DIY - How To Grow Beautiful Flower Gardens Starting from Saved Flower Seeds

DO you enjoy beautiful Flowers? Have you ever thought that you would like to grow a flower garden but you don't know where to start or you hate the thought of buying annals that die at the end of the season.

Well, keep reading to find out more about how you can grow your own flowers without spending alot of money.

The photo on the right is sunflowers, fresh cut from my garden and placed in a vase to enjoy indoors. These sunflowers were grown from mixed sunflower seed.

Fresh cut flowers in the flower shop or grocery store are expensive and quickly die and must be thrown away. You can save money and get the joy of growing you own when you save flower seeds.

There were 2 large vases filled with sunflowers cut from the garden, as shown in the photos above and on the right.

The photo below shows the sunflower tops after they were removed from the vase. They were placed on a screen to dry. This is the remains after enjoying them indoors for almost 2 weeks.

The photos are of sunflowers but you can easily save seed from lots of annuals and start your garden again the next year without having to purchase seeds again. And the great part is your collection keeps growing.

The amount of seeds in a packet that you purchase in a store in nothing compared to the amount of seeds that you will quickly have. You can share with friends, family, co workers, do seed exchanges and more.

To get your garden started on a budget shop online, or in garden centers for your first collection of seeds, then save them and spend your money on something else the next season.

In addition to sunflowers I have successfully saved mixed marigolds, hyacinth bean vine, mixed giant zinnias, orange zinnia, and some perennials including blanket flower, black eyed Susan, and others.

The process of drying seeds is lengthy and requires patience. But it is very rewarding.

First of all make sure that you deadhead the flowers during the season as needed to promote more blooms and healthier plants. The dead bloom of the flower contains the seeds, So don't throw it away.

The petals of the bloom are not the seeds. Usually seeds are contained in the center of the flower. And some are easy to see while others are tiny.

The dead heads (spent blooms) have to be dried in order to save the seed. This is done by allowing them to get air dried. Place them on a screen or in shallow boxes until they dry.

The seeds will dry faster outside, with lots of air circulating around them. However, be prepared to take them indoors at night to avoid moisture. Do not let them mold, it will damage the seeds and they will not sprout.

Do not place the seeds in containers that won't let air circulate until they are totally dry, or they will mold and you will have worked for nothing.

Another way to cellect seeds, is from cut flowers that you grow in your garden. As the flowers are blooming cut them bring them inside and enjoy them like I did with the sunflowers.

Keep your cut flowers watered, large flowers require alot of water. Then when they no longer look good cut the blooms off and save as directed above.

Make sure to collect the seeds of annual flowers before frost. The frost will damage the seeds and they are not useable.

Once the seeds are dry, this can take several weeks, store in a cool area until you are ready to plant them. Take the seed heads apart and you are ready to plant the seeds and grow a beautiful garden.

Make sure there is not sign of frost in your area when you plant the seeds. Good luck, share your success stories below in the comments section.