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Seed: collecting and storing
Growing plants from seed is generally straightforward and inexpensive. It is an opportunity to increase the number of plants in your garden for free.
Spectacular seedheads for winter interest and wildlife
Choose the best plants to grow for winter seedhead interest in your garden, with the top five seedheads for wildlife, selected by RHS Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock
"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold Aristotle"
Ghostly discs of Lunaria annua
Wise words from Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, which apply equally to gardens and plants in the winter months. As the days grow shorter and darker, plants take on a new and, some may say, more interesting profile, as they shed their petals, leaving us with skeletal forms that can be breath-taking in their beauty.
Delicate hydrangea heads at RHS Rosemoor
For many years we were advised to tidy up the garden in autumn, preparing it (and us) for winter. Plants were cut to the ground, tools were cleaned and put away. Today’s gardeners know better; we revel in the beauty of the naked form and are entranced by the veined and ghostly scene in our winter borders.
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Seedheads of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Temptation’
Seedheads for Wildlife
It’s not just all about looks. Alongside the beauty of winter seedheads, the added benefits to wildlife have been extensively recorded. The dry hollow stems of perennials provide homes for insects through the winter and the seeds are vital food for birds and small mammals.
A robin perches on a snow-covered seedhead in front of the glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley
Top five seedheads for wildlife, selected by RHS Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock
Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
Helen Bostock
Who loves them: Ladybirds and birds
These hold their structure well into late autumn and in Helen’s garden they are hotspots for seven-spot ladybirds taking shelter over winter. Rich in they are loved by bees and hoverflies earlier in the year but birds love to eat the seeds in the winter months.
Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
Who loves them: Chaffinches and goldfinches
Appreciated by gardeners for their soft, silvery foliage and spikes of mauve flowers, if left to set seed these will attract chaffinches and goldfinches.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Who loves them: House sparrows and bluetits
An obvious and easy to grow choice, these sunny blooms are popular with house sparrows and bluetits, and growing your own will save buying sunflower seeds for birdfeeders.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Who loves them: Goldfinches
Easy to grow, beautiful blue flowering annual to grow either in an mix or in the border. The seedheads will be enjoyed by finches, especially goldfinches.
Hardy geraniums
Who loves them: Bullfinches
Brilliant perennials, the hardy geranium comes in all shades and suits a wide range of conditions, but the cherry on the top is that bullfinches, in particular, seem drawn to the seedheads.
Conifer seeds
Don’t forget conifers, which are frequently overlooked for wildlife benefits. The seeds of trees such as larch and false cypress are picked out of cones by a whole range of birds, including nuthatches, siskins, bramblings, coal tits and others.
Conifers in the Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor
"There are so many flowers whose seedheads have ornamental value that it is well worth leaving them right into winter and just watching to see if they attract any special attention from your garden wildlife"
Grow what you love
At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you think a plant is looking interesting in its skeletal form, leave it be and enjoy its winter beauty in the knowledge that some other creatures might be enjoying it too.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ seedheads
Suggested reading
The Winter Garden: Celebrating the Forgotten Season
Unlock your garden’s winter potential and see the beauty and promise of the colder months with award-winning garden designer and author, Naomi Slade.
Buy the book
- Enjoy Lia Leendertz’s article about the joy of saving seeds, in the
RHS The Garden magazine October 2023 or on The Garden app
About the author - Natalie Ashbee
Natalie has worked in Horticulture for more than 20 years; in primary education, TV production and garden design. She lives and gardens in West Cornwall.
