Expert advice Which seeds to collect and why

Save money and raise better plants by harvesting seeds from your garden, says HANNAH STEPHENSON

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If you've seen your garden flowers turning brown this summer, it may be time to start collecting the seeds to give you more plants for free next year.

Collecting seeds from lavender, foxgloves, honesty, wallflowers, poppies, sweet peas and Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-mist) is so easy and can save you a lot of money, says garden influencer Anya Lautenbach (@anya_thegarden_fairy), author of a series of books for the budget-conscious gardener including The Money-Saving Gardener.

“Seeds are like treasure,” she enthuses. “They have to ripen on the plant so you can’t speed up the process. You can’t collect seedheads when they are green - you have to wait for that moment to happen.”

Don’t forget perennials, which may also be ripe for seed collection, she continues.

“A lot of them will produce seeds in late summer and autumn. For example, I grew some great delphiniums and astrantias from seeds, which will perform year after year.”

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A SEED IS READY TO BE HARVESTED?