Collecting Lavatera Seed

As I wandered about the garden this past week I rather absent mindedly began collecting seed from the Lavatera.  I didn't actually have a purpose in collecting the seed.  It was just there and I took it.  A habit that began in my mother's garden and took shape when I volunteered at a weekly seed collectors group for Van Dusen Botanical Gardens.

Viable seed isn't produced by all plants.  Many of the plants we purchase at garden nurseries are actually hybrids and their seed is often sterile or the seed doesn't come true, meaning the seedlings that grow from that seed will not look like the parent plant.  However, many old fashioned garden favourites like Lavatera will produce viable seeds which can be planted or shared.

I purchased Lavatera seed last year at a garage sale from a fellow gardener.  I've never grown it before but some reading told me the plant was in the malvaceae family, related to hibiscus and hollyhocks.  Lavatera trimestris is an annual that prefers full sun and average soil, growing 2 to 3 feet high.  I threw these seeds into the ground in spring and sure enough seedlings sprouted and the leaves had the rounded crinkled look distinctive of the mallow family.  At the start of August blooms began to appear.

The blossoms just beginning to open

The large glossy blossoms of Lavatera

The plants have continued to throw out blooms ever since and there are still buds opening at this time.  But as the old blossoms have begun to fade seed heads have formed.

Faded blossoms

As the blossoms dry they fall off leaving a seed pod behind

The seedhead left behind when the flower falls off is actually called a calyx.  If the flower has been pollinated this will swell with seeds and then begin to dry.


Pod beginning to dry and turn black

Regular walks in your garden will help you to keep an eye on maturing seed pods.  As the seedheads dry they become susceptible to wet and the seeds can become saturated and moldy if not picked in a timely manner.  Warm dry weather will ensure nicely dried healthy seeds but these seeds will fall from the plant quickly so again, you must monitor them closely to know when to pick. 

The seedpod has now completed dried. 
In this case it turns black so it's very clear when the seed is ready.

Looking behind the calyx you can see the seed that has formed underneath

I have watched the seedheads on these plants turn black as they dry and luckily we had a spell of warm dry weather so there were plenty of seedheads ready to pick.  I popped the seedheads right off the plant and into my hand for collection.

The seeds are attached to the bottom

A quick rub on the seedhead released the seeds.  A couple times the seeds did not rub off easily, a sign the seedhead was not completely dry yet and I had picked them too soon.

A couple of minutes spent over several evenings gave me a whole new batch of seed for next spring with the promise of more spectacular pink blooms.