You're welcome. I didn't grow the lupine from seed, but bought two bareroot plants at the Seattle flower and garden show last year. One of them didn't survive the winter. I think it's a specific color of Russell's but I'm not sure. I also think Germania might have the individual flower color seeds, but once again, I'm not sure. I don't remember whether there was a photo on the package, but I've seen photos of it before, somewhere. Jeanne

Update. Haves: I did some spring cleaning and I came across some wooden Trellis scrap. These vary in size from small to medium size (need an SUV to haul away). If interested contact me via email for a trade. Some of these I can carry to the swap. but the larger ones you will have to pick up. NOIDs: cuttings are from cuttings taken from Carrie few season back I think. Colors range from lite pinks, whites, and peaches. I do have several NOIDs that may have survived our cold weather from last winter. Each one was cut back to the ground before first frost and look like they may have survied. I will dig these up for trade for something special. All brug cuttings will be cuttings without a Y's and may not bloom this year. Adora (not sure if this is the right name) Brug cuttings. Wants: Indoor house plants. Low light to medium light conditions. Sweet heart plants, pathos, and other types of indoor plants Named Brugs Dr Seuss Brug Daturas Honey Suckles Passion Vine Shrimp Plant red or yellow Candel Stick plant Succulents Sedums Milk and Wine Lily Crinum zeylanicum Turk's caps Esperanza also know as Yellow Bells, Hardy Yellow Trumpet, Trumpet-flower, Yellow Elder Texas Star Hibiscus Hardy Hibiscus Please send me an email if interested in a trade...

Hi All, I know I've been MIA for a few weeks. Work has been taking over lately. I just posted my trade list on the FTW Garden swap site. I added my pre-trades as I culled them from this page. Please review to see if I'm still on track. I'm going to try to accommodate everyone's rain lily requests. If I don't have enough of the yellow rain lily seeds to go around, I may be able to entice you with some minima seeds. Minimas are the most adorable tiny pale pink rain lilies. The flowers are less than a half inch in diameter. As a bonus, they go from seed to blooming in one year! I have about a dozen minima seed pods in my pots right now. I'll try to harvest some before the swap. Looking forward to meeting you all, JK

With apologies to those who have read this before, This may help, Nancy: Earthworm Characterization There are more than 4400 named species of earthworm on this planet, segregated by soil ecologists into three categories, largely descriptive of their habits and preferred soil zones. These three categories are endogeic, anecic and epigeic. Endogeic worms are soil movers that build complex lateral burrow systems through all layers of the upper mineral soil. These worms rarely come to the surface, instead spending their lives in these burrow systems where they feed on decayed organic matter and bits of mineral soil. They are the only category of worm which actually eats SOIL and not strictly the organic component. Endogeic worms tend to be medium sized, pale-colored, and dependant on the consistent moisture level and temperature of the deep soil in order to thrive. Anecic worms like the common nightcrawler Lumbricus terrestris build permanent, vertical burrows that extend from the soil surface down through the upper mineral soil layer, often reaching depths of six feet or more. These worm species coat their burrows with mucous which hardens to stabilize the walls, and will build little mounds of stone and castings outside the burrow opening, called middens, that marks the burrow as theirs. Anecic worms are able to recognize their own burrows, even in an environment where there are hundred of others present, and return to these burrows each day. Anecic species feed in decaying surface litter, so they come to the soil surface regularly, which leaves them exposed to predators. They developed a spoon-shaped tale that bristles with little retractable hairs, called setae, with which to grip the burrow wall and avoid being easily pulled out. This flared tale shape is rarely found in the other species categories, making it a defining characteristic of anecic worms. Species in this category also tend to be very large and have pale ventral surfaces (bellies) and more darkly pigmented dorsal surfaces (backs). They have a long generation time, do not do well in high density culture and, similar to their endogeic cousins, require the stable environment of their deep burrows in order to thrive. In the absence of this burrow, anecic worms will neither breed nor grow. The worms we use in vermicomposting systems, like Eisenia fetida, are in the epigeic category. In nature epigeic worms live in the top soil and duff layer on the soil surface as opposed to the deeper soil zones. These small, deeply pigmented worms have a poor burrowing ability, preferring instead an environment of loose organic litter or loose topsoil rich in organic matter. Epigeic species feed in organic surface debris and have adapted beautifully to the rapidly shifting, dynamic environment of the soil surface. It is worms from the epigeic category that are used in vermicomposting systems because we can easily duplicate their preferred environment in a bin or bed, because they are voracious processors of organic debris, because they do well in high density culture, and because their development as surface dwellers enables them to thrive in a wide range of environmental conditions and fluctuations. Each soil environment on earth supports multiple worm species from each of the three categories. Different soil types, climate zones, and even plant types will impact which worm species dominate a given soil environment. Not all species can survive in all ecosystems, though the epigeic worm Eisenia fetida comes close. This ubiquitous worm is found on nearly every terrestrial land mass, though it is not always the dominant species, demonstrating a level of adaptability that supports its reputation as the premier worm for vermicomposting systems. When a composting or vermicomposting system is in soil contact naturalized earthworms will be drawn to the system when and if it meets their environmental requirements. Even if the bin is stocked with one worm species, over time it will take on a varied population profile selected from the naturalized species present in the surrounding soils and their attraction to the bin environment. Local epigeic species will all live happily side by side in the bin, processing vast amounts of organic debris. The one best adapted to the particular bin environment and local climate will be the species that ultimately dominates the system, with others present at lower population levels. In most areas of the northern US the dominant epigeic worm tends to be E. fetida. Perionyx excavatus is sometimes the dominant epigeic species south of the Mason Dixon line, Amynthas hilgendorfi is often dominant in soils along the east coast, and Allalobophora caliginosa is the epigeic species most populous in Pacific Northwest soils. Vermicomposting systems in soil contact, while dominated by resident epigeic worm species, can also play host to a surprising number of anecic worms. Piles of organic debris are rich sources of food to all earthworms that feed in decaying surface litter, and, while they typically do not take up residence in such environments, anecic worms will certainly take advantage of the available feast. Their presence should not be taken as an indication of their preference for this environment as a suitable home, however, but simply as their current choice for a good meal. Earthworms are an incredibly varied and adaptable group of animals that are so common in our world that they often go unnoticed and unsung. We are far more dependant on them than we realize, and are fortunate that they are so eager and able to rise to the challenges we pose them! Kelly S