I wouldn't suggest trying to trade seeds that are that old. Why not fill out your Member Trade list of what you are interested in growing, and then respond to some of the many Seeds for Postage offers. See link below. Might as well say you are a 'newbie' since you have been away for so long and not actively growing recently. Welcome back! What 'was' your previous name? Maybe we traded before. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: HAVE: Newbie Seed Project 2012-13 - packs available

I think there is a very good chance your seeds are still viable. Especially after only 2 years. Just this past couple of months I've been using damp paper towels in baggies to test seed I've had for 5 years or more and I've had more seed germinate than didn't. Some seed I had 100% germination with. Most of these were from seed I collected from my own plants or got in trades from others a few were from commercial packs. The dates were from 2001, a few were from 2000. They were stored dry in boxes that were stored on open shelves in my office. The temperature would sometimes get quite high in that room before my husband would get around to putting the air conditioner in the window. So against every thing I've read, many of these seeds managed to germinate very well in spite of the conditions they had been kept at for at least 5 years. I was very happily surprised! Here's a list of some of the seeds that I tested so far and my results. Grandpa otts morning glories '100% Germ' Lathyrus matucana 'sweetpea' '100% Germ' Balsam 'most germ' Datura black current swirl 'No germ' 4 O'clocks 'most germ' Cerinthe major 'most germ' Convolvulus Ensign mix '100% Germ' Black prince snap dragons 'most germ' Mina Lobata '100% germ' Tropaeolum peregrinum - Canary bird vine 'No germ' Purple dame's rocket 'No germ' Agastache apricot sprite 'most germ' Count Jester's Mum 'most germ' Catnip 100% germ Malope 'No Germ' Salvia lady in red 'most germ' Morning Glory Flying Saucers '100% germ' Morina longifolia 'a couple out of 10 seeds germ' Maltese cross 'most germ' Lychnis arkwrightii 'Orange Gnome' 'most germ' Lupin regalis Morello Cherry 'No Germ' Scabiosa ping pong 'most germ' "Lion's Ear" - Leonotis Staircase 'most germ' Agrostemma Corn Cockle 'most germ' Red Hibiscus 'No Germ' Love in a puff vine 'most germ' hyacinth bean vine 'most germ' Snap dragon mix 'most germ' Godetia 'most germ' emilia 'tassel flower' 'most germ' Arctotis fastuosa Monarch of the Veldt 'Zulu Prince' 'most germ' Rudbeckia kelvedon star 'most germ' Calendula officinalis Kablouna 'most germ' I have more I'm testing but don't yet know how they'll do. But as you can see from this it's worth testing old seeds. Good Luck! Joy

Catherine, There is a canna legend that archealogists discovered an old Inca rattle that was using canna seeds as the rattled items. The seeds were planted and they grew. That would be about 500 years old Canna seed succesfully growing. However, nobody can certify this legend, I have asked about it on this board, and it could be just a verbal legend that gets passed on from generation to generation. But its a good tale. On a more uptodate note, I have grown 5 year old Canna seeds, but with a low fertility rate compared with a more recent crop. I had one sprouter out of 6 seeds planted. The seeds had been stored in ideal conditions. Regards, Malcolm

Hi ncdaisies, I read on one website that zinnia seeds remain viable up to 7 years. It probably depends on the conditions that they are stored under. I have used seed that was 2-3 years old and had good germination rates. I even planted some celosia seed this year that I found hidden on a shelf that had been there for 10 years. I was surprised that probably 70% of them germinated. If you go over to the Annuals forum you will find a lot of useful information from threads by maineman on breeding zinnias. BTG