Seed Snatchin XII was getting pretty long, so I thought I'd better start a new thread... and what better time than after my first recon mission for potential seed snatchin' later in the early fall... mid to late August here in Seward, Alaska. By making the rounds now, taking notes and pictures, I will know what I'm snatchin' even if they've quit blooming by then! First stop, the Benny Benson Memorial... love those corn poppies!
This little park is situated on the edge of town, by the lagoon. There is a bed by the monument (poppies), and a tiered bed under the Welcome to Seward sign. The tiered bed has dwarf calendula (Citrus Punch), Fairy Linaria, St. Tropez pansies, Celebrity Blue petunias, and Lulu Marigolds. I'll definitely be snatchin' the linaria & marigolds.
Next is the City's Waterfront Park on 4th Avenue by the ball park. This bed is tiered also and has blue Jubilee Gem bachelor buttons, mixed lobelia, Burgundy Frillytunia, Imperial Antique Pansy, Strawberry Parfait dianthus, and Chrysanthemum multicaule... also Osaka ornamental cabbage. I'll be snatchin seed from most everything here.
The Waterfront Beds along the greenbelt (beach front camping area) were the victims of the infamous Seward Snatchin' Bunnies I mentioned in the last thread. These are not wild rabbits, but little fluffy bunnies that have been released by well-meaning, but clueless folks in that part of town.
The bunnies were so happy to see the ornamental cabbage that they immediately organized a tailgate party and ate it all. They had most of the other plants for desert. They were generous enough to leave some Janie Primrose marigolds and St. Tropez pansies. I'll be snatchin seeds from the St. Tropez later on.
Next stop, the Ididarod monument on the greenbelt. There are white Swiss Giant pansies, Johnny Jumpups, lamium and prunella vulgaris...plants that can withstand the harsh winds and salt spray from the bay. Probably won't do much snatchin here.
alaska is gorgeous.
Heading up 4th Avenue north, I check out the variegated Alaska nasturtiums at DJ's Wheelhouse bar... lots of future seeds there!
I'd better let someone else post here... more later.
Edited to say: Thanks, Alaska is a lovely place this time of year!
This message was edited Jul 31, 2005 8:35 AM
Thanks for posting photos of the city landscaping! I've just been having a 'conversation' with the public works people here. It drives me a bit nuts because our 'town center' was landscaped only 2 years ago, and it's so overgrown that it's fairly useless. The barberry I snatched the other day was being dug up to simply throw away. I'm glad I snatched it when I did, because when I talked to the foreman later that day about taking some of the other shrubs, he said he wasn't allowed to give them away, since some people might have a problem with the city giving away something that was 'valuable'! Instead, they had to throw them out. Go figure. Of course, he said, if they managed to just 'disappear' when he wasnt' looking, there would be nothing he could do! What a hoot!
Nice pictures. Alaska looks beautiful! Looks like some very good snatches there. Got to go and get shots today and Lowes is right by the doctors office. Guess I'll check out whats on clearence and what I can snatch!
Oh me AK is just a magic place! Oooh if I ever win the lottery!
Well I made it back from JT alive! No snatchin' though. All I really saw were some Coleus and I have already snatched too much of that! Of course it rained. That's 3 JT concerts in a row! Only three I've seen actually. I don't think the man ages!
Well guess I better do a bit of work now. :( ick!
Nicole
NoH2O- Thanks for the help with my pillars! I was wrong - they are only about 3 feet tall, but that's ok.
Weezingreens- your pictures are amazing! I just can't imagine how it must be waking up every day in a place like that! Sometimes, in spring and fall, I walk down the street in Mystic, and I am amazed we live in this picturesque town. But it is nothing compared to the grandeur of your mountain backgrounds!
I had some 'pillar' s in wood that made beautiful plant stands.
sidney
I wonder if I can get there by tomorrow... Taco Tuesday, beer and nasturtiums!! Shoot, we'll snatch some cuttings and grow 'em in the basement. Let them seed there. :)
Thanks, everyone. My sorte around Seward got me excited about the upcoming seed snatchin season. Up the street is Kawabi Park in the middle of town. The corner bed has nemesia blue/wht and red/wht, and lots of yellow Iceland poppies. I'll be back for seed there.
Who else but you would pick up on the taco special at DJ's Wheelhouse! LOL! Keep in mind, you're going to have to sit through Kareoke. The good thing about Kareoke is everyone gets to sing. The bad thing about Kareoke is everyone gets to sing.
These are our downtown baskets. I'll be harvesting seeds from all 24 of them this fall. There will be Crystal Palace lobelia and some little pink stuff that may be Tunic Flower. The petunia mix will be Celebrity Blue, Pink Morn, and Red Morn. I get lots of seeds from the baskets. :)
Blaine, if I ever win the lottery we're ALLL going! The Snatching crew up there - course Weez may not want that many of us in her backyard! We might strip the place clean!
Nicole
Gorgeous basket, WZ! That "little pink stuff" is fabulous -- delicate & vigorous!
I've been loving all your pictures.... Alaska in the summer is really amazing!
That's beautiful!
Thanks, everybody! NC, you could all come here and snatch away, and I'd still have hundreds of pots to winter over. You guys might be less impressed with Seward in the summer if you were here the last few days. It's been raining for over a week, and it isn't over yet. It was really gully-washin' today.
I love those little pink flowers. They remind me of baby's breath, but the leaves look different. I snatched the seeds from the Senior Center flower boxes last fall, and they didn't have a tag.
Further down the street are some beds that run along 4th Avenue up to the fire station. There is Osaka Ornamental Cabbage, Swiss Giant White Pansies, and Burgundy Frillytunias. I'll probably be snatching some of the Frillytunia seed later on.
Down in the Small Boat Harbor, there are some nice Chrysanthemum paludosum and blue/white nemesia. I'll check for seeds later this fall, though the paludosum are not heavy seeders and are difficult to process.
The City has a little rest area in the harbor with two large round planters. These have dwarf candytuft and paludosum daisies, and a few frillytunias. Definitely going back for the candytuft seed.
Hi all, just back from Gatlinberg, got some daylily seeds from landscaping at Ober Gatlinberg. Don't know the names, but beautiful, one yellow and one red. DS just about had a stroke when I calmly walked over to the bed and pulled off the seed pods. I told her it was an acceptable thing to do. Don't know that she believed that at all. But she did tell me later that she wanted some!!
Good score, defoecat! Of course, they may not come true from seed, but you never know! I have found that it is always best to just behave as though it is your job to cut those seedheads, and then folks never question you.
Attitude does help when your snatching. I went right down the middle of Michigan Avenue last thursday night just taking pictures and bteaking off pieces of this plant and that like it was a mission.
All my cuttings, plants and seed heads made it home fine.
Sidney.
It's funny. I keep telling my husband about seed snatchin', maybe so he won't think I'm the only crazy one in the world and be so embarrassed.
He came home the other night and said he saw a lady walking by the beach, and that she was carrying a shovel and some plastic bags full of plants! I never noticed anyone else before! I think DH was surprised. I'm pretty sure he thinks I made you guys up!
We're better than fiction. We're gonna have to recruit Susan, Soulgardenlove to the bus with us. Here's her testimony over at
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/535111/#top
She's aanother Dumpster Diva!
sidney
Just visited that thread, Sugarweed. Susan really scored!
Yes I did! :))))))))))))))))))) Well I am unable to get everything potted up today, but just stopped in to say hello :) My kids and feeding them and laundry has kept me from being outside where I love to be... I'll get out there soon enough. Weezin, I saw the first thread and I don't know how I lost track of it and didn't watch it. I will be a regular here now :) I've got some great contibutions to add to snathcing stories.
I am paying close attention to all the neighborhoods that have front entries with caladiums planted. If they are still in the ground after our first frost, they are mine :) Those landscaping companies will just rip them out. Or leave them in to die.
Also, true confessions here... There is a piece of property that has been "abandoned" that was previously owned by one heck of a gardener. I thought they were going to tear it down and rebuild, which is quite popular around here. Well, the home has been in total neglect for over two years now and my husband keeps asking why I want to go over there and dig up plants when I get them so cheap elsewhere- well, just becasue I feel for them and they are getting overgrown with weeds, and , well, you all know!!
Am I crossing the line here?
Susan
Well, you're crossing the property line, but in my opinion, you are not crossing the line of plant reclamation. When I steal plants from abandoned sites, I always figure I can take over some starts to the new owner when someone finally settles there. That way the plants don't die of neglect, and the new neighbors get a welcoming gift.
I once ran an evening sorte in Seward. They were tearing down the old hospital, so I reclaimed some old-growth bergenia lying under chunks of stucco and plywood. Next, fresh from the kill, I parked behind the old abandoned mortuary and reclaimed some lily of the valley and moss saxifraga. I felt such exultation, riding along in my truck, hands covered in dirt, fresh from the kill! LOL!
I think she just qualified for the Seed Snatchin' merit badge and a Dumpster Divin' Diva black belt.
applause.. applause...
I think you're right, 8ft. Guess Susan's next step will be to hire a U-Haul moving van!
Yes, or maybe I could just steal one and say I was borowing it!! JUST KIDDING!! LOL!! Weezin, yes, I guess I could do that, to make myself feel better about what I'd be doing wrong!
I did tell my husband that I'm going to need the truck about one day a week and he can drive the mini-van to work and he's not too thrilled about that, but I need that truck!! :)
Thanks 8Foot!!
Susan
This message was edited Aug 6, 2005 2:27 PM
Too bad you are so far away. We could get in serious trouble togeather. I'm gonna be checking the business parks the next few days. Would like to put in a bid to remove and replant for the next season. Can get help from Atlanta, LOL
sidney
YES, yes and yes Sidney !! :)
Susan
(:>)
A true seed snatcher is always thinkin' ahead.
Stopped by and visited some old friends that I used to live next to (in 1980) while in Ohio for family reunion. Well.... seems like he had 18 roses and didn't mind a bit if I took a little of Yellow Rose of TX, "the purple one" which is possibly Angel Face and another that he described as 'a great one with huge red flowers'.
Course, they were amazed that I said I could make another rose bush out of them... Why, what a beautiful coleus - oops! that just broke off, oh my, might as well take that too... LOL Couldn't believe he still knew the outrageous prices he paid for them, but not their names!
Oh well, maybe next time I won't be in such a hurry and will get some of the other 15!!! ~ Suzi ♥
Good for you!! :)
Susan
