Speaking of which, the Lantana seed you sent in last year was ultra fabby, Moonphase! I couldn't believe a.) it germinated and b.) it grew, thrived and bloomed! LOL! I have a lot of Lantana shrubs, and my butterflies and I thank you!

Lime

Thanks for the reminder. I hope to get this done next week. I have alot of seeds to send out. The only thing I really want is Yvonne's Salvia & some Astilbe.

I've just started thinking about this, actually! I actually don't have very specific wants right now, tho I'm getting curious about trying some heliotrope next year, esp. the shorter kind.

Is it ok to put colors? I'm mainly looking for blue & purple.

I don't have anything saved yet, but maybe larkspur, zinnias, centaurea montana...

I really don't have a list of wants either, except for things that will grow way down here in sub tropical s.e. Fl with lots of heat and humidity.

I am collecting alamo vine and blue pea vine seeds. Don't know how many of these pkgs I'll get to send as these seeds are rather large and we have to send 25 seeds per pkg. so I'll just do what I can.

I am looking forward to the surprise of it all. Tracy does a fantastic job with this, and I only know from what I have read and seen shown here, because this is my first time participating.

FlowerLady

flowerlady,as I understand it,for large seeds,we send 8 or really what we can spare.Tiny seeds are 1/8 tsp. and others are 25..so split those up and let more people enjoy your plants..
Lime,I am so glad to hear the lantanas are doing good for you.I have several colors this yr. also and then,I go around town and snatch seeds from different colors.I have an astonishing amt. of 4 o'clocks this yr. I am sending.I have some that are over 5 ft. tall,amazing
Irene,yes put your colors wanted.I collect in colors.I have a riot of colors in my huge cottage garden but I also have beds that are color coordinated.Doing pink next yr. but I still need purples,blues.reds.and whites Also doing a new moon garden...so putting the color is great.
Deb,I too want some yvonne salvia but I don't think I could ever narrow it down to just 2..hhuumm maybe my thinking to way out of bounds here but as long as I have grass,I have to think in hundreds..lol
I want to try heliotrope too.my sweet peas came up but the only ones that bloomed was a light pink one.I planted alot of blues,but not one single bloom.:-(
I do have alot of new stuff this yr. that is blooming in my holding bed.I have to get a new camera so I can get some of it ID'd.I put labels out this time but the perm markers faded.:-( I am near a river so I am getting river rock and will paint the names on these next yr.
I am getting excited already and am so thankful Tracy is doing this for us again.I have some really beautiful plants due to everyone..and hopefully I can fill someone elses garden next yr.
moonphase

Oh Moonphase, thanks for that info. I was getting depressed thinking I wasn't going to have very many seeds to share.

FlowerLady

Flowerlady, Do not worry too much about it and send what you can. I'm sure on those vines that 8-10 would be fine. Some seeds are harder to collect from, some kinds of flowers are just plain stingy, and some flowers throw so many seeds you get 100 in a little pinch.

Last year was sort of sad because at the last minute several people wrote in saying not to wait for them, they just couldn't get it together in time. Just do what you can do now, and pack what you can, so you'll be ready in case something comes up closer to the deadline.

And who knows? In Sept or early October you might be waiting for a table at a restaurant and sit right by some wonderful flowers that have gone to seed. :)

Moonphase, What do you do? Do you see who has signed up for the swap, and then go through each person's wishlist one-by-one?

Lime

Moonphase, Just wanted to tell you that I thought I was being so smart by using an actual garden marker and putting the names and colors of all my named daylilies on bricks. I figured they'd be too heavy to kick around easily and would stay next to the appropriate plants. What I didn't count on was that the bricks would be so porous that the ink would actually sink in and not show up. Yes, I had removed all the previous tags. This spring only some of the bricks still had names on them. Just wanted to mention it so that you test your river rocks before you remove all your old tags.

I have only one seed I really want...Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'. I know it's a hybrid but I'd like to try it anyway to see what I get.

MeMo

Memo,Yes,the river rock does work.I have a small garden that I call my feeling garden.I put plants in it with words that have feelings in their name,like autumn Joy,Peace rose,Love in a puff,,etc.I use an artist brush and white paint and put names of feelings on these rocks.Then when dry,I use a clear sealer.They are smooth and vary in size.I also have my children and grands name written and scattered through out my gardens.When I happen upon one while weeding,it sparks a few moments of feelings :-) for that person.I started doing this about 10 yrs. ago.When I moved and bought my home here 3 yrs. ago.I left my stones and started new onesJust a personal touch.lol
moonphase

Are we talking about a swap here? This is my first harvest so I'm unsure of what is going on. Can you use commercial seed?

I think commercial seeds are good to include also if you have them. I sure don't mind getting them!

Moonphase, thanks for the specific directions on painting and sealing the rocks. I have been trying to find out what kind of paint to use....does it matter? I think painting the name on rocks is a great idea. I'm getting my seeds collected and ready now and my want list too. I'm really looking forward to this swap.
Bonnt

When do we send them and where to?

Proudgm, Go here, and it will tell you a little about it. (I say a little, because you won't understand until you do it once.) Yes, commercial seeds are fine, but I think you can't send in more than 6 packs of the same thing. Put your name on the seeds, oh, and you can go seed snatching, too, to bulk up. This is one of the best swaps on GW!!!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cottage/msg071541103506.html?82

Lime

I sat and reviewed my fresh seeds this morning and came to the conclusion that I really don't have anything worthwhile to contribute.

The bulk of my seeds are things like larkspur, marigolds, zinnias, calendulas, california poppies and other common annuals. Where did the original seeds come from? The DOLLAR Stores! Ten and 25 cents a packet. Not worth the price of postage two ways, when most everybody has a dollar store in their town.

So, as enticing as the lure of new and different seeds are, I'm opting out. I will expect to see many, many photos next year of what grew from the exchanges. Enjoy.

Nell

Oh, Nell, I don't have a dollar store within 2 hours drive of my home. I'd be happy as a clam to receive your seeds. Plus some of those are excellent for vegie gardens and cutting gardens...can't get enough of them! Don't opt out just on account of what you have or don't have. This is the best way to get more of what you don't have and next year you'll have more variety to share.

MeMo

Moonphase, I love your idea of "feeling" rocks. Thanks for sharing how you do them.

MeMo

Nell,I for one would love to have all the ones you have.I never have enough annuals.Send what you have and I am sure you will get some of your wishs back.I do not think any seeds are common.I love them all.This is a wonderful way to get new seeds to try and Tracy is a wonderful host.Hope you stay in and send me some Ca. poppies.lol o' and I need some larkspur too.What color zinnias? I need red and pink,well some orange would be good too.....
proudgm,we are talking about the CG swap Tracy is doing for us.She does this every fall.She has a thread started and alot have already posted to join.She will post when she is ready for sign ups.This is a wonderful swap..Can you tell alot of us is already excited and getting ready for this one? lol
moonphase

Oh, Nell, all those are wonderful -- no one ever has enough poppy seed, or annuals in general, because we need new ones every year! And if you would collect the Zinnias you are growing BY COLOR and HEIGHT, you will give someone looking for "pink" or "red" or "orange" or "anything under 24" something on their wish list. What color was your larkspur? LOL! See?

On another thread, in the Gallery, you showed some Tecoma stans, and then you went on to list other flowers you had that were flowering in the heat and humidity...what about seeds from those? A lot were butterfly plants, and someone's wishlist might say, "anything for butterflies".(To refresh your memory I shall take the liberty of posting the list ROTFL! We have pentas, porterweed, tithonia, salvia coccinea, petunias, lantana, verbena, marigolds, agastache butterflies visit all those); also ruellia, roses, datura, gomphrena, Madagascar periwinkle, melampodium, nicotiana, curcuma, ornamental peppers and zinnias; all blooming despite intense heat and humidity.

I would like Pentas, Porterweed, salvia coccinea, verbena (what color?) and what color is the Agastache? How tall is it? I might want that, too! See?

Try it, really, you'll LOVE it!

Lime

Rainey & Others: If the plant doesn't produce many seeds, you CAN put in fewer than 25 seeds in a pack. Especially if the seeds are large. Just label on the pack that there are only X-number of seeds. We'll love them just the same!

I tried to update my trade page with what I expect to have seeds from. It's difficult now because most things aren't going to seed yet (mostly because I'm not letting them!).

Tracy

What kind of envelopes or packets do you use? We need to fit a lot of info on each one. Bank envelopes? Plastic bags with sticker labels?

I'm a newbie to swaps - I am little worried about my lack of knowledge about what kind of seeds are sterile. I know my larkspur seeds are not sterile, for instance - and this year I sorted by color and only took seeds from the earliest and best-looking plants.

But what about... say, Profusion Zinnias? Do plants from those seeds germinate and are they true-to-color? I don't quite understand hybrids and stuff.

Tracy in PA
(Not the Tracy organizing the swap)

Tracy in Pa. yippee am holding up my hand for some of your profusion zinnias,can you see me waving trying to get your attention down here in Ga...lol.I absolutely love the profusion zinnia.They germinate beautifully.The ones I received in a swap last yr. came true to color.I am not an expert on hybrids and don't even try to understand it.You can glean any info you need from seed catalogs such as burpee or parks ,they all have info,or here on line.I make index cards for the plants I have.So when I am labeling my seeds,I have the info I need.I use the little plastic envelopes from walmart.you get 100 for .99 cents.I reuse envies I empty when I ws and the ones I get in trades.I have also made some I use.I use labels and fit the name,per. or annual,height,color,exposure,and my garden name.on the label.You will learn real quick and ask all the questions you need to ask.I hope you are signing up for the VCG swap.If,so,I hope you put my name on some of your profusions..lol
moonphase