Flower possibilities.

I posted back in August about the cut flowers in my yard that were in the prime of the season. Well, today is October 1 and this is what I cut from the garden after work today –

Many of the flowers will keep producing until the first frost. I’ll divide the flowers above into a couple bouquets to give to coworkers tomorrow. I have a standing Thursday afternoon visit with a patient who loves flowers; she gets a bouquet most weeks too. THESE FLOWERS (and giving them away) BRING ME GREAT JOY. Sorry I had to yell. They just make me so excited. (Also: Next year I’m planting way more snapdragons.)

With the first frost inevitably arriving sometime, I’m turning my attention to seed gathering. I’m dipping my toe into seed collecting with celosia and zinnias that currently are drying on paper in the sun room. (Zinnias are the ugly things in the upper left.) Next up: dahlia seeds.

Science: Here’s what I’ve learned (mainly from Floret Farms, where they do an excellent job of sharing how to and why) — If the varieties of your flowers from which you are harvesting seeds are not isolated, because of pollination, you don’t know what variety will grow from the seeds you harvested the year prior. I planted four varieties of zinnias in close proximity; when I plant the zinnia seeds next year, I don’t know what variety will germinate or what colors. Cross-pollination. Surprise!

But a step further: I’ve learned that with dahlias, you harvest a seed pod (which is a flower that has bloomed, died, and shriveled up while still on the plant). It doesn’t matter what type of dahlia it came from, the seed pod contains something, like, fifty seeds and each of those fifty seeds could germinate to be different dahlia flowers. Perhaps a variety of dahlia flower that has never grown before. Here’s what Floret Farms says about it: Unlike tubers or cuttings, which produce an exact clone of the plant they come from, dahlias grown from seed offer a treasure trove of new possibilities, each one something that’s never existed before. The opportunities are endless, and if you find one you love, you get to name it!  How cool is that?

I’m so excited for this project. But here’s what I hope: that frost doesn’t come too quick because, before I was armed with this knowledge about harvesting dahlia seeds from spent flowers, I went through the garden and cleaned out all the done-blooming flowers and seed pods. The very things I need for seeds. Fingers crossed there is enough time in the season for more seeds pods to brown on the plant so I can try my hand at planting my own dahlias.