By Andee Zeigler, November 21, 2021
Did you know that you don’t have to buy seeds every year!? 
As we head into fall I start collecting blooms to dry for seed harvesting. You don’t need a anything fancy to extract or save seeds, just a little time and some envelopes to store them in.
I harvested thousands of seeds this year with the hopes of an abundance of viable spring seedlings to share. One of my most favorite seeds (shown in the header) are from the pincushion flower, scabiosa. I am also a big fan of these sweet little seeds from Love in a Puff….nevermind those dirty gardener hands!
A couple of things to note, if you are harvesting seeds from a specific colored flower, say a queen lime zinnia, if the flower has been pollinated it won’t be true to that color. It will be a lovely zinnia but the cross pollination changes the seed. Store your seeds in a cool, dark, dry space, free of pests. Basements are great for this. I keep my seeds in labeled envelopes and organize them by future planting location and in chronological order of when they need to be started.
Below I have listed a number of great resources to learn more about seed saving. It’s a cost effective way to have lovely flowers (and many veggies) without spending money on seeds each year. There are an abundance of viable seeds in most flowers, the opportunity to harvest and share is endless.
-Floret offers an abundance of information both in their blogs and mini courses, highly recommend. She also has some quick tutorials on her IG stories.
-On IG,@blommaflowerfarm has some awesome seed saving tutorials
-The website Seed Savers has tons of information and you can also order the book Seed to Seed there.
Grow flowers and love where you live!
Andee Zeigler
Principal Broker | OR
She/Her
I have called Portland home for over 20 years and can’t imagine raising my babies
anywhere else. I have been a REALTOR® for over a decade and still wake up every day
delighted that I truly love what I do. I love helping people find their home sweet home,
score an investment property that pencils out better than expected, holding the hand of
a first-time homebuyer, or guiding a nervous seller through the process of leaving a home
they’ve loved. I know Portland like the back of my hand and have a wealth of knowledge
about our unique homes and rapidly growing inventory of new construction.
I have loved up many homes over the years, from a total restoration of an 1894 Victorian
farmhouse to a full remodel of 1942 ranch and several in between. I enjoy educating my
clients on the home buying and selling process as well as educating them on how to care
for their home. I strive to help buyers understand their homes' unique qualities, how to
love them up, and the realities of vintage homeownership.
Each real estate transaction is different and for many people the entire process is new
and can feel overwhelming. I work hard to help clients manage expectations and give
them perspective along the way. I also truly love negotiating and believe it can be done
with grace and cooperation. Over the years many of my clients have become my friends
and I am grateful for the joy this career has brought me.
When I am not scouring the new listings, meeting clients for pie or reading up on all
things real estate, I am busy filling my days with goodness. I currently live in my dream
home in St. Johns with my husband, 3 kids, 2 cats, 2 ducks and goose! I am an avid
gardener, growing over 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables and countless plants and
flowers, including nearly 1000 tulips and over 100 dahlia varieties. During the spring
and summer we have a little free table with bouquets and plant starts for our
community. When the garden doesn’t need me you can find me in the kitchen. I try to
bake once a day, everything from sourdough to french macarons. I graduated with an
art degree and find great joy in painting and making pottery, there is almost always an
art project happening at the dining room table. I am a dedicated traveler and have made
exploring the world with my babies a priority. When we aren’t traveling internationally
we explore our corner of the world in our Vanagon, Dr. Coffey!
I am in constant awe of the beauty of the PNW and feel grateful that this is my home
sweet home. I absolutely believe that everyone should love where they live and won’t let
anyone settle!
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- T: 503-901-6864
- andee@livingroomre.com
