question about Cleome

My Cleome has "beans" on it, but is still blooming. Do I need to cut the blooms & "beans" off for it to bloom more, or just leave it alone & let it go to seed?
Nancy

I pulled the pods off last week on mine. I sprinkled a few around, but didn't want them all to grow in that spot. I was wondering if they would grow this year or if they require a cold spell before they will germinate.

Nancy, the beans are what gives cleome another one of its common names of Cat's Whiskers. They will continue to grow and bloom all summer just by leaving them alone.

Thanks. Do I need to collect the seeds? Do I plant them or leave them on top of the ground? I'm new at this seed stuff.
Nancy

You'll have tons of them next year by doing nothing. Save some for swaps or round robins if you'd like to.

Once the blooms open all the way to the top, I cut mine back and then you get some more smaller blooms if your season is long enough. I never collect the seeds. Just let them self sow and pull up the extras the next year.

Susan

If you do collect seeds, make sure the pods are ripe- almost to the point of opening up before you pick them.