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First Winter Sowing Tonight

16 years ago

Ordered seeds 11/26 from Hardy Plants and they still haven't arrived. Neither have they responded to 2 email requests for order/delivery status.

Was pouting over fact that I didn't have anything to sow tonight after everyone goes to bed and I put todays cookie batches to bed for Christmas.

Lo and behold I went out to get the mail and there was an envelope FULL of seeds ordered from ValueSeeds.com only a few days ago. Thank you to original poster who questioned quality of ValueSeeds.com and Trudi's imprimatur which means a lot.

Voila...I've got plenty to choose!

I know there are special meanings for each flower type but I'm sowing two kinds of Violas...in memory of my mom who used to say, "Oooh, look at their cute little faces!"

Whether or not they actually come up in spring is secondary to the fact that serendipity brought the seeds to me on this Winter Solstice day and my mom is with me in the potential of those Viola seeds.

Thanks to one and all who've put up with all the questions and OT commentary to which I'm prone.

WS means "hope" and that's enough value for me right now.

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Comments (7)

carol5
16 years ago
Newbie you brought a tear to my eye. I almost never post but your entry touched me. I always get emotional over my seeds too...I feel like God has entrusted a life to me in the form of a seed. Kind of schmaltzy I know, but that's how I feel. Happy Solstice Newbie.
drippy
16 years ago
Schmaltzy? Not at all, Carol! This hustle, bustle, gerbil-wheel linear time thing we're so often on I'm convinced is designed to lead us far from the truth. Winter Sowing brings us back to reality.
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Editor, I am so happy to see your great start. Remember to post your container count on the official thread. It truly is addicting, and seeing you excitement brings back memories of my first season. I am very happy for you. I really hate to do this, and I REALLY hope my suspicions are wrong, but I have to ask you something about those lovely containers. Do they say anywhere on them, in tiny print, that they are made of corn? I bought organic greens at Sam's last year and was really excited about the container. It turns out it was made of corn (yeah, corn?) and melted into a shapeless mess when washed in hot water. I set them outside to see what would happen and the sun destroyed them. I really hope that's not the same thing you have, but if it is, better to find out now before the season gets too far along. Hoping to be wrong, Seedmama
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Christie Do you remember or can you tell me what bloomed for you best the first year? Lets see if I can remember I need to keep better notes ") zinnia, bachelor buttons, rose moss, gaillarida, cleome, cocks comb, marigold, cosmos, balsam impatients, the hollyhocks were about 2 or 3 years old but I did have some new ones bloom but they didn't get as tall, african daisy, morning glories I think that's all but it has been a long summer. My cone flowers didn't bloom or either did my dianthias. Terren, GREAT IDEA !!! if you fold back one end on itself when applying the tape, it makes a little tab you can grab to pull it off more easily. I will for sure do that this year LOL I ended up using a single edge razor blade to cut the tape. I am glad to have good results to show off tee-hee-hee, I asked alot of ?'s. & got alot of good answers & seeds from several people, I should have been better at keeping notes so I could thank everyone personally but I hope that they see this & know that their time & seeds were not wasted. I can't wait to get started again. OH !!! agirlsgirl & chemocurl were expecially helpful, they both are very patient with me & all my ?'s. THANKS GALS. lillyjane ----aka-- jan")
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bakemom_gw
16 years ago
Email me. I will send you seeds gratis. Include your addy. Problem solved.
molanic
16 years ago
I'm in the same boat, watching the mailbox everyday for my HardyPlants order from 11/12. They responded to my e-mail a few weeks ago saying they would ship in a day or so, don't think that happened. I still have to prep all my containers and thaw my potting soil though....so it will be about a week before they get a slightly pissy e-mail from me :) Maybe I'll have to check out valueseeds too.
Melinda Hagen
16 years ago
Newbie, I too know exactly what you mean! I didn't wintersow last year as it was just too soon to think about it after my mother passed and I just thought it would kill me with all the wonderful memories of our time wintersowing! Now, I feel so connected with her I have to do it again! She taught me years ago and I am teaching my daughter!
Well, my mother's favs are daylilies and iris and the color purple. While getting ready to wintersow this year, I realized I had no purple iris to sow.
Lo and behold yesterday I got a package of seeds and the bonus seeds sent where royal purple iris!! I actually cried and felt as if they were sent from Heaven above! I am sure they will come up and do beautiful for me!
Happy Solstice and Holidays everyone!
Melinda
lblack61
16 years ago
:-) It's so beautiful hearing the experiences of others.

I was lamenting this year that I didn't induct my husband's grandson into WSing this year. I'm going to try doing some with him with the next bunch of seeds I sow. I already have his 4 year old mind interested by saying, "You get to play in the dirt, indoors, in Winter!"
Memories. Another good reason to Winter Sow.

Linda
MissMyGardens
Original Author
16 years ago
Serendipity and memories all tied up in bringing beauty and new life into the world!

Melinda, my father always grew Iris for my mother. The rhizomes are from his father's garden and moved here from my parent's first house. I just divided and transplanted a bunch for him this past fall.

My mother always said, as we were dragging ourselves through special occasion or holiday preparations, "These are the days we make memories for the kids to hold onto later in life when they need them."

This forum is full of giving people and it's a pleasure to have found it this year for the first time. It's a real "pay it forward" place to stop in and chat, compare notes and ask questions.

And I agree with you, Drippy. Winter sowing and the pleasures it will bring are a reminder to "stop and smell the roses"...and cosmos, zinnia, cornflowers, iris, joe pye weed, liatris, lavender, nasturtium, sweet pea, sunflowers, asters, lobelia and hundreds more!!!

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