purple giant hyssop)
Cornus amomum (silky dogwood)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
Echinacea tennesseensis (Tennessee coneflower)
Eryngium leavenworthii (Leavenworth eryngo)
Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge; poison spurge)
Heliopsis helianthoides (false sunflower)
Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride' (hairy alum root)
Hyssopus officinalis (hyssop)
Indigofera heterantha (indigo shrub)
Kitaibela vitifolia
Knautia macedonica (burgundy pincushion)
Koelreuteria paniculata (golden rain tree)
Lespedeza thunbergii (bush clover)
Penstemon canescens (gray beard-tongue)
Solanum pyracanthos (porcupine tomato)
Tricyrtis macropoda (pagoda toad lily)
Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium)
Viola sororia f. priceana (confederate violet)
early NovemberAmsonia hubrichtii
Capsicum annuum (ornamental peppers)
Caryopteris x clandonensis (bluebeard, blue mist spirea)
Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle)
Polygonum virginianum 'Painter's palette' (painter's palette)
Pycnanthemum incanum (hoary mountain mint; white horse-mint)
Ruellia humilis (hairy wild petunia)
Scilla autumnalis (autumn squill)
Selinum wallichianum
Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod)
Symphyotrichum sp.
Verbena bonariensis (purple-top vervain)
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed)
mid-NovemberCalamagrostis brachytricha (Korean feather grass)
Daphne retusa
Lilium formosanum (formosa lily)
late NovemberIndigofera amblyantha (pinkflower indigo)
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Last modified:
June 08, 2008
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