Seed collection of erigeron

kimmy b from england

Iv googled it to death to no avail, can anyone shine a light on Erigeron seed extraction and what they look like, I’m confused. Took they dry hard old brown flower heads off, is that the seed or do I crush it and it’s the tiny things x thank you x 

McRazz

Little feathery bits of fluff, like a tiny dandelion. Each 'feather' will have a seed attached on its end. If the flower is dry and hard they've likely already been scattered. You need to be quick as they don't hang around for long.

I might be mistaken but on GW once Carol Klein harvested them and mixed them into a sandy compost and stuck the mixture in between paving cracks and gaps in old walls where they germinated.

I just let mine self seed, or very occasionally I grab a small handful and scatter them along the path edges. They seem to like a good crevice to germinate in. 

Edit - Assume you mean Karvinskianus (Mexican Fleabane)? although Glaucus is much the same, albeit larger - not sure how prolific a self seeder Glaucus is though...

Razz

borgadr

McRazz is giving you good advice, but if I could add to it (because I was doing exactly that this weekend) you need to grab the feathery seed heads between your fingers before you attempt to snip them off - the slightest disturbance will see the seeds all float away into the breeze! The seeds themselves are elongated, yellowish and barely 1mm long.

If you look very carefully you'll see them, almost any time of year except winter, but only a very few at one time. And tomorrow you'll find a few more.

If there are any spider webs in your plant you should handily find big clumps of seed that have dropped/blown off and got caught in the web.

borgadr

This is what you're looking for (centre of the pic)

kimmy b from england

Can’t believe it, both of you, thank you so much for this, what I thought was the seed is just a dry pod where they were 🤦🏻‍♀️ Il be vigilant now I know what I’m looking for. Mine is in a pot and Iv really took a shine to it this year, it’s been a showstopper and yes it is Mexican fleabane. So excited now x Kim 💪

kimmy b from england

Iv just come in from inspection 🤪 look at all them x thank you x 

borgadr

You'll find it will seed itself around very easily, into cracks in the paving (if you have them) and adjacent pots. This is what mine have done and I'm more than happy to let them! Plus they flower for at least 9 months of the year if winter's not too cold

kimmy b from england

Just been on Google. Says I can sow them now on the surface of damp compost, so il do that and save some seed for spring sowing. Iv been all round my garden today, looking at all the plants and how they have faired and this Erigeron is in a league of its own. Even the dry brown spots where the flowers once were look good and there is new buds coming, it’s unbelievable, I havnt given this plant any credit until now.

borgadr

Yes, totally drought resistant, they're brilliant plants. Don't bury the seeds, just surface sow. You can add a very thin layer of grit or compost on top but don't cover them completely from the light.

You can sow now if you want to and wait til next year to plant them out. They don't need a propagator or a greenhouse, you can just leave them outside.

McRazz

kimmy b from england said:

Iv just come in from inspection 🤪 look at all them x thank you x 

Good work! 

I love Erigeron. Its beautifully chaotic and opportunistic, which are traits I value higher than almost any other in the garden.