 Seeds can be collected from most plants but in doing so remember that seed collected from some of ones favourite cultivars may not produce offspring which are exact replicas of the parents because these cultivars have been bred very carefully. Only by propagating from cuttings or similar vegetative methods or by repeating the original crosses, can the results be duplicate.
Incidentally, many of our best garden plants have been produced by either deliberate or accidental crossings of different strains of the same or different species. Only seed collected from true species will come true. Yet self-sown seedlings will display variation in characteristics and quality but may nevertheless produce good plants.
Remember to gather ripe seed heads into paper bags preferably on a warm dry day and hang them up in a dry airy place . Later packet and label the seeds. Do not use plastic bags since seeds loose water as they dry, and readily go mouldy in plastic bags. After packaging the seeds store them in a cool dry place until they are required for sowing.
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