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It's mid November and most of the plants have all turned brown. There's nothing left in the backyard really, except the leaves that now bury the garden. While the plants have all but died, the seed pods are plenty on the annuals. Around July or August I usually start dead-heading about half the plants and leave the rest to go to seed. That way I get the best of both worlds--a few more flowers for the current season and seeds to plant next year
 I made a final sweep of the morning glories and pansies this weekend and added them to my collection from earlier this fall. Included in the group are balloon flower, mallow, columbine and snapdragon seeds. Initially I let them dry in paper bags to prevent any mold from growing. Once dry they should be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
I've stashed some in tiny watchmaker tins, while others are sealed in glassine envelopes. The seeds that will be given as gifts are put in slightly prettier packaging. I used No. 1 kraft coin envelopes and adorned them with rubber stamps and paints.
A note about seeds: Be sure that the heads are completely brown, if not already opened before you pick them from the plant. If you pick too early the seeds won't be mature yet. Also it's good to know if the plants growing in the garden are hybrids. If so their seeds won't produce plants identical to the mother plants. They will likely result in plants that have inferior characteristics that were bred out of the mother plant.
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