Alstroemeria  faith
Chaenomeles  tree
Malva sylvestris, Braveheart - remembrance
Rose, Mr. Lincoln - remembrance
Campanula rotundifolia - remembrance
Primrose, Arctic Mix  remembrance
Geranium, Reflections  remembrance
Lupine, Skyrockets  remembrance
(I have a lot of family I plant remembrances for)
Echinacea angustifolia  life (butterflies & birds)
Dianthus, Firewitch  fire
Gomphrena globosa  earth
Linaria, Northern Lights  air
Petunia, Blue Frost  water
Malva, Mystic Merlin  for DS
RobinsonÂs Painted Daisy  for DD
Salpiglossis, Bolero Mix - for DH

Then all the seedy stuff goes away until after the holidays. But I do love the solstice celebration. Keeping my fingers crossed that DD will be joining me from the UK.

Tomatoes
Winter Squash
Alpine Strawberries
Carrots
Parsnips
Beets
Celery

I have no clue! I guess I'll check this board for ideas. :)

Clumsy, we have a winter sowing solstice celebration!

I'll paste in the link so you can read up on it.

I'm going through a lot of my seeds and I know I'll be sowing some heirloom greens for the veggie garden, but I haven't chosen all my other seeds yet.

Trudi

Here is a link that might be useful: Solstice Sow

I never get started sowing until after the holidays. I have to concentrate now on shopping, wrapping, Christmas cards... I'm terribly inefficient.

I don't even know what seeds I have for the most part.

Karen

Celebrity tomatoes - Remembrance- This was my Mom's favorite tomato
Swamp Milkweed- Birds and Butterflies
Pink Dogwood - Mother Nature's tree
Yellow Bells - Faith and Hope

I may add others but that's what I have come up with so far!

Hmm... Looks like I don't have any tree seeds. But the blue jays have "sown" plenty of acorns in my garden so I guess those count. Sounds like fun!

Echinacea for the Birds (Goldfinches)
Lantana for Faith and Hope (I think I have Lantana)
Verbena for my aunt who died this year and had tons of it in her garden.

drippy - you always have the most impressive (and long list) - wow - can't wait to see your flowers

Carrie

I'm so glad you posted the categories for each, Drippy. I forgot what they were and I was busy working on a paper for school and couldn't think about much else-- but I wanted to find out what others were sowing and let newbies in on it.
Trudi,
Thank you for posting that link. Again, it reminds me of what each one is supposed to represent. I might have to adjust my list as far as what I will sow specifically for Solstice. Cannas for faith, huh? Gives me an idea...if I REALLY want to take a Leap!

Ya know, I'm not a webcam kinda girl, but I'm thinking it would be neat if we could all have them on Solstice, to see each other sowing (and sipping...Baileys, Merlot...coffee...whatever) That would be kind of fun.
How about if we take pictures of us WSing in action and post them somewhere?
(Love you all...just want to say. I can't believe how much I love gardening now. My mother would be in shock to see me elbow- and knee-deep in dirt! )

L

My son's birthday is the 21st and last year was so hectic that I didn't sow anything on the Solstic. This year he is stationed in Yuma and won't be home for his birthday or the holidays ( first time!) so I am planning and organizing so that I will have alot to keep me busy -

Early on I decided I was going to try and trade for everything that I wanted to sow - so everything I will be sowing came from the largess of someone else.

Oh yeah - I bought I bottle of Baileys carmel....

For my rememberances:

Poppies
Sweet William
Pom Pom dahlias
red bee balm
tinkerbell nicotinia

for Life -
sweet autumn -

for Mother Nature -
kentucky coffee trees ( ALOT!) - love these trees

For faith

Ligularia - it never grew for me last year - and the plant I bought died.

Hmmmmn,

I am still getting my list together. I am struggling with what to sow for faith but you gave me an idea, Columbusgardener! I love ligularia and although it should be hardy in my area it did not sprout for me last year. Any other suggestions (they must be fairly deer proof!)?

Marianne

Marianne,

So far the Ligularia Stenocephala 'The Rocket' has been snubbed by the deers here so I will be sowing more of the seeds I gathered in our gardens. Unlike the Ligularia Dentata 'Othello', Rocket also does not get decimated by slugs. The difference is unknown to me, but I had to do away with Othello last year because of the slugs. Try to make sure you give it midday shade and don't let the soil dry out in the first couple of years. This is a moisture lover until established and one cannot even blink on this requirement. The beautiful long blooming spikes of bright yellow are well worth it!

Linda,

Hadn't really thought of sowing on the solstice this year, but you (and Drippy!) may have inspired me to do so. I even bought a small bag of Promix to do so should I have the inclination on the 21st.

I know that one plant which would be sown would be Joe Pye Weed for faith. Not because it would be a leap as such, but because it took four years before I finally got germination from this plant and this year they were WOW!!! at 7 feet with huge umbels/flower heads. The seeds produced were in abundance and I so wish to have a huge expanse of this plant. I now know this plant to be truly impressive and can't say enough about it's performance! I now have faith that at times persistence is the key to great plants in our gardens.

Tiffy, Joe Pye Weed is one of my "can't live without" plants. That late summer/early fall dusky violet color is something I count on. Looks nice in arrangements, too.

Tiffy, you're right, the deer don't seem to bother Ligularia. I had 6 plants that I bought from a catalog last summer and they made it through the season undisturbed by deer even though stuff was eaten in the near vicinity of these plants. You're also right about their watering requirements - they droop at the drop of a hat! I am trying to establish a colony of them in my woodland garden. They are especially terrific against a dark background so the candle-like flower spires can stand out.

Tiffy, you're right, the deer don't seem to bother Ligularia. I had 6 plants that I bought from a catalog last summer and they made it through the season undisturbed by deer even though stuff was eaten in the near vicinity of these plants. You're also right about their watering requirements - they droop at the drop of a hat! I am trying to establish a colony of them in my woodland garden. They are especially terrific against a dark background so the candle-like flower spires can stand out.

PS: why was I asked to change the subject line in order to post this message?

Laperouse,

A certain amount of time has to go by before you can post again under the same heading without changing the subject line. I learned that a while ago the hard way. I was trying to correct something I had written and it wouldn't let me. Didn't clue in for a while and felt bad about the misinformation I had given. I ended up e-mailing the 'poster' and they told me how to correct the mistake.

Hm, i wanted to join you in Solstice celebration but checked with moon calendar and see that this is a day when Germeny governs and nothing will grow (recomendation is to destroy weeds on such days).
I will celebrate date with preparations to WS.
Have fun

Galcho,
How cold is it expected to be there? I sure would be destroying weeds if I could get to them. As it is now, I have to plant my Hyacinth and perennial Gladiolus in containers, because I have to dig in snow and freezing dirt to plant them.

On Ligularia, I bought three different kinds from Chilterns (I saved my pennies and restricted my seed-buying so I could get some things specifically from them). I can post the names when I find the seeds (lol), but I'm hoping at least one of them will sprout and stick around for a while. I WSed Dentata "Othello" 2005-2006 and it sprouted and grew slowly through the whole season, but it didn't re-emerge this past summer.

Linda

This is going to be my first year for both gardening, so for the leap of faith category, everything fits.

tomatoes (Stupice)
Hellebores (any advice on these?)
broccoli (summer purple-sprouting)
marigolds and shastas
peas (little marvel)

I'd like to do alot more but I'm moving, so I'm doing yogurt size containers of:
Heuchera 'Purple Palace'
Malva sylvestris
Lobelia cardenalis
Lobelia siphilitica
Penstemon 'Husker's Red'
Sand Love Grass

shilohyn,

That list (minus the Hellebores and Shasta) looks scary for a December sowing :O
Hellebores can take up to 18 mos. to germinate, but it's fine to wintersow...just don't expect early germination come spring :D

Here is a link that might be useful: Hellebores...seed propagation

hi everyone,

I haven't winter sown in a few years. I lost my little brother and I had a very bad time. I am now with my other brother and I have a real garden -- not a deck full of pots.

I intend to plant the following on the winter solstice:

1. Lolla rosa seeds from my brother for remembrance.
2. Echinacea for the bees and the birds.
3. Butterfly Bush -- the only "tree" I have.
4. Red Perillia as a leap of faith because they are old.

I am also sowing red orach, obedient plant, delpheniums,
lettuce, mesculn, annuals mix, boltonia, basil, cleome, sunflower, feverfew, and malva zebrina. I hope to get some silver horehound and lime green love-lies-bleeding as well
as low growing annuals for the feet of the cannas and dalhias. This garden has some challenges and the color scheme is very "hot". It also has a small vegetable section. I been using the forums to research companions for the established plants and additions/replacements which grow well in this climate/soil.
Sorry I can't spell. Happy holidays to all. Please let me know if there are any groups near Charolette.

Zebrina,
So sorry to hear about your loss. That had to have been tough.
Welcome back, and a hug for you (seems like you spell fine, to me :-)
Linda

Well, looks like I won't be sowing anything for solstice! The weather's looking to warm after the 21st and I'm afraid that my seeds will sprout too early!

1. Zinnia's for rememberance
(my great grandma's name was Ziniak)

2. Hummingbird Vine for birds and butterflies.

3. Maple for Mother Nature
(she always takes care of this one by herself)

4. Cannas for Faith

Hey Trudi... do unmarked seeds received in a trade count for Faith? How about that mix of random seeds in the bottom of the seed box that wiggled their way out of who-knows-what envelope?

I'm having a hard time waiting until Solstice...

I have been looking all over for the Cimicifuga seeds I recieved in trade and can't find them. I didn't think I sowed them last year, but maybe I did. I was contemplating placing another order with Chilterns for a specific Scabiosa that I could only find there, so I ordered some "C" as well. Probably won't be here for Solstice. So here's my list:

Remembrance: Painted Daisy, Obedient Plant, Lunaria Biennis, Lupine, Heather

Life: Ascelpias (two or three different kinds)

Nature (tree seeds): Prunus Tomentosa-- which could also be my faith seed, considering they take a few warm/cold periods

Faith- Canna and Gladiola (seeds I collected from plants grown from bulbs this past summer), and Ligularia (two types)

I can bide my time by making sure I have all these seeds in one place so I can find them on the 21st!

Linda

I'm adding 3 to my list - the beauties that were (among others)in bloom when I was in the UK: lavender, elecampagne, and great St. John's wort.

I am happy to find this thread, I and my family will do a Solstice in remembrance of our daughter who God rose from this life Christmas eve 2003. She was 9 and taught us about God. She went into a coma on the 21st, this will be a great tribute to her. Thank you for the post.

Remembrance- Daisies she picked these one day for Virgin Mary to pray for her protection and she received protection.

Life: Lily Bulb, I have a picture of her with the tree of life cross on her fore head and a white lily over her chest. I am unsure what the lily mean, but it is there and it was not taken in the winter picture, nor did I own a white lily, nor is the cross a man made cross, this is a very ornated cross with detail in it of light. Sorry I don't spell great.

Nature, Dogwood tree, Legend has it that this tree grew as a large strong tree and was used for the cross that Jesus died for our sins on. He then altered the tree to grow has a small twisted tree, with a flower in the shape of a cross, with four rust spots, with red in the middle to resemble the nails in his flesh. A thorning center as a reminder of the mockery of him being king.

Faith, Burgandy Gaillardia and fairy snow ballon flower. I really would love to plant seeds of Ashley Nicole Scott Day Lily seed because the red and white is in one flower and maybe a baby would have the the color, but I am sure I will not be able to get them this quick. The colors are important to me because they are colors of a little Girl Saint that showed up to me in a night of terrible term oil and announced "Do not be afraid, God sent me, I am St. Philamena and I will protect her though the night and Arch Angel Micheal will be over seeing your child also, though
out the night. God sent her, St. Philamena, to let me know he is real and we have an afterlife, some are here a short time some here for a long time. All are gifts from him. I was pretty much on the fence, if God was real, up to this point. This was a conversion in faith for me.
Any one have a flower that blooms red and white on the same flower and would send to me seeds, expec. a lily, I will gladly pay for postage.

This is my experience in a very short form, of many blessings God gave me, my husband and children. This is a happy season for us, we know where she is, miss her but know with out a dought she is in a much better world than we are. This will be great activity for the whole family, I know some will pick out plants other with listen to the history of the my plantings.

Merry Chrismas to All
Tammy

Well the longest night has passed... the seeds are out... the light grows!!!
Thanks to all who shared stories of remembrance. Looking at these beauties is a great way for me to remember.
Peace
George

Tammy,
Your post gave me chills. Blessings to you this season and always.
My Remembrance seed sowing turned out to be much more intense than I thought. As I actually began sowing last night, it became a really spiritual experience. I'm looking forward to seeing them flower in my yard.

Linda