Hi all --
I haven't been on much lately because I had to work to get my dd off to college. Gee, it sort of took the whole summer! The garden looks good -- not great, but good. The hummers are happy, and so are the butterflies.
I am officially an empty nester, which means I would have room to host a Fresh Fall Seed Swap this November. I have a bumper crop of seeds that I need to clean and pack and find a home for, and there are no swaps going on now, so I thought I'd try my hand at hosting one.
Flowers - Herbs - Shrubs, but not vegetables or trees*.
It would be flowers - perennials, annuals, biennials, plus herbs, and flowering shrubs like butterfly bush, clethra, rose of sharon, roses, etc. *If you wanted, it could also include small trees, but things like acorns weigh too much, and the receiver will not probably have enough postage on the envie for acorns, nor enough room in their yard for a sweet gum.
Would anybody be interested in doing this? Post your thoughts here.
Thanks,
Suzy
This message was edited Sep 16, 2007 11:16 AM
Any Interest in a CG 2007 Fresh Seed Swap?
Wah! I have exactly 4 seeds - 3 yellow 4 o'clocks and one fuscia one! Just picked them an hour ago.
So, probably not me - I'll just sit back and watch the fun!
I would be interested. Pls. look at my trade lists.
Oh, PC, Didn't you have luck with the seeds you sowed this year? I even had butterfly bushes bloom in July 2007 from an April 2007 sowing!
Your tradelist looks really, really great, Greenjay! Lots of beautiful Penstemon! On the swap, you'd send in the seeds you have extra of with a note saying what you want back, and I try to fill the request. The more general you are, the more likely you are to get what you request. Typically you don't send in your very best seeds because you could trade them away for exactly what you want instead of hoping someone else sends in something you want. You just send the ones that really are extra.
And the more participants there are, the more likely there will be what you want, too. Anybody else?
I think if I posted in the seed trading forum or the round robin forum I'd get lots of takers, but I'm afraid to. Not sure why, but I was hoping the CG folks would be enough for a big swap of nice things.
This is a photo of a fabulous dahlia I have some seed of -- it has bloomed all summer long and never required staking. Seeds of dahlias don't come true in terms of color, but I think they do in terms of form of the flower and also plant habit.
Suzy
Do dahlias bloom the same year they germinate?
Oh, yes they bloom the same year. They bloom in 8 weeks, maybe 9!
Once they germinate in 7-21 days, they grow faster than either Zinnias or marigolds. It's hard to keep them under lights they grow so fast and up into the bulbs. It's the time it takes them to germinate that is so much longer than other flowers. I think Zinnias and marigolds are 3-4 days, right?
This is for single Dahlias and little bedders like Figaro. Not sure about the gigantic cactus dahlias and dinner plates. I assume those would take an extra few weeks to bloom from seed.
For the dahlias you absolutely adore, you dig the tubers up and store them over winter. That way you have the exact plant, color and all. The storage is tricky, tho. They have to have certain temperatures and certain moisture. Not too much and they rot, but too little.and they dry up.
Dahlias cannot take any frost at all, but I don't really dig them until 2 weeks after my first frost in October. (The ground doesn't freeze that far down to freeze out the tubers until much later, but I'm not sure about Colorado.)
This photo is my yellow butterfly bush with Shasta Becky and I have seeds of both of these. I also have a butter-yellow Lantana that matches the butterfly bush exactly and is a favorite with the Swallowtails and also the sulphurs, clouded sulphurs and orange sulphurs. And Monarchs, too, but to a lesser degree. Monarchs prefer the Dahilas!
Suzy
monarchs like dahlias? well that closes it. We are trying to get more monarchs next year, this was the first year we even had a few show up despite providing several 100 sf of habitat.
Garden6, You're on the list.
I am hoping to get 20 people, so I might have to go to the big board.
Greenjay, Monarchs like these single dahlias a lot. I know, dahlia isn't on any list, but I swear it's true.
Do you grow Zinnias? They like those, too. Love those. I would say the taller the better, but they also have to be double. Do you know how a Zinnias flower is made? It is in the composite family, which means it has 2 kinds of flowers in one. The ray flowers are the petals. If you lift up a petal, you'll see a "forked tongue" and there is nectar in each and every one. That means the Monarch, Swallowtailand every other butterfly in the area goes all around the flower, not just the center. They just go from one petal to the next, so the fully double -- the beehives, I mean, are the most popular. Naturally, I have some seeds of these, too. :))) (I learned all this information about Zinnias from MaineMan in the Annuals forum.)
Oh, and the other kind of flowers of a Zinnia are the little yellow tulip-shaped flowers in the very center. Each of those has nectar, too, but any insect can get that out. But butterflies with their long tongues are the only thing that can get the nectar from the "forked tongue" flowers between the petals, so that means there is always nectar for just the butterflies. Well, butterflies and hummers. I forgot the hummingbirds like Zinnias, too, but not the little beehives as much, they like the bigger doubles. (yes, I have seed of the bigger Zinnias, too) LOL!
Suzy
I will have a lot of Grandpa Ott MG seeds, if anyone is interested.
count me in please
Ok, Jordankittyjo -- That makes 4 of us.
Caitlin, I don't personally want any Grandpa Otts, or any Morning Glories at all, but maybe somebody else would? They *are* very cottagey. Anybody?
Here is a photo of a sunflower, no seeds, but I thought the background was pretty. No seeds from this guy - he was sterile, but I think I have seeds of about everything else.
Suzy
Count me in also!
An interesting thing about my butterfly bush - I had a Pink Delight for quite some years, but about three or four years ago we had a "killer" winter and it took my bush. I kept it in the ground hoping it would come back, but it didn't. Later that summer I found a seedling about 10 feet away and I was so thrilled! I potted it for awhile, then planted it on the opposite side of the house. It didn't flower last year, but did this year - and you'll never guess what - it's purple! I have no idea what happened - I never had a purple one!?! (See pic). Illoquin, I'll be asking for some yellow seeds on my list!
Caitlins - I haven't had any luck with Grandpa Otts yet. Other varieties come up, but my Otts have either not germinated or come up scrawny with only a few flowers.
I've never posted on CG but I've been a lurker for a long time. I'd love to be in this swap - have melampodium, Star of Yelta mg and cleome in abundance.
Peggy
Ok!
Sue and Peggy make 6.
Any more takers?
Suzy
Hi Pam,
No, not a wishlist swap, per se, but you sure can tell me what you hope for. (Whether it comes in or not, I can't promise.) Might as well post here if there is something you want, tho. Maybe somebody will have it. Anything I post that I say I have seed of, you are welcome to.
I don't have all the details worked out, but I can tell you:
NO cutsie decorated seed packs
NO surprise "gifts"
Straight envelopes of seeds.
Suzy
Jordankittyjo,
You're the farthest south -- when will your seeds be ready? Do you think an October 15th deadline is too soon for you? Would Nov 1 be better?
Suzy
i have a few seed now, so the middle of oct. should be fine, thank you
I would love to join. I have Star of Yelta MG and Swamp Milkweed for the Monarchs :o)
I have a few others as well
~Robbi
Thanks Kathy for letting me know about the cottage garden forum :o)
robbi, you are so welcome. glad you found it, but remember hottie todd is our secret!LOL
kathy
Count me in too. I have Stokesia Purple Parasols, and will have more Marhsalls Delight monarda, Purple dome aster, and Alma Potchkie aster. And maybe a few Rose of Sharon seeds. I may scare up a few others too. I'm finding seeds on all kinds of stuff now that I'm looking! Just picked a couple of these last night, the others should be ready by mid Oct.
Well, now, I think we all need to hear about Hottie Todd LOL!
Cat, welcome! Sounds like you have some nice things.
Pam? What did you decide?
If anybody else wants to join up,. go ahead and post here, and I'll also post it on one of the bigger threads in the CG Forum. I think I have an open thread myself, as a matter of fact.
I'm going to leave this thread open until I get the rules of the swap typed up. The fine print, so to speak.
Suzy
I know all about hottie todd! But I won't tell. He could come visit me any time!
Here's the new, official thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/772334/
Thanks for the interest,
Suzy
Yup -- It'll be a one-for-one. Maybe some extra back. I have a lot of seeds here, and a whole lot of flowers yet to go to seed, but I just don't know how far they'll go until I go to pack them up.
Regarding the commercial seeds -- the ones with the 2007 date stamp are actually seeds from 2006 or 2005 harvest. You can buy those common 2007 seeds from Dollar General or Big Lots for 10c a pack and I don't want somebody to send me 15 packs of Petitie Marigold and Covent Garden Gypsophila or Sweet Alyssum 'Maritime' they bought for 10c and expect to get _______ back in return. HOWEVER, I know you and your stash :) and if you have some commercial seeds you might want to drop me a dmail because I know they won't be the 10c seeds.
In fact, anybody who wants a special dispensation from the rules just has to drop me a dmail and tell me what they have in mind and I'm sure it will be fine.
Suzy
hi suzy
i dont have any more questions since you answered them and thank you
i may have some home grown seeds here that will grow for most zones. ill have to do a once over in the garden and see what i have available other than the malvacea family.. My marigolds and most of my zinnias are not ready and hopefully they will by oct 15..ill sign up anyway...
pam
I've got:
pale pink (two tone) Tall Hollyhocks, over 6ft h, NO ID
yellow Evening Primrose, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/67119/
pale pink Rose of Sharon, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/140627/
Pink Four O'Clocks, NO ID
Allium Purple Sensation, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65494/
I can put in seeds for the Pagan cuz it just wouldn't be the same without her. How's that?
This message was edited Sep 18, 2007 10:09 PM
This message was edited Sep 21, 2007 4:58 PM
PC? How's that for a great offer?
Wrightie, that is really kind of you -- I'll put her name on the list.
Thanks,
Suzy
P.S. Put a color on the ROS and those hollyhocks (even though I know they cross with each other, and even though you may have collected them in a mix -- just put the colors. I am pretty sure I'll have somebody say they'll take anything pink or red or white or something and I want to be ready :)
Yep, I'll go back and edit the plants with more details. I've been in a hurry tonight - thanks!
Wrightie rocks! Thanks, girlfriend!
Suzy, some of my stuff did fine, but some of it was a) devoured by hungry horses or b) things that you probably don't want anyway - but I'll see what I come up with.
I did the "purple" zinnias that I always see but am a little puzzled - some came out double, but most came out with the huge dark cone in the middle. Strange? Or not-so-hot seeds?
I also did Marigolds - but they're the biiiigggg, 2.5' tall ones, if any one is interested...
You're most welcome, Dumplink.
See edits, above.
Got it!
Thanks Wrightie - they sound great!
PC - You just ran into Genetics 101 recessive and dominant genes. Masters of certain plants know all about this, especially about the plant they grow to the exclusion of all others, but a regular home gardener has to learn it by trial and error.
Certain plants normally have looked a certain way for the last 1000+ years. I only know what a few plants dominant colors are, but on daylilies, I think it's orange and on irises, I think it's lavender. On daffodils I think it's lemon yellow, not golden yellow.
On shape, most plants are singles in the wild and doubles are few and far between, like Bloodroot. Of these, Cosmos, Zinnias and Dahlias will revert to singles if there is just one single around to pollinate them. I'm not sure why, it seems like it takes one grain of pollen to fertilize a flower and statistically that pollen grain wouldn't come from a single flower if you grew 100s of doubles and just one single, but I have it on good authority that it's true.
Gardeners who grow from seed and collect the seed to use again, need to make some tough choices when their plants start coming up. And a lot of tough choices when they start to bloom because of the gene pool.
A pan of Heliopsis 'Loraine' with variegated foliage, will have only about 15% with truly outstanding variegation. The other 85% of those seedlings should be destroyed. I think this is true from any variegated plant that will throw variegated seedlings.
A pan of Sunny Red Cosmos will throw 85% red, but 15% orange, and those need to be pulled from the garden as soon as they bloom and are able to be identified.
Bright Lights Cosmos is supposed to come in Yellow(Gold), Orange and Red and all doubles. The singles should all be pulled. These plants will all be orange the following year (hopefully all doubles) Because orange is the dominant color to a stong degree.
Red Rubin Basil throws about 10% green-red foliage plants and 90% gorgeous reddish-purple foliage. The green-red ones need to be tossed.
My guess is that if your Zinnias were commercial, then you bought an ugly flower, but if they were collected seed, they were collected from plants that looked like that or had those kinds of flowers growing nearby.
Suzy
Hey PC, is it just me or is Suzy the Jenks of flower color? lol
LMBO - you called it, Wrightie!
Suzy, we have a gal named Jenks on the Equine forum who knows her horse color genetics like she does it for a living (she doesn't). So you get the Prize of being the Cottage Jenks!
Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me - I really appreciate people who know a lot about a subject and patiently try to bring the rest of us up to speed. Thank you.
So, my recommendation is that no one buy the Ferry-Morse purple zinnias if you *really* want purple and double!
This message was edited Sep 19, 2007 1:06 PM
My favorite quote, "My guess is that if your Zinnias were commercial, then you bought an ugly flower." sol
That's really good to know about the Ferry-Morse seeds.. On the annuals forum, a question was posed last year about why to pay more for seed and I guess that would answer their question.
Glad to know it was Jenks and not Jerks LOL!
Suzy
LOL - no, not even close to Jerks ... the horses won't put up with them for long...