Pollination A gardener needs to know how plants make seeds and reproduce themselves.
The stamen produces pollen, the powdery white or yellow dust you see in the bloom of a flower. Pollen carries all the genetic information (RNA) that determines that plant’s particular characteristics. Insects, bees, birds and the wind carry the pollen to the stigma which is in the center of the bloom. From there it travels down the pistil to the ovum where develops into seeds. The whole process is called pollination. When the pollen from 1 flower gets carried to the stigma of another flower they mix their RNA and the seeds will be a hybrid of the 2 original plants. If you want to grow plants with the same characteristics from year to year then simply save the seeds from your favourite blooms and plant them next year. If you would like to experiment with size, shape and colour try creating a hybrid through cross-pollination.
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