Thanks, Karen. I think I also saw some Boy Mauve (lavendar) Bachelor's Button and Limnanthes douglasii (poached eggs). I don't really particularly like the poached eggs any more, don't know why I bought them. Oh, I think I have a few sprouts of Aquilegia Flabellata. If so, that's good because those can be very slow. I'll just use the Alyssum for filling in, will probably have tons that self seeded again. I might get faster results if I move them into more sun but think it's best to leave well enough alone for now until it's closer to the time to open some up, am going to have to wing it on that. A lot of new tulips in front overnight making for a more even display. That will be nice until more things get going.

Yes I do! Here is a link that might be useful: Dianthus seed at Swallowtail

You have three different questions. Some seed you can save for more than one season. Meaning you can buy thousands and it will germinate fine three or four years from now. Celosias, statice, sunflowers are just a few that have kept for me. Asters do not. Some plants you can collect your seed for next year from. celosias, non hybrid sunflowers, amaranthus, etc. Zinnias and some other flowers can be either transplanted or direct seeded. If transplanted, they should be spaced a foot or more apart and pinched as they are growing to produce more and longer stems

Thank goodness they have gotten out in the mail! Can anyone read the postmark on their package? We only live 4 hours away from each other. Is the post office that far behind with the holiday mail? I'm glad this didn't turn ugly. I don't know if anyone noticed but we are on the Round Robin Forum but never have Round Robins anymore! For you newcomers, a "round robin" is a box that a hostess mails out full of seeds. It goes down a list of people that signed up. It's supposed to go back to the hostess at the end of the list (round robin the box back). Problems, problems, problems. People dog the box with totally junk seeds or they don't mail the box promptly. It's long and tedious wait for people. But the worst of it is (speaking first hand) people stealing the box completely. I don't want to see the swaps go away, we all enjoy them too much. Lime, sorry you mailed that postcard a day early :) You know though, if you hadn't been so persistant we'd all still be sitting here with out thumbs up our butts. And all it takes is some lurker to read our swap went bad and come in and host a fake swap. It looks like she had the best intentions at the start but the total lack of communication and not following through to the end didn't happen. We were all checking the obits :( Everyone, please sound off when your packages come so we can put this confusing swap to bed.