How to Save Seeds From a Lilac Plant

Save seeds from lilacs so you can grow more plants next season.

Collect lilac seeds to grow new plants during the growing season. Instead of purchasing lilac seeds, you can collect them from your garden and store them so that you can plant more lilacs. Since you can handpick the seeds that come from the lilacs, you will need to pick the seeds that come from the strongest and healthiest lilacs you have growing. Once you store the seeds properly, you can germinate them to grow your new plants.

Things You'll Need

• Glass jar with lid
• Marker
• Masking tape

Instructions

1. Allow the blooms to start dying. They will appear dried out and droopy in the late spring.

2. Pull the seeds out from the seed pod. Do not pick up any seeds that fall onto the ground; only pull the seeds directly from the plant.

3. Pull off as many seeds as you desire. The number of seeds you pull will represent the number of plants you plan to grow the following year. A large number of seeds will insure that you have a successful germination, because not all seeds will germinate.

4. Place the lilac seeds on a windowsill. Allow them to dry naturally.

5. Bend one of the seeds to test the dryness. If the seed cracks in half, it has dried enough. If the seed only bends, then you will need to allow them to dry longer.

6. Store the lilac seeds in a glass jar. With a marker and masking tape, label the jar with the type of seeds and the date. Place the jar in the freezer for 48 hours to kill off any pests. Move the jar to the refrigerator until you are ready to germinate the seeds.

References

• The Gardener's Network: Propagating Lilacs
• Montana State University: Harvesting and Saving Garden Seeds
• University of Illinois: Saving Seed from the Garden