I speak with little expertise regarding starting plants from seed. Yes, the garden features many hellebore seedlings and fern sporelings, but these occur naturally with no assist from me. I am challenged by routine tasks such as watering, so gardeners with such lackings are ill advised to undertake growing from seed. Failure is nearly guaranteed.

But, not always, and after the small greenhouse was constructed a year ago I was again tempted to grow two annual vines, the cardinal flower (above) and hyacinth bean (below). The cardinal vine was intended to scramble up and into a tall nandina, while the hyacinth vine would cover a clematis in summer after its blooms had passed. Only a few seedlings of each were needed, so certainly a dozen seeds of each would be adequate. And they were, barely.

Results for both vines were satisfactory, and with the season for both ending in October I plan to duplicate the effort next spring, though with an additional challenge. I have harvested large seeds from the hyacinth bean, and attempted but abandoned efforts to capture tiny seeds from the cardinal vine. Perhaps I’ll try again when seed capsules are brown and dry.

Few plants display seeds so prominently as the blackberry lily (Iris domestica, formerly Belamcanda chinensis, above and below), named for blackberry like seed clusters, but favored for its small, spotted orange blooms. A number of seeds were recently harvested from several small clumps of lilies. I am assured by references that these are easily germinated in the spring.

Perhaps this is overly ambitious given my severe limitations, but I look forward to the reward in starting new clumps of the splendid lily. I have little interest in expanding my horizons, but considerable interest in adding plants at minimal expense. If successful, you will hear about it next summer.