Given as favors, I would give relatively large bulbs of something less expensive rather than small lily bulbs (which the JP bulbs are going to be) for this reason: Lilies are 'fresh' bulbs and never dormant. They need immediate planting after they're received from the shipper. When your guests plant their bulbs, they are going to expect something spectacular. Unless they're gardeners familiar with lily culture they may be disappointed by a small, inexpensive bulb that is slow to perform. In the fall, hyacinths might meet your needs. For non-gardeners, they can be forced in water and tossed after they bloom. People with flower beds can incorporate their hyacinth and it will return for a number of years. Pink or blue hyacinth bulbs are colorful as well. You'll need to warn people, however, that hyacinth bulbs handled with bare hands may have a tendency to make one itch. You also get a pretty bloom from the slightly smaller (less expensive) hyacinth bulbs-- they just don't have as long a stem, which tends to fall over anyway. In my experience, hyacinths are less likely to be eaten by squirrels than crocus, unless you use Tommies if you're giving spring crocus. You might research fall crocus; they are shipped in early September. Shipping dates may be a concern, too. Gladioli in May or June would work well. I've had good results from glads from the dollar store at 4/$1, so you could use inexpensive glad bulbs and expect good results. They're easy; plant and water. Glad bulbs are colorful too if you choose dark colors. I hope you find a bulb that will meet your needs and budget and give your guests something to look forward to bloom and remind of you for years. Nell

I've been known to use a ski pole to chip away at the outer frozen surface of the ground in order to get a spade in the deeper unfrozen sections in order to literally 'pour' in bulbs that were either ordered or arrived late, late, late in the season. Then because I've been so tired from chipping frozen earth, I invented the 'late season bulb planting technique' that looks similar to someone pouring cheerios into a bowl' (anything to get them into the ground without having to further break my back by bending over.) These 'late planted bulbs' sure did better than not planting them at all/trying to save them and force them indoors in the spring. The latest I've planted is the day after Christmas when I was still able to get the first couple of frozen inches of soil chipped away in order to put the spade into the lower and less frozen ground underneath. Best wishes & hope you're able to get those bulbs into the ground at some point.

I believe, with nasturtiums you just dry the seed and save it in a cool, dry location for next year. For the beans: you should shell them from their pods, dry them to the point that you can't dent the seed with a fingernail (I dry them a couple days longer than that.), seal them in an airtight container and freeze them for at least two days. Freezing will kill weevil eggs, which seem ALWAYS to be present in such seed. After two days in the freezer you can remove them and store the seed away from heat sources. Remember, when taking the seed from the freezer, not to open the container for several hours. This allows temps to equalize and avoids condensation on your seed. I once ruined a batch of beans by peeking at them before they had warmed up. It was only for a moment, and then I replaced the lid. But the following spring, when I opened the jar, all the seed had gone moldy. George

I have seeds of all kinds that are ranging from a year to more than 10 years old or more. The longer they are sitting around, the less they will germinate. For coriander seeds, a single year of time will yield about 95%, for 2 years, about 75%, and 4 years, about 40 to 50%. After that its a toss up. Because I use coriander to make sausages with, the seeds are used in that instead. The ones I use for the herb (cilantro)are the slow bolting type and are a bit longer lasting for the leaves. Coriander is the seed name, while cilantro is the herb leaf for that plant.