I hit payday!

Have you ever been on a quest for a seed? Yes, you....I know you have..lol. Well, my seed quest has been for Golden Chain Tree seeds, Laburnum, for the past year, as simple as it sounds. Yes, I can buy them but I tried to get them in trade over the last year. I sent out all kinds of seeds, with the hope of getting the elusive Golden Chain Tree/Laburnum in return. To boot, I had tonsssssssss of Golden Rain Tree/Koelreuteria paniculata on my end and I, unfortunately, received them back in trade, as well, marked as the Laburnum seeds (which they were not). Both trees look similar to the novice, but the seeds pods are distinctively different, as well as the seeds. With at least 12 trades, I received everything BUT Laburnum. Most of the time I got Koelreuteria (looks identical to a canna seed). I attribute this to seeds being retraded and the original collector not really knowing their species/variety...I can live with that, although disappointing. Only 1 trader got the seeds correct and she even sent me a picture of her and the tree in bloom..lol.

Anyway, today was payday..lol..! I went to a library branch to pick up books my son had reserved for his Black History Month school project. I've never been to this branch so I looked around and checked out some garden magazines (what else..lol). As I rounded the corner in the childrens' department, I think my jaw hit the floor! I had to look a few times because I couldn't believe what I was seeing....Standing gracefully outside in the sitting area was low and behold - - - the Golden Chain Tree - Laburnum anagyroides - full of seed pods! I was so happy I almost cried (geez, what it only take to make me happy..lol). I asked permission from the staff to remove some seed pods and they gave me a trash bag and said to fill 'er up..lol. It was more than Christmas in February! So, the bottom line is....you never know where happiness may strike you next!
Trish

Alright Trish, you go girl!!! Lisa

I like Laburnums too. We used to have a couple but I think one got diseased and we cut it down. The second one went into old age and stopped flowering. We had it pruned and left it a bit longer but eventually said goodbye to it.
I still miss that tree. It was so beautiful. I'm planning on having another eventually. That particular border has old roses in it which are dying out - I'm also in the process of removing them. When that's finished, autumn maybe I'll be able to think of an alternative site for another laburnum. I believe the seed pods might be poisonous by the way, so not terribly suitable if you have any young children playing nearby.
They are very graceful trees. The scent is gorgeous too. Are you going to grow several from your seedpods?

Congratulations, Trish - ain't gardening great???? We can be thrilled beyond belief by the seemingly simplest thing (to the casual observer), and I think it kind of makes non-gardeners pause and wonder (a little) what it might be like to be like us (when they stop shaking their heads in disbelief, of course...) Here's hoping that you get great germination - what a story you'll be able to tell when that tree (trees) get bigger!

Yup, sometimes you find what you want in the most unexpected places! Congratulations!

I hit payday several weeks ago also.I bought the bareroot packages of blue hosta . There were suppose to have 3 eyes in both bags. I wantted to get them in dirt before my surgery so I potted them. I now have 14 5inch tall blue hosta. What a find! Diana