The bright pink, magenta and white flowers of sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) fill the flowerbed and spill over the edge of the walk. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, these fragrant biennials work well in cottage and informal gardens. Native to Southern Europe, sweet William produce round flowers that attract bees and butterflies to the garden. When the flowers fade, they produce numerous tiny seeds which can be harvested for planting in fall or the following spring.
Once the flowers are dry and the seeds have turned dark brown or black, snipping the entire flower off with scissors allows you to harvest the seeds with ease. Jerking or jarring the flower will scatter the tiny seeds over the soil, making it impossible to find them against the rich brown soil.
By placing the dried flowers with seeds into a paper bag, you can easily note on the bag the plant's name, color and date the seeds were harvested. Placing the paper bag in a warm, dry spot for one to two weeks allows the seeds to finish drying. Once the flowers and seeds are completely dry, holding the bag tightly closed while shaking it helps release the seeds remaining in the flowers.
Folding a piece of window screen into a bag or pressing it into a colander allows you to use it as a sieve. Once the seeds and dried remains of the flowers are poured into the screen, you can separate the seeds from the chaff by gently shaking it over a large bowl or tray. The tiny seeds slip through the holes in the window screen, leaving the dead flowers behind.
Resealable Plastic Bags
Using resealable plastic bags allows you to store the seeds in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator for several months. Adding a label or writing directly on the bag with a permanent marker helps keep track of the names, colors, harvest and storage dates. Biennial seeds like sweet Williams are often planted in the fall after harvesting the seeds. The seeds will overwinter and sprout when the weather warms in spring.
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