How to Save Cleome Seed

More commonly known as the spider flower, cleome are graceful, tall plants with bright blooms in shades of purple and pink. Cleome are forgiving plants, drought-tolerant and happy in nearly any soil type, but if left to their own devices they will self-seed and will soon be out of control. It's best to remove the blooms each autumn and save a few seeds for planting the following spring.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Netting
• Paper plate
• Glass jar or envelope

1. Deadhead the blooms by clipping or pinching them off as soon as they finish blooming. Leave just a few blooms in place, and let them die down naturally. Soon, the blooms will be replaced by long, green seedpods.

2. Wrap a piece of netting around each seedpod, and secure it with a rubber band or a piece of string. Otherwise, if you aren't there to catch them, the seedpods will burst and the seeds will be scattered on the ground.

3. Remove the seedpods from the plant as soon as they are dry.

4. Open the netting over a paper plate. If the seeds have already been expelled from the seedpods, pick them out of the debris and chaff. If not, break the seedpod open with your fingers and extract the tiny, wrinkled seeds.

5. Store the cleome seeds in a small glass jar or an envelope.

References

• When I Collect Cleome Seeds
• Cleomes
• Cleome Seed Collection