Nectar and Host Plant GROUP SEED SWAP Info

Let's roll and get this Group Seed Swap started ...

Just a few rules. Swap runs from now until Nov. 16th. All seeds need to arrive by Friday, Nov. 16th. That gives everyone 3 weeks to get the seeds to me!
*Send at least 10 or more packs of what you think are good host and/or nectar seeds for Butterflies, Moths, and Hummingbirds. Up to 5 packs can be the same variety unless you are sending extras or enough for everyone. I know some folks have lots of seeds to share and some folks don't because they are newbies or just started a butterfly garden, so I would like to spread the bounty around and give everyone a nice variety!

*Fresh seeds please. None older than 2006.

*Seeds will be mailed out to everyone no later than Dec. 1st. (Though probably right after Thanksgiving!)
*Send seeds in a LARGE bubble mailer (8.5" X 11") along with:
1. Return address label for you that I can affix to your bubble envie.
2. Stamps or cash for return postage (I would estimate $4 in postage stamps or cash and will include any overpayment back to you! Your envelope will be heavy because I anticipate they may be packed full of seeds!) If there is anyone outside of the USA, please d-mail me.
3. Your DG name and email address (in case I need to contact you quickly)
4. Label each seed packet with the common AND botanical name of the plant, the growing zone range, and your DG name. If you can't find the information on DG PlantFiles or by doing a internet search, ask! Someone here will help you!

Please mail all of the above to me. (Sorry for the inconvenience, but you will have to D-mail me for my address.)

Also, as you are packing your envies, please make a note of what seeds and their info that you are sending and how many packets of each. Example:
A) Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) Zones 8B - 11, colder zones as an annual (3 packets),
B) Candlebush (Senna alata) Zones 9-11 perennial, colder zones as an annual (1 packet).

When you have your envie all packed up and sent out, post the contents here on this thread.

I will be starting a SEPARATE thread so that you can post your "wants" from the list of seeds posted here.

List of current participants (if marked "received" , I have gotten your envelope):
1) beckygardener (Received)
2) debnes_dfw_tx (Received)
3) DonnaB (Received)
4) Melody (Received)
5) Cordeledawg (Received)
6) bigred (Received)
7) chris_lcf530 (Received)
8) Shelia_FW (Received)
9) critterologist (Received)
10) tabasco (Received)
11) Heavinscent (Received)
12) Bloomheaven (Received)
13) portiaraylee (Received)
13) svplantingfool (Received)
14) blue_eyes (Received)
15) kelboindy (Received)
16) cannagirl (Received)
17) Illoquin (Received)



This message was edited Nov 19, 2007 7:04 PM

Gotcha!

Already sorting and going through mine.

making my list and checking it twice.

How could you post that beautiful butterfly pic, and not tell us what it is. :(

chris

Glad you are joining us Melody, Deborah, and Chris! :-)

Chris - Sorry I didn't give the name of the butterfly. It is a White Peacock butterfly. http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/196/
I have them living in my yard because I have their host and many nectar plants. This year has been pretty sparse for butterflies in my yard. (Not sure why, but a lot of folks in Florida have been saying that.) The WP were the only ones I saw constantly!

Would folks like stuff such as plantain? Plantago major?

got bunches in the yard that I can include

Is plantain pussytoes? I've been looking for some if it is. Gone to plantfiles to lookup the other. be back later. LOL

Yes Mel I would love some Plantain!! Thanks for askin!

debnes

Melody - I think you should bag some in packets and tag it for the swap. Isn't it a host plant for a butterfly? Red Admiral butterfly? I don't remember.

Plantain is host for Painted Lady, and Common Buckeye.. :-)

debnes

Yeah, and I got tons of both of them to prove it. Bet I can count 15 to 20 Buckeyes right now, even with the weather and the temps. We got our first frost yesterday, and another one last night.

I'll make sure there's several packages. I have two different types. The wide and the narrow leaf.

Oh...me-me-me! I wanna join too!


P

Glad you joined us P!

Make sure I get a bunch of both kinds or Plantain...Mel and Becky. I sent for some free seeds someplace offered. They sent me 25 itty bitty seeds, lol.

I really want a good sized patch of this next year..

Is sowing best in spring? Mel? Right into the ground? (I'm guessing/asking.)

debnes

I have no idea deb. It's actually a weed here, and is everywhere... I'd probably wintersow.
but I assure you, you'll get enough to try it both ways.

Awesome!! Mel!

debnes

Ok, question.

I know seed trading etiquette, and I always send cleaned seeds. This has got me over a barrel though.

I have Downy Aster (Aster pilosus) and Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and would like to include those in this exchange. These seeds are microscopic and I'm having a bear of a time separating the chaff. I can clean anything as small as the period at the end of a sentence, but that's not even close to how small these seeds are.

Would it be a faux pas to send a generous amount of these seeds in each envelope? I'm cleaning the Dogbane seeds, they're small, but manageable, but these are outside my range of talents.

I think seeds that are like dust, one can sow chaff and all and probably have a better germination success rate doing so. The chaff in those cases where the seeds are like dust can help keep the seeds in contact with the soil. Just my thoughts.

Ok, I looked up plantain and pussytoes and there are alot of each so I am not sure which ones are for the BF. Do you think I can grow it in half day shade? Will it overtake other plants?

I am not a part of the seed swap this time around, due to this is first time collecting seeds and I am not sure it they are really seeds or not. I should have more knowledge by next swap.

Mel, If you have enough seeds after you do swap, can I send you postage envelope?

chris

Melody - I don't have a problem at all with you sending seeds that are not completely cleaned. I can't even imagine trying to do the smaller seeds. Go ahead and package them however you want. I don't think anyone in the swap will mind! :-)

Chris - If you need help figuring out what the seeds on many of your plants should look like, post some questions and/or photos and some of us here can help you. I would really hate to see you miss out on this swap. You are going to need seeds for winter and/or Spring sowing! Jump on in and join us! :-)

And I would not be insulted if you bought commercial seeds to swap. What's 10 packs? If they are larger seeds you could divide the package up and purchase even less packs of seeds! :-) Just a thought.

This message was edited Oct 30, 2007 8:34 PM

I'm sending enough stuff that chris can have some of mine . I certianly don't need a package back for everyone I'm sending.

Chris, hers the link to one of my plantains.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2044/

They''ll grow with half day of shade, and yes, they can get a bit invasive. you'll just have to pull them out of unwanted areas.

I think I'm going to have enough to participate, I looked through a bunch of old threads and some websites and I have quite a few good for butterfly's. So, if it's alright with you I'd like to join! Bloomheaven

Everyone is welcome! Glad you wish to join us, Bloomheaven! :-)

oh I need Platain too. Mine died grrr. Have a tons of seed packaged and ready to go. Hoping a few more get ready in the next week but if not no big deal as I have 36 different varieties packed and ready to go with 2 to 5 packs of each

Donna - You are amazing! Trust me, y'all! Donna has it going on in her garden and I know she is sending lots of wonderful host and nectar seeds to share with everyone!

Great Donna!
I can't wait to see what you had to share!!

I have so far pkgd about 20 kinds and still going. Some with as many as 10 pkts and some with about 5. Carla gave be a huge bag of French Hollyhock at the swap.. They are gorgeous, and they are also a host plant for the Painted Lady.. http://butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1770 (Notice how widespread these butterflies are across the US!)
The Black Hollyhock I had last year was not the Malva genus...I might dig it up and give it to my sister who really loved the elegant black-burgundy bloom color and the towering height. These Hollyhocks Carla (Loonie1) gave me>... (not sure which one) I do know they are Malva sylvestris> They are all beautiful... Maybe Carla will chime in and tell us..:-) which url in PlantFiles they are.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=french+hollyhock&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

They would probably be one to wintersow, and maybe need to get a good root system before blooming, but well worth the wait.

I have to get some more little seed bags today so I can spread the love out a little better. Becky when you get them, you are welcome to thin out whichever seeds you think need to be, according to how many people and the demand for the particular kind they are.

If we get only a couple or few plants from any small amount of seed, we can always collect our own seeds from the plants we grow, and make more.

debnes

I hear ya, Deb! My thoughts exactly! :-) I think I got a bunch of seeds from Carla, too! :-) I WILL be winter sowing some of them! :-)

I am still bagging and tagging my seeds, too! I know newbies may not have as many seeds to share, but I am sure we will get plenty from the majority who wishes to spread the wealth around. :-)

Does anyone know how long Dill seeds stay viable? I have some that I harvested last fall. I am thinking they should still be good. :-)

Dill will be fine for several years if stored in dry conditions.

Thank you, Melody! (Then mine are still good! :-) )

A reminder to everyone ...

Don't forget the nectar plants for moths! Most of the night blooming plants are what attracts the gorgeous moths! :-)

This message was edited Oct 31, 2007 9:09 AM

I'm sending Four O Clocks. The sphinx moths love them. I have 3 packs done but can include more.

What color are yours, Melody? I have tons of seeds for the yellow blooming 4OCs! And boy oh boy! do they make my entire backyard smell divine at sundown! Love them!!! :-)

Mine are the magenta ones. Looks like we need to swap colors! I'll make up some more packs.

Oh YES! Definitely want some of yours, Melody!!! I can't live without them in my garden. :-) I did something really interesting with mine. Someone gave me a few seeds of pink. I grew them and crossed them and the blooms are beautiful. I have been slowly collecting seeds from the variegated blooming 4OCs. Interesting, huh? I'll send you a packet of my yellow and you can try crossing them. :-)

Awesome!

I had time this week to work on this so I got mine all ready and they are in the mail as of this evening. Here's my list!

1. Blanketflower - Oranges and Lemons (Gaillardia aristata) Zones: 2-10 {2 packs}
2. Cosmos - Picotee (Cosmos bipinnatus) Zones: all/annual {2 packs}
3. Cosmos - Summer Dreams (Cosmos bipinnatus) Zones: all/annual {1 pack}
4. Lemon Mint (Monarda citriodora) Zones: all/annual {3 packs}
5. Morning Glory - Grandpa Ott's (Ipomoea purpurea) Zones: all/annual {1 pack}
6. Yarrow - Pink (Achillea millefolium) Zones: 3-8 {1 pack}
7. Zinnia - Envy (Zinnia elegans) Zones: all/annual {2 packs}
8. Zinnia - Giant Violet Queen (Zinnia) Zones: all/annual {1 pack}
9. Zinnia - Pinwheel Rose (Zinnia elegans) Zones: all/annual {1 pack}


I hope there are a few different things that everyone doesn't have, I know some are quite common. Let me know when they get there! Fran

This message was edited Oct 31, 2007 6:37 PM

Awesome list, Fran! :-) I sure will let you know when I receive your envie! And thanks for starting this thread off with the VERY FIRST list of seeds! :-) The way that you posted your list is PERFECT! Thank you! :-) :-)

Ok, I'm going to start my list. I will edit and add as I get things bagged up. Some stuff needs to dry a bit more.

1. Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare) 3 (wavy lined emerald host, nectar for everything)
2. Scarlet Morning Glory (Ipomoea hederifolia) 3
3. Bur Marigold (Bidens aristosa) 2
4. Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus strumosus) 2
5. Four O Clock (Mirabilis jalapa) magenta color 3+
6. Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) 4 ...on some lists of invasives (host for some metalmarks)
7. Downy Aster (Aster pilosus) 3 (host for pearl crescent, american lady, others)
8. Plantain (Plantago major) 4 (host red admiral and buckeye)
9. Narrow Leaf Plantain (Plantago lancelota) 4 (host red admiral and buckeye)
10. White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosa) 3
11.Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) 4 (host for some skippers)
12. Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) 2
13. Ironweed ( Veronica noveboracensis) 4
14.Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) 3
15. Swamp Verbena (Verbena hastata L.) 3
16 Tick-trefoil, Beggarticks (Desmodium canadense) 1
17. Unknown Purple Aster (Symphyotrychum?) 4








This message was edited Nov 6, 2007 6:24 PM

I'm at an almost stand still trying to seperate chaff from Verbena bonariensis dried blooms. I'm having to stick my whole face in the bowl trying to see what I'm doing. My hair falls in my face, then my glasses fall off my nose. I pick up one seed at a time to transfer into an envelop then the seed falls off the twizzers.
I posted this on the saving seeds forum. You any of you can tell me how, please reply to my thread, pretty please. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/785934/

I'm just sending the very small seeds with the fluff attached. They proved too much for my talents. I cleaned the Oregano, which is about the size of the period at the end of these sentences, but some of these others are just too small. I cleaned the Oregano by tapping at an angle on a piece of cardboard. Took about an hour to clean enough for 3 packs.

The Dogbane has fluff, but the seeds removed from it pretty easily. The Downy Aster, Snakeroot and Goldenrod are microscopic seeds.

I don't see any problem with including the fluff with very tiny seeds... as long as you're sure there are plenty of seeds in the packet, I think having the fluff actually simplifies sowing.

I've been lurking, but I think I'd like to play... I should have enough butterfly-friendly seeds that I can pack up, and hopefully there's not too much overlap between this swap and the cottage garden one (because many of my same seeds are going there). I'm also concerned that I might be duplicating some of DonnaB's contributions, since a lot of my butterfly plants came from her seeds originally!

I'll post a list, soon.