Aquilegia - collecting seed / seed pods

How / when does one collect the seed pods(?) from Aquilegia?

I've never grown them before but my daughter has just moved into a house with loads of them in the garden and they are lovely! I want some for my own garden now :D

 

You'll be able to tell when the seeds are ready to collect Mithril. The flowers die back and the seed pods become prominent, eventually taking on a dry look. I usually wait until I see that one of them has split which is the best indication that they are mature and ready to collect. Then just pick them off the plant, hold them over your open palm and roll the pod gently between your thumb and forefinger of your other hand and the seeds will drop out. I usually only keep plump seeds that have a bright shiny appearance and discard the dry dull looking ones [ not sure why , it just seems to make sense ].
Pop them into an envelope and keep them in a dry place until the following year, when you can start sewing them inside from about February.

 

Aquiligia

I've got the situation that they self seed easily.
I collect small plants from the garden into pots and transplant or swap/give away to whoever wants one.
Its very successful

 

Wait until the seed pods are dry and brown - when you tap them gently, if you can hear the seeds 'rattle' inside then they're ready. If you don't want them to seed everywhere, hold a small plastic container (or similar) under the pods, cut them off and let them drop into that, then give them a good tap/shake to extract the seeds (or gently roll them in your fingers as Skinner says, if the pods don't open of their own accord).

You can sow them in seed trays from April to July, covered with vermiculite or, again as Skinner says, from about February - both for flowering the following year.

 

Thanks all, I shall have a go. I shalll also look out for small plants next year - she has loads!