While we grow flowers to enjoy their colors and fragrance, the flowers themselves have one sole purpose and that is to produce seeds. Many of us are far too quick once the flowers fade at the end of the season to cut the plants back. This is a pity because many flowers have attractive seed heads which can provide interest up to and in some cases all through the winter. I came across an article by Lynne Cherot on the Sensible Gardening website where she describes several plants that are worth growing for their seed heads.

When choosing plants for our gardens we tend to focus on those that will provide us with outstanding flowers or amazing foliage. What we sometimes neglect to think about are the plants seed heads.
Many plants produce very attractive seed heads going into the late summer and early fall garden season. Some of us are neat freaks and get busy cutting down these plants as at this stage they may be perceived as finished for the season or even a tad messy. Many seed heads however offer beauty for the garden late into the season, not to mention the benefit they have for birds and other wildlife.
By not removing these seed heads you can extend the interest of your garden for several weeks. These seed heads are attractive not only on their own, but also complement your other fall flowering plants and leaf coloring plantings. Attractive seed heads are not only found in perennials but also annuals, vegetables and grains. Following is a collection of plants that offer pleasing seed heads, any of which you could add to your garden.
Nigella damascena or ?Love-in-a mist? is an easy annual to grow from seed in early spring. It creates green puffy pods that age to light brown with a purple stripe.

Lunaria or ?Money plant? is a biennial that in it?s second year produces round, flat, paper like seed pods. Once picked you can peel off the tan covering leaving you with a beautiful silvery white membrane.

Go to the next page to see more of these plants that have attractive seed heads.
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