Seeds - Rose of Sharon

So we have 4 differnt Rose of Sharon bushes/shrubs around our yard and given this year I am all into learning how to do all things gardening I colected some seeds....with pictures of course to share with you.  First the Flowers in bloom:

My pure white beauty

A double bloom purple.

Single bloom purple

And a Red eye white.

All equally beautiful in their own right.  So I have been very very very careful while collecting the seed pods to keep each version separate.  So how and when do you collect these pods and then what?  Well here is a visual description of what to look for and what to do.  Some are dark sorry.:

Here you see 3 different stages of the bush.  The top green one is a seed pod soon after the bud has fallen off.  The 2nd Stage.  The next one down is a purple bloom about to emerge.  The 1st Stage.  The last one on the bottom is a seed pod nearing harvest time.  This is the 3rd stage.

Here is another view of a 3rd stage pod.  It is brown in color and appears to be dead.  You can harvest at this time but it will be a little more work for you.  If you wait for Stage 4 most of the work is done.

Although not very clear this one is the 4th and final stage before it plants it's self.  At this point when the pods are open like this you can harvest the seeds.  At this point though you may also find that some pods are empty.  As the seeds are exposed to the elements and may fall out.

This pod here was actually harvested in stage 3.  The seeds are ready but I had to pull the pod appart to get to the seeds.

Here is a close up of a few of the seeds in these pods.  Yes they are hairy. 

Ever wonder how many seeds are in one pod?  I did.  This one had 11 good seeds.  The small specks next to the seeds are actually more seeds but they didn't develop.  No room I guess.



So all of your pods have been deseeded and you have all these seeds everywhere.  What do you do now?  Well you need to store them for future use.  A Tin with a lid, Glass jar, or a Glassine Envelope are best but a homemade paper envelope is just fine too.  Just be sure to lable them with the name of the seed including variety or color.  And at least the Month and year collected.  Store in a cool dry place.