Fall is beginning to show its colors around Holly House gardens, and I couldn’t be happier. At long last, the heat of the summer is dissipating, and the temperatures are respectable enough to get back out into the soil. Seed collecting happens to be one of my favorite autumn tasks. Many of the native plants in my area of North Carolina go to seed this time of year so they can overwinter and sprout in the spring. While you can replicate nature’s overwintering by stratifying seeds in the freezer, fridge, or recycled milk jugs outdoors, I have found the easiest (and 100% free) way to expand your garden is to let nature do its thing.

This past spring, one of my favorite NC natives, Eastern Bluestar, Amsonia tabernaemontana, put on a show, and I’ve been waiting all this time for the seedpods to open up so I can collect the seeds and distribute them throughout what has affectionally been named the Spiral Garden. Three years ago, I converted what was my front yard of weeds and non-native invasive plants into the Spiral Garden and dedicated the space to growing plants native to my area. Today was the day the Eastern Bluestar seedpods opened up, and after spreading them around, I cannot wait for next spring’s sprouts to appear!

As a general rule, I only collect about 10% of each seed type my native plants produce so that enough seed is left to feed nature’s garden visitors over the cold winter months. I think of it this way: the native Spiral Garden is for nature to eat, and my vegetable garden is for my family to eat.

Speaking of the vegetable garden, some of the birdhouse gourds I’d planted in spring had been knocked down from their trellis in a recent storm. I went ahead and collected them and placed them to begin drying out in the greenhouse. My plan is to eventually paint them and give them away as presents to family and friends. While I did manage to get the garden prepped for my fall/ winter crops, I’ve yet to get those seeds sown and I’m running out of time. Hoping to do it soon!

As for the pond I built this past spring, it’s done better than I ever dreamed! There’s not a day goes by that I’m not out there talking to the family of frogs who have taken up residence. The native wetland plants in the pond have also thrived, and it’ll be exciting to see how they do overwinter.