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I have an awesome white tall phlox plant and I want to save some seeds, What is the best way to do this? I understand that they are poppers as they explode the seeds from the pods. Does anyone out there have a good way of collecting these seeds? Please let me know. :?

The seeds don't begin to ripen until the flower is spent. You could cover the flower heads at that time with small bags of either paper or fabric. Tie or tape the open end of the bag snugly around the stem below the flower head. Then, the seeds would be caught in the bag when they popped.

To harvest, just cut the stem below where the bag is tied, turn it so the opening of the bag is upward, and give it a good shake to make sure the seeds are down inside the bag before you remove the tie or tape. Just a suggestion.

Sounds good to me ! had the same kind of idea just was not sure of how to go about it, Thanks. gayla

I went out today and brown bagged some heads that were no longer flowering. Now I just don't know how long to wait before I can cut the stems and get some seeds? . I am not to bright with this one,! pretty sad . LOL. Trial and goof up is how I learn some times!

Give it a good little while, atleast a couple days. You wanna make sure they pop before you cut them, but you don't wanna open the bag to check otherwise you'll drop all the seeds out. Kisal might be able to give you a mre definate time table.

It won't hurt the seeds to stay on the plant, so you can wait a week or two, if you like. You can't lose the seed, since you have it contained in a bag. If you prefer, you can cut the flowerheads just as they begin to wilt/fade. Leave a piece of stem attached, about 6 or 8 inches long. Tie the stems together, put the flower part inside the bag and secure it, then hang the whole thing upside down in a warm, dry place.

I used to string a clothesline inside my garage for hanging herbs and/or flowerheads. Check them every so often, and by the time they're dry, most of the seeds will have fallen into the bag. You can shake or tap the bag to make sure all the seeds have been released, before you open it.

Don't mean to poop on your seed popping party, but the seeds may not 'do'. Most phlox we have is hybrid. If your plant is spreading, you can dig up and replant the new shoots. I am doing that with one I have. I think it is Bright Eyes (Lovely 2 shades of pink, blooms all summer). It has held in for years, but limited in spreading. I like where it is now, and giving it more room to spread, albeit slowly!
Back to your seeds, let us know what you get and if they do work. If your plant is a hybrid and the seeds sprout, they may not be true to the mother plant.

Thanks so much for the help. We shall hope for the best here. I do not know if they are hybrids or not. One can buy seeds for them so I am hoping these are of that type. I will be advising as things progress.