Cottage Gardening: Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #44

gotcha...

Thanks Pamsue :) I'll go in and check, my computer is having a good day so far today so I'll go look I know Neal had requested something and I got that but there might have been someone else.

Going to get off and check it out before my computer realizes I'm on here :)

Does anyone know what the 'Sanguinea canadensis (double)' that is a runner up in the wildflowers category of the photo contest is? I searched for it and couldn't find it anywhere! So pretty though!

klstuart, I bet they meant Bloodroot-Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55724/

THanks Danita, that's it! Gorgeous!

KL. If i can find them in fridge I have soem bloodroot seeds . I gather some each year to share with folsk to try and get them growing in place s cuz they an endangered plant. Will holler i when I find them.

MY PIPE IN!!!:
No need for apologies, I changed my name!!! I finally found how Daisies was spelled and had lost my interest in their family. I do apologize for any miscommunitcation.

Wow, something that pretty is endangered? I'd love to help keep it going!

That's an awesome plant!

Iknwothe seed s is somewhere onthe door side of the fridge but if you could see the mess of seed s there. Heck noroomeven for butter or kethcup and stuff. Chocolate bars are stuffe d with tree seeds. Mustard jar holding packet of other seed s up. LOL

:0 My dad used to always complain that he could never find the butter, as the tubs were reused for leftovers, so everytime he thought he found it, it was something else... at least what he found was edible! ;-)

Ihaving fits with some type of basil seeds. Not sur e what the name of thisone is , but it a nice basil and make s a real nic eplant too.

I been tryign to get the seeds out of it. Picked all the seed heads off and putin a bowltodry and have had a few seeds come out, but the rest of the seeds wont coemout ofthe seed heads. Any ideas on howto get them to giv eup their goodies. Ain't noway I gona sit ther e and pic eahc seed out of eah husk. Oh no.

Guess you all are busy swapping away. I have changed my DG name. Had been wondering about it and saw where someone here had done it so got right in on it. I think this will be a little easier all around.
I had to drop out of the swap as I had a bad fall 2 1/2 weeks ago while on vacation in Florida. Am just finally getting around with a cane and hope to be on my own 2 feet in a few days. No breaks only damage on the inside. It was quite a sight with my husband dragging me all over my SIL 's condo and in and out the rest rooms and restaurants on the way home.
Veronica

Bloodroot is endangered because of destruction of land for development, and folks are choosing cultivated plants over native ones. Also it's due to improper harvesting for medicinal use. Very sad, as most the the over harvesting has been done by people trying to sell to herbalists, not herbalists themselves who know what part to harvest and use.

I have wetlands and a mini-herb sanctuary on my land, so Star if you find those seeds, please keep me in mind. I have room to cultivate endangered plants. You should see the golden seal beds I started a few years back, they are getting stronger every year.
Now I just need to get my paws on some unicorn root and blue cohosh. :)

Hey Veronica..... hope you are on the mend, and so sorry to hear of your fall.
Now i'll have to get used to your userID, but at least your location will remind me.

Good to see you back in the Cottage Garden.

Terese

**typo... havent had coffee yet, and starbucks does not open for 55 min!!
dang bankers hrs.

This message was edited Nov 19, 2009 5:05 AM

Veronica you sure have had your share of falls this year, hope next year goes better for you! I think you got all your falls in this year lol

Star, those look like the mess I had with the white nymph salvia seeds and a few other ones I just take each one and pull it apart cause I don’t want to miss one seed lol It sure is a pain and for some of the seeds it took days to get them all cleaned gotta love those little pods! I hope you find an easier way then let me know lol

Got my key board put in and it is so nice to type without having to space each word! I was going nuts lol Now I’m typing on a lopsided key board because my battery is going out and was causing problems so took it out and just have my plug in to the electric but have a new battery to come in any day now so I can put up with that!

Now I can get more labels done and in a couple more days will add to my list :)

Indy.... Iknowya had that bad fall and I hope that ya get heale d real soon. If ya feeling up to it it not too late tojoin the swap if ya want.

Be January forthe seed s get maile dout and that wil give ya even more time to heal and be ready hopefully for some sping planting. : )

Yay Spring planting....I hope the weather holds for a few weeks so I can get out and do some garden cleaning. October was so rainy and I had plans for when I got home. That did not happen so I will clean gardens when I can.

There are many years my gardens have to wait till spring to get cleaned up, fall is such a busy time! The good thing is the mulch of leaves seem to be good insulation till I get them out of the beds.

Hey Star, Mr Sieve has worked very well on my basil seeds... They can run but they can't hide from Mr. Sieve.

nb I may just try them with the sieve. I knwo they makign me frustrated. LOL Don't they knwo they suppose d to giv e up their goodies. LOL

For thos e who may not noticed yet and pass the word. I am allowing evrybody to oink 25 more packets of seed s beside s what they they have already oinked . : )

So get them squaty legs runnign bakc to the fee d trough. Notic e has been poste d on the seed swap chat thread. : )

Oh Thank you so much Star. This little piggy might just have to go on an oinking spree. I had my surgery, came home from the hosp yesterday, and I am not supposed to be doing much for the next 2 weeks. The Piggy Swap will keep me sane, since I cannot go digging in the dirt. Please make sure that I get your oinks posted online within a couple of days after oinking. I don't want to miss anyone, and the vicodin makes me sleepy. Dmail might work the best.

tcs - I thanked you already in a couple other places for making the list of lists posts accessible to me, but sending you one more - I really appreciate what you did.

klstuart - thanks to you, too for getting Star's lists to me, as well.

Both my 'pooter & I were out of the piggy loop for a few days. I appreciate everyone's patience and kindness.

Lea & PamSue - loved Star as Mother Hen of us Piggies. Who knew that the sophisticated technology of personal computers would take us all back to the manger?

Regarding wintering over hollyhocks out of the ground - maybe in zone 5, tcs, you couldn't do this; and this worked just for a humongous hollyhock root - not little ones. One year I threw a hollyhock into the compost pile. The following spring, when I was digging out some compost, the root came up and it was starting to sprout. I hollered over the yew hedge to our new neighbor and asked if he wanted it, he hollered back "Yeah!"; so I tossed the root over the hedge, he planted it and it bloomed that summer.

Well, who knew what a great spot a compost pile could be for giving roots (and bulbs for forcing) that exposure to cold they need without killing them? I sure didn't - what a great surprise. Right now, I'm thinking of a certain pineapple sage not winter hardy here...hmmm...I'll have to bury it and roots of other species of sage in the compost pile and see if they'll come through winter this way.

Has anyone else had experience with wintering tender plants by burying their roots in a compost pile? Mine is against a metal outbuilding, which might also temper extreme temps here.

Star & Herbspirit - thanks for bringing up the endangered status and contributing factors to bloodroot being an endangered species. I knew that was happening in Maryland, but the botanist who was speaking to me said that a disease that shortened its life was also suspected. Well, the above mentioned neighbor who planted my hollyhock root, rescued some bloodroot from an abandoned house nearby, planted it on his side of the yew hedge, and it self-sowed across the hedge into my garden. It's been increasing nicely over the years and sharing space with hosta 'Frances Williams' - the bloodroot blooms before the hosta's leaves are completely unfurled. Star, when you save bloodroot seed in your fridge, do you store it dry or in some kind of barely moist medium like sand? I think I'll try saving some seed to share next spring, too.

Herbspirit - Blue cohosh and unicorn root sound interesting - I've been wanting to grow and learn more about medicinal herbs. Do you grow yours in their own garden, or mix them with your flowers? Do you have any favorite flower/herb associations?

Indy - Falls have been a hassle for me, too - I've been thinking about doing Tai Chi, for the way it helps you to pay attention to yourself physically and your surroundings. Mrs. Magoo had nothing on me, unfortunately. Just a thought.

Lynn - hope you feel better soon - I owe you a dmail

Karen

Karen you have a good idea there I have a friend Pirl on here that puts all sorts of plants in her compost pile and they survive maybe I'll try my black and blue salvia that way I'm still trying to milk seed out of it on the front porch for now lol I have a row of mulched leaves that is huge out back just like a compost pile :) If the critters leave it alone it's a ways back from the house and no houses close to it.

If yours is up against a metal building I would say give it a try for sure what have you got to loose :) I have seeds if you need some :) What kind of sun does it get in the winter?

Lynn, hope you get to feeling better fast :) I'd like to squeal for some of that vicodin I could use some sleep HA! I'll dmail you, not :)

Star I must admit I haven't even read the rules yet I've been so darn busy lately hope they are about the same as last year I'll make myself do it sometime this weekend, my snout is dragging the ground right now in shame! In my own defense I haven't asked for many seeds does that count lol

I’m so glad you are back Karen I was having computer problems too but I think, knock on wood, it’s all good now :)

On Pineapple sage, I overwinter mine in gh and it touch and go with it too sometimes, but mine in pots. Havne't trie d in groudn yet. You cna root them over the winter too. Take cutting s and just stick into some soil like miracle grow or jungle soil or somethign like that. I take small sections strip all leave s but top four from top and then cut them in half , stick and keep the soil really really moist all most to the point of soaking. As I go by I also mist the leaves as often as I can.

They wil look like they done wilted and are abotu dead, but don't giv e up on them. They take abotu two weeks to root and once rooted, then they perk up big time and start to growing. I start mine in 6 pack cells. They seem to like that siz e the best for starting and I don't transplant til they have lots of roots .

Blue.. I just store in baggy dry in fridge. Out in the ground if sowed, ants meanderign around will eat the the outsid e coating of the seed and leave the part that wil germinate. So it may take a year or two for the seed in some case s to germinate. Once ya get a plant going, they slow moving , but will start new tuber s under ground.

Hey, all you piggies. I've made one more run through the seed lists and oinked for more seeds. I've also started getting my seeds bagged and tagged so they're ready to go on Dec. 1.

Two things I want to mention:

1. My Salvia x superba Queen Blue which I ordered bulk from Swallotail Seeds hasn't arrived yet. I've sent a followup message to them. If it does not arrive before I have to send my seeds to Ella for distribution, I'll personally send them to everyone who oinked for them once they get here.

2. If any of my seeds don't germinate, please let me know. A few of my seeds are a first-time harvest for me and I may have either not harvested properly or too early or too late, but I would like to know if any fail for you. So squeal real loud if this happens. I'll do my best to make it up to you.

Lastly, before things get too crazy for everyone, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my fat little piggy heart for all the seeds and a huge oinky thank you to Ella for coordinating this swap. I cannot imagine the effort it has taken. We love you, Piggy Ella!! Suieeee!

I made a few changes to my list, so everybody come and see!;)

Hemophobic. Do me afavor if ya would. Post yoru abov e post on the seed swpa threa d so folks ther e cna see it, so folsk may take alast run down your list.

Dm.. gott a go see. One of thes e days may find tiem to look at evreybody list and see what I missed. LOL

Ok, I've got a question. Planning my 'butterfly garden' now. It's definitely going to have multiple salvias in it ;-) The question is, are two different types of salvia, say a coccinea and a greggii, less likely to cross pollinate, or will all salvias potentially cross with each other?

I know I'll have to stop worrying about it at some point, but for now if they're less likely I can strategically mix and match in the different beds...

klstuart: Robin or Rich in the salvia forum will know the answer to your question above if Neal doesn't. I'm interested in seeing what they have to say as well. You might try posting it there.

Good question Kelly, you got me wondering! I was assuming the species wouldn't readily cross pollinate, but according to this article, many actually do.

http://www.plantanswers.com/12_mos_xeriscape_/oct.htm

I've never noticed any oddlings among those I've started from seed though.

Great link Neil... thanks for posting.

I've been trying to recall what Salvias I've grown close to each other, I know I've got Black&Blue next to a bunch of red S.coccinea, both of which are popular among the hummers, so this batch of seed may have some natural hybrids among them. This spring I started all my red S.coccineas from cuttings (the plants overwintered in mixed containers of Coleus and Geraniums), so no opportunities to see evidence of crossing yet. I also grew S.subrotunda and Coral Nymph across the path from each other this year, so we may see some interesting variations among those.

Oy, my brain hurts! Maybe that has something to do with the spreadsheet zombie mode I've been in... but that article has tons of good info. Going to need a while to digest it. Thanks Neal! Guess we'll all find out in a year or two no matter what.

Karen (bluespiral)-
I just noticed your post from Nov 20th.
I have 1 dedicated herb bed, but as I've long outgrown that, I have herbs mixed in with my other plants,all over the place (6 other beds, 1 herb bed).
I just bought land abutting my house (.69 acres) that is deemed unbuildable, due to a wetland in the back and a drainage ravine in the middle the town put in years ago. It really has been the side yard for my house for 20 years.
With that new space, I'm in the middle of designing 4 more raised stone beds and a patio with firepit. I like to do my own landscape design. It's taking forever to get done, but is so worth it. I should have another .25 acres of garden after this is done (yeah!). I now have room for endangered plants, and the seeds from this piggy swap are going into that new area, along with moving my existing herb bed.
A few years back I designed a 60ft by 80ft labyrinth culinary herb garden at my local CSA, and reconstructed an old herb garden (60x70 ft) to be a tea garden and educational garden for kids. I love the design part!

The bottom line is you can put herbs anywhere, with any other plantings, just as long as you use sound design and gardening principles (light, soil, height, space, color, etc). Also you would be surprised at what is medicinal. A lot (but not all) of native plants are medicinal, so I tend to use plants the bees/hummer/butterflies like. The mixing of all of these together- isn't that a true definition of a cottage garden?

Patricia

Star said to announce our list changes here, so here goes! I HAVE UPDATED MY LIST!!!!


herbsprit, those CSA(what is that?) gardens sound WOW!

CSA= community supported agriculture
It's basically a farm where you buy a share at the beginning of the year, and you get produce every week, whatever is in season. And you take the risk with the farmer up front. In a good year you get lots, and in bad year well, you suffer the loss.
Most CSA's use organic growing methods. The one I belong too has fruits and veggies, and a cutting flower garden, and 2 sizable herb gardens (the second one is one I put in when I was the herb gardener there).
It works for me as I don't have to grow veggies in my beds (only few tomatoes), and I can use my space for herbs and flowers.

More info on CSAs-
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

New thread.... combining the 2 threads.. .the Piggy Seed Swap thread and the last CG thread...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1063030/

I am going!