One becomes hundreds becomes thousands. And on a recent weekday, as dusk settled and autumn fell in, a group gathered in search of them: seeds. Round, rust-colored rose mallow seeds, fluff-ended ...

A close relative of hollyhock, mallow is an easy-to-grow, short-lived perennial that's a cinch to start from seed. Tall stems of small blossoms are held high above softly lobed, kidney-shaped foliage ...