How to Save Seeds from Your Flower Garden

Saving your own flower seeds is one of the easiest ways to make your garden more self-sufficient. Whether you’re growing flowers for beauty, bees or bouquets, it’s a low-cost way to keep your favorite varieties going year after year — and slowly increase your stock without spending a cent.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Mark the Best Performers Early

As the season goes on, keep an eye out for flowers that stand out — strong stems, long vase life, bright colour or any trait you're trying to carry into next season. We mark our best plants with a bit of pink tape on the stem so we know which ones to save seed from. This helps us slowly improve the genetics in our flower patch each year.

2. Let the Flowers Go to Seed

Don’t be too quick to deadhead every spent bloom — some need time to develop mature seeds. Once the petals fade and the heads dry out, that’s your cue. We usually leave them on the plant until they’re fully brown and crisp. For flowers like sunflowers, zinnias, Dahlias and marigolds, this is especially important.

3. Harvest on a Dry Day

Moisture is your enemy when it comes to seed saving. Wait for a dry day, then snip off the seed heads or collect seeds by hand. We usually bring them inside and spread them out on a tray or paper towel for a few more days just to make sure they’re fully dry.

4. Separate and Clean

Gently break apart the seed heads and remove any excess plant material. For example:

• Sunflowers: Rub the center of the dried head to loosen seeds

• Zinnias & Marigolds: Pinch and pull apart the dried bloom to access the seeds

• Cosmos: Pluck the dark, narrow seeds straight off the head

• Dahlias: Dahlia seeds are located at the base of the petals. They look like small, dark arrowheads. Not every seed you find will be viable—skip the thin, empty-looking ones

You don’t need to wash them — just remove anything that could go mouldy in storage.

5. Label and Store Properly

We store ours in paper envelopes or small jars with a label that includes the flower type and the date. Keep your seeds in a cool, dry spot — away from sunlight and moisture. Avoid plastic bags unless they’re sealed with silica packets to prevent mould.

6. Replant When the Time’s Right

Next season, you’ll have a stash ready to go. We’ve noticed that saved seed often germinates better over time, especially from plants that have already adapted to our soil and growing conditions here on the Fleurieu.

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget the Tubers

While you’re saving seed, it’s also a good time to start thinking ahead to lifting your dahlia tubers, even if that job’s still a little while off. Getting labels and storage materials ready now can save a lot of time (and confusion) later. We’ll have a guide on that soon if you're new to the process.

Snipping, drying, saving 🌻
We’re building up our flower garden one seed at a time—this sunflower head gave us a hefty handful of future blooms. It’s a simple way to save money and keep growing what works best in our patch

Harvesting next season’s sunshine 🌻