Winter Sowing Seed Swap .....part 2

beaker ch, it seems to me they're yours now, do what you can with them! I have to admit I didn't think of hardiness zones.

Beaker_ch: I agree that the seeds are yours to do with as you like. Just enjoy whatever you do!

Claypa: I think we reached agreement early on that seeds would be spread without regard to zone, because some people in northern zones wanted to be able to try their hands at plants that would not be hardy and maybe keep them indoors over the winter.

Connie, I'm sorry! I thought I'd gone through everybody's lists carefully, and I know you were really after that Lion's Ear.... I stapled packets together for everybody... Did you get any other seeds you'd especially requested from me, like the Wild Cherry tomatoes? If not, maybe I goofed when I put your swap number on them or something, so that they ended up in the wrong bag. I'll get some to you, but probably not until after the holidays.. I have half a dozen other trade packets to get out still, and then I'm going to turn my attention to other things for a bit.

No I got the other ones, just no Lion's ear :(

I have no explanation for that... I could swear I double-checked that one since I knew you were really looking for it. Hmph! Mystery.

Beaker, I think offering the seeds you can't use to someone who can, is a great idea.
Connie, were your seeds from Critter still all stapled together?
Critter, I'm amazed at the great job you did with the seeds you sent, must have taken you forever keeping everything separate while trying to honor all the special requests for certain seeds. And you sent them to me all nicely stapled together in groups and labeled for each individual member, you really went the extra mile to please everyone!
I'm glad that everyone is happy with the seeds they've received, has anyone NOT gotten theirs yet?
Alice

This message was edited Dec 8, 2006 5:39 AM

Thanks, Alice! I was happy to do it, but I'm sorry if anybody's requests got mixed or missed! I've got plenty of seeds to SASBE or trade, so if I missed something or if somebody sees something they'd have liked to get from me, just send me Dmail.

I got a couple of packets that I'll pass along to somebody who can put them to better use, but I'll be gleefully sowing most of the seeds I was sent! I can't believe what a fabulous assortment I ended up with! :-)

Hmmm, you think we should remove the ivy Claypa? I think it's kind of cool, but I've never really had trees and ivy - will it hurt the trees? Yes, those are azaleas; some in the back yard too although I don't know what kind (I know nothing about azaleas except to recognize their foliage). Thanks for the compliments ya'll, I'm so happy. Alice, come on down - I have two spare bedrooms (of course, the beds aren't set up yet...lol)! Brent, I think you are very right about woodland gardens. I haven't had the pleasure of living with trees like this in any house I've ever lived in - so it's a new experience. We're bringing over the compost bins on Sunday though...lots of leaves...yeah! I've got my eye on a patch for veggies at the edge of the terraced segment of the yard. And yards and yards of fence for my morning glories next year. I'm turning the old wooden swingset in the back yard into a climbing vine paradise in my head...and on and on I dream. DH just gave me another whole row in front of the bushes to plant flowers too, as there seems to have been beds there before. Joy Joy!

I'll have to ask around to the neighbors and see what the canopy is like in the spring and summer - I've spotted one or two gardeners in the area on our neighborhood walks :/ But maybe there are more to see in the spring!

~Sunny

Sunny, with all that shade, you can just go crazy with hosta's and ferns!
Alice

I think I like ivy more than most people, but it can be a problem. I think it looks great, especially on brick buildings. Eventually, it can kill a tree, but it takes a long time. I have a small patch that I'm determined to keep under control. It depends what kind it is, too.


http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1637/index.html

Hineni, what a wonderful place to garden - looks like it comes with the sense of antiquity built in :)

Speaking of "sense" (or lack thereof), Critter, weren't they Erysimum asperum? (or E. cheiranthus - don't have new name sitting on the top of what passes for my head)??? I wonder what E. marshalli is like - such wonderful fragrance in that genus.

Lou, I would love to keep this thread going to see how everyone's wintersowing goes - not to mention how these plants perform in different parts of the country.

Beaker, ditto to what Alice and others said - I don't think anyone would be offended at all - more like happy the seeds they sent off into the ether will ultimately land in a good home. Besides, the seeds you can't use are wonderful to trade for what you really want. It's amazing to me how our garden, through trade, has parlayed itself into such treasures I never would have been able to grow otherwise.

LOL, Critter on "mystery" and "I could have sworn..." - now how many times did I use those terms with Connie on her current swap? Connie, I found 2 out of 3 mysteries - they're on their way to you now. I think it'll be a while before this Mrs. Magoo rides again into another seed swap.

I offered the ones I couldn't use last night and, bam, they were gone just like that. As a result, I plan to clean up my seed box and get rid of several other seeds I can't use.

Merry Christmas to all~ I'm working on my spreadsheet today, and have received the following seeds in this swap but I'm not sure from whom? Mixed canna, Whirligig zinnia,Flanders field poppies and Ageratum houst. Leilani Blue,and again BOUQUETS to all for the generous supply!

Mine were the ageratum....I used my email addy instead of my DG name. :(

Suzy

Suzy~ thanks so much! That ageratum will be very special as I have a niece named Leilani. I do so love your name with the email address, it reminded me of some delicious chicken wings we enjoyed that were made with those two ingredients! YUMMY!

I sent the Flanders Fields Poppies.

Beaker~ thanks so much! When the poppies are in bloom, I will be able to send the right bouquets your way! BTW, I W/S'ed the flanders field poppies today in the paper potsmade by the pumpkins.

Hello everyone - Happy dmailed me asking if I remembered what I wrote on the label for those pink Japanese anemones, and I don't. Here's what it looked like to her:

Japanese anemone "AEU" (early), pink*, 3', deep rose

Can anyone help us out and let us know what kind of sense that part of the label made to you?

Speaking of sense, Critter, I found the Penstemon smallii you sent me via this swap that I said I didn't receive - it was sitting in its alphabetized spot in the box where it was s'posed to be - am looking forward very much to growing it.

And PepsiDrinker, seems I've been having a field day with confusion - I think I did arrange those tree peony seeds so whoever got the white Renkaku would get all of them. There weren't that many of any of the different kinds - one of them might only have had 1 seed - but my thinking at the time was that since so many accidents can happen between the day a tree peony seed is sown and the day 10 years later when it might finally bloom, that it would be nice for the recipient to get all of each kind. That way, no matter how few might survive 10 years later, you'd at least maximize your chances of getting something from that variety. Also, since these are all hybrids, you're going to get a variety of offspring & I thought it would be fun to see the variations among seedlings.

Has anyone wintersown yet? I had quite a few seeds from the North Amercan Rock Garden Society ( http://www.nargs.org/ ) and Ursula as well as the ones from Alice's and others' swaps in 2006 - some with pretty intricate germination techniques. I've been trying to make a germination-based database before I start so on any given day I can sow "like with like". Am only wintersowing a fraction of each kind of seed just in case... I did order some seeds that haven't arrived - maybe by midFebruary all my poppy seeds will be here - would like to WS some of each kind on the same day to compare the ways they germinate.

Has anyone tried the alpine poppy, Papaver alpinum? It's a dwarf (6"), hardier-than-Iceland poppy, Fragrant (!) poppy that I thought would be pretty coming up with the small, double orange flowers of Papaver atlanticum floating above it (from NARGS) along a path with the black leaves of Heuchera 'Molly". Should harmonize with the colors of the bricks better than pinks, I think. I bought the alpine poppy from http://www.fragrantpathseeds.com/product_info.php?products_id=472&osCsid=47b520f993e05bb340694cad8290feae - most of their packets are $1.50, and I thought the amount of seed was generous.

Can't believe we hauled all those bricks up our hill in buckets when we were "young" - one thing I'll say about buying an old wreck of a house - we may never finish fixing it up after all these years, but they sure do come with great topsoil!

Hope things are going well with everyone - why not chime in here with how your winter schemes and dreams are coming along as well as your wintersowing? Waving to Alice -

karen

Hi everybody
Yes, I've been busy sowing - trying to do roomier, multiple jugs for plants I'd like a lot of: Echinaceas, Helenium, a few kinds of Geraniums, & Platycodons, et cetera. I'm saving some annuals for later, and saving some of each seed in case some don't work out.

Bluespiral, my baggie of Japanese Anemone says (I think): "AUG deep rose pink 3' [symbol for part shade/sun] 2006"
It may say AUS, not sure. I took it to mean the seed was saved in august, or that it bloomed in august. I see you had a comment for one in plantfiles, so I thought it was this one:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/535/index.html

Schemes and dreams? I hope to have enough plants to share with my brothers and sister and a few people who have more room than I do, and I dream of filling the entire front yard with flowers...probably freak out the neighbors, though! Another dream, more like a fantasy, is to pot some extra plants up, and trade or sell some to a nearby nursery.:)
Mike

This message was edited Feb 3, 2007 7:30 AM

Thanks for your input! All I've done so far is sort sort sort, and set aside the equipment -- it'll be a few weeks before I really plant -- but I can't wait!

When I was sorting, I noticed a pack of unlabeled seeds that looked like melon seeds. Does anyone remember what these are? Alice, is it possible these are your Queen Anne's Pocket Melon seeds? I remember getting some, and wanting very much to try them, but they were labeled; now I have some melon seeds but no labels. Hmm. They are in a small clear plastic ziplock baggie.

And I have to say one more time -- you are all incredibly generous and grow wondefully interesting plants. It is so exciting to plant these -- these are not what I would have ordered, but they are exactly what I would have wanted if I had known about them. The best kind of present is one that opens the eyes to new things. I am so excited about sowing -- and I hope we can do this again.

Yes, I would love to participate again too! I nicked the canna seeds, soaked in H2O2 as suggested, sown inside a few weeks back and was getting ready to place the container outside this week and SURPRISE! surprise! one canna baby already! I'll pot that baby up today and put the container out later this weekend, wanted to make sure that there are no other little surprise babies. This W/Sing is so much fun!

Aha - I knew y'all would nudge the ol' brain cells in the right direction - Happy, it's AUG, meaning that this Japanese anemone is a little earlier than most and it's blossoms start in July, but peak in August.

Happy, Here's Alice's 12/4/06 post at 3:42 pm about the melon seeds:

"Hi Suzy, the plum granny is from me, also called pocket melon or Queen Anne's Pocket Melon.
They are not really grown as food however, if you google it, you'll find out loads of interesting info about them. Should you choose to grow them, please save some seeds and pass them on next year :)
I just mailed these out on Saturday, they certainly traveled fast!!!!
Alice"

Claypa, maybe you can play up how a front yard full of flowers requires no mowing to the neighbors - I'll bet a lot of ears will perk up over that - mowing is so monotonous...who really loves a lawn mower that much?

garden6, "bouquets"! the First Plant Baby on this thread - looks like we're on our way.

Sometime between now & hitting the sack, I'm going to toss Alice's and Iloquin's and Plantnutz's lily seeds into their own peat-filled (slightly moistened) baggies for their warm sojourn in a cupboard before having their winter-sown cold spell outdoors in a few weeks. But, for now, am burrowing back into my germination database.

Nice to hear from everyone,
Karen

?? OK, please share... which seeds need a warm sojourn in a cupboard before going outside?? You're a much better researcher than I!

Critter, They are Martagon Lilies, orienpets, and orientals. Put seeds in a baggie with an inch or so of damp -- as in barely damp -- potting soil, vermiculite or spagnum peat then jiggle them around to get contaict between seed & soil. A sandwich ziploc is the best because it has thin plastic and some gas transferral. Put it (the bagggie containing seeds & soil) in a cupboard at 70° (dark) and in 30 days, 4 weeks or a month -- whichever is easier to remember, pull them out. You should see a teeny tiny baby bulbs and some roots.

You have 2 options next: #1 Plant the bulbs in a milk jug or other, covering the bulb 1x with soil and wintersow. One leaf will come up -- take care of it because on a martagon that is all you'll see for the whole year! Or #2 Leaving them in the bags, slip them in the refrigerator for 45 days or longer for their chill. After their chill, plant them as if they were seeds in a pot -- spread them out -- and cover with 1x their height or thickness. They will germinate right away -- maybe 10 days? Sound familair? It's nearly the same directions as the scales.

If you have trumpets or asiatics, it's a whole different animal. Those get sowed in a regular pot 3 weeks before the last frost and put in bright sun/bright light when they germinate. Just put them outside in your -- well, wherever you keep an eye on babies in pots for the summer.

Suzy

Thanks, Suzy! Somehow I'd missed where she said "lily seeds" in the above... but I'm glad to know the different techniques for oriental vs asiatic etc. Hey, with this new post referencing system, I can bookmark your instructions and file it under "propagation techniques" -- cool!

What? What post referenceing system? I noticed all the posts have a # now, but I haven't been able to figure it out (and haven't wanted to look at the Dave's forum where it's about computers and "system" stuff.)

Check this out.... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/688967/

It was gardenwife's idea, and Dave implemented it very nicely, and it's really useful!

Oh, I see....I couldn't figure out how to utilize it because there was no search feature.

If anybody wants to know how to use it, go to
http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=3141431

Now, Critter, what's a bookmark? LOL!

Suzy

This message was edited Feb 4, 2007 12:13 AM

Most browsers have a bookmark feature for saving (and organizing) favorite links... I'm using Firefox as my browser now (it's the best one for the way DG is set up), and at the top of my screen there's a drop-down menu for "Bookmarks" that should make sense once you play with it a little... I've got lots of subfolders under a big folder of bookmarks for Gardening, and one of my subfolders is labeled "Propagation techniques." I clicked on the number of your post, causing it to open in its own little page, and then I clicked on "Bookmark this Page," told it to put the new bookmark in the Propagation folder, and changed its name to "Lilies from seed, tips from Illoquin."

Ohhhhh, I see. I thought it was DG related and you were using it along with your DG Diary or DG Journal... Or some new feature with "information to remember" that happened when I wasn't looking.

Thanks!

Suzy

Trying out the new post referencing system - Critter and Suzy, here are a couple of great links from the Lily forum on germinating techniques specific to lots of lily species: http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2854557

I wonder if I did it right...tap tap tap

Yay! I usually don't get technical stuff the first time around. This is so going to help in the research department.

So - bookmarking is different from saving favorites in Internet Explorer (IE)?

PS - in that same thread, Pardalinum is looking for homes for her lily seed.

I thought I had reads threads that suggested there was a way to save links to relevant posts in our DG journal. How do you do that? I'd prefer it there rather than in IE favorites, but I can't figure out how to use the DG journal.

I'm not certain, because I haven't played with the garden journel feature yet, but I figure you can paste a link to a post into a journel entry the same way you can paste a link into a post on a thread or into a Dmail... just "copy" the URL after you click on the post number, and paste into the entry.

happy, If they look like small melon seeds, then they are probably the Plum Granny, AKA Queen Anne's Pocket Melon.
Alice

Here's some information on it I htought was worth posting:

Plum Granny (Queen Anne's Pocket)
Grown for its Perfume 75 days
This highly fragrant heirloom melon has been around for hundreds of years and were said to have been favored by the Victorian Ladies of the era who carried them in their pockets and purses as perfume to help mask body odors when one was not able to bathe. Apple-sized fruit are yellow with deep orange stripes with white flesh.
Although some local people find the taste pleasing we (the author) find the taste rather bland. They make for an excellent ornamental with one or two melons filling up a whole room with their perfume like fragrance. Very small sized seed.

The author's grandmother maintained these seed for many years. She always liked having a melon or two in the house for the wonderful fragrance they gave off.

Suzy

That one has me very curious, and I'll have to tuck a little hill of them into the garden somewhere... has anyone actually smelled one? What are they like?

Yes, Critter. The seeds I sent everyone are from some that I grew, they do have a nice scent, though not overwhelming. You won't need much space to plant them as the melons are very small.
Alice

fruity? citrusy? musky? floral like roses or sweet peas? LOL... guess I'll just have to grow them and see! It sounds like they could scramble around the sunny perennial bed just fine. Thanks for sharing the seeds!

Critter, it's kind of a musky-sweet scent.

OK! :-)