September Seed Sculptures

September is a great time to make art with seeds, pods, and dried petals. The secret to these seedy sculptures is that you can dry them (3-4 days) and then put them in a special place in your garden (or in a pot on your balcony). Over the winter the seeds will get a blast of cold which will help them germinate. Cornflowers, poppies, viola and calendula can be planted at this time of the year. The rain and snow will break down the clay and in the spring the seeds will germinate, grow and the flowers will bloom for our bees. For a list of other seeds you can plant at this time of the year, try to get a hold of the new West Coast Seeds winter gardening guide. They have some online winter gardening resources as well.

We had such creative kids working at the ArtStarts gallery, with all kinds of miniature gardens and islands which were like little worlds in themselves.

 You could even put this little heart in a cellophane bag and give it as a gift.

Here's a sample of some of the supplies I collected over the last three months. Yes, you can also see the containers of the goat's brie we've consumed over the past seven years. I love the little round boxes because they are perfect for storing little organic materials.

It's  a chive blossom forest!

 This one is a little fairy land.

The long chains of seed pods are from the crocosmias, which the hummingbirds love. Kids and adults go crazy for the nigella pods and the silvery seeds of the money plant (Lunaria).

 I love this little seed bowl!

Here you can see three kinds of poppy pods, crocosmia seeds, nigella, lunaria, hops, and columbine pods. Where do the materials come from? They are harvested from my garden, my mom's garden and gifts from the gardens of my friends.

A big thanks to all the volunteers, staff and the families who participated. This workshop is part of an ongoing series that happens the last Saturday of the month at the Artstarts Gallery. Check it out!