Canadian seed exchange

This is just to gauge interest in having a seed exchange for Canadians. Seeds would be sent to me, listed on a thread, and everyone pick and list the ones they want. Seeds would be divided and shared amongst the people that want them. No tit for tat, six for six. We will just try to distribute so that everyone gets some of each that they want. I have some extras to throw in, and in the last seed exchange so did a few others. I think even those without seeds to share would be able to send postage for seeds, but they may not always get their first choices.

Seeds could be commercial leftovers, garden collected, or trade leftovers that were grown successfully by you. If you are sending seeds that are collected, please only send ones that you are pretty sure are viable and true to type.

So, I’m off to organise my seed collection.

echoes, just curious, how do you tell if collected seeds are going to be true to type? Even viable for that matter?

Perhaps you should ask that question here?

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/seedsaving/all/

This is for Canadians only. I beg everyone, please keep it on topic.

Sounds good - but it will be a few more weeks before some of mine from this year are ready. We haven't had a frost yet.

I am still waiting for a few too, but I would lose too many if I waited til after frost. So far I have collected these, but not sure if they are all trade worthy. I don't want to bother collecting many more, if nobody want them,

Calendula English Marigolds Lemon Gem McKenzie Select 2005
Abelmoschus manihot mine 2009
Ageratum Red Sea mine 2009
Amur Maple mine 2009
Bidens mine 2009
Browalia mine 2009
Calendula Cafe au Lait mine 2009 (isolated)
Calendula Flashback mine 2009 (isolated)
Calendula Sherbet Fizz mine 2009 (isolated)
Celosia argentea var. cristata Chief Rose Parks 2007
Celosia argentea var. plumosa Sparkler Wine Parks 2007
Clematis integrifolia mine 2009
Coreopsis tinctoria Mahogany Midget Parks 2007
Cosmos Yellow Garden McKenzie 2007
Cosmos Vega mix mine 2009 (isolated)
Dahlia Dwarf Double Mix Mr. Fothergill's 2008
Delphinium blue, very perennial mine 2009
Dianthus carthusianorum mine 2009
Dianthus chinensis soft pinks mine 2009
Gaillardia pulchella Pantomime Mix POD 2008 mostly reds and yellows)
Gaillardia pulchella Pantomime Mix mine 2009 (isolated)
Ipomoea Scarlet O'Hara Morning Glory Parks 2007
Ipomoea Scarlet O'Hara (not true) Stokes 2005
Ipomoea lobata Firecracker Vine mine 2009
Ipomoea turbinata Japanes MG Onalee 2006
Iris, Siberian Active Duty mine 2009
Lathyrus odorata Giant Spencer Lindenberg 2006
Lavatera Ruby Regis mine 2009 (isolated)
Lettuce, heirloom romaine red mine 2009 (isolated)
Limonium suworowii ROSE Dominion 2007
Linum rubrum Scarlet Flax x2 McKenzie 2004
Lychnis coeli-rosa Viscaria Rose of Heaven EdHume 2006
Lychnis x arkwrightii Vesuvius mine 2009
Lychnis x haageana Lumina Salmon mine 2009
Mirabilis jalapa Limelight mine 2009 (isolated)
Mirabilis jalapa - Four O'clocks Custard and Cream mine 2009
Nepeta nervosa Blue Carpet mine 2009
Phaseolus coccineus Scarlet Runner Pole Bean McKenzie-Rona 2008
Rudbeckia x hirta hybrida Cherokee Sunset T&M 2006
Salvia Cambridge Blue Gentian Sage Select Seeds 2007
Salvia patens mine 2009
Salvia transylvanica mine 2009
Scabiosa atropurpurea Pot Black Mix mine 2009
Scabiosa ochroleuca Yellow Scabiosa mine 2009
Shasta Daisy Alaska mine 2009
Silene (Lychnis) coronaria Rose Campion mine 2009
Stachys macrantha Big Betony mine 2009
Symphyandra pendula Ringflower mine 2009
Tagetes dwarf yellow French Marigolds mine 2009
Thalictrum rochebrunianum Meadow Rue mine 2009
Verbena Quartz Waterfall POD 2008
Verbena x hybrida Blue Lagoon T&M 2007

adding

Antirrhinum Tall Deluxe Mix McKenzie-Rona 08 open
Coleus Wizard Mixed Stokes 09
Coleus Camelot Mix Mr. Fothergill's 08
Ipomoea x imperialis Morning Glory Rose Silk Parks 05 open
Lupinus elegans Sweetpea lupin Pink Fairy POD 05 open
HEUCHERA villosa var. macrorrhizza Autumn Bride Jelitto 08
STACHYS monieri (densiflora) Jelitto 08 open
Thalictrum Drifting Clouds POD 08 open
Vigna caracalla Onalee 06 2 left



This message was edited Oct 26, 2009 7:48 PM

Is there an amount or number of seeds that one should submit?

How can we be sure that the seeds are true to type when they may have been cross pollinated with some plant several blocks away?

We must be behind Manitoba as some plants here are just forming seeds.

I'll write a note with the seeds and you can discard any which do not measure up.

Any number is fine. We can fine tune what guidelines we want to go by as we get suggestions.

Are you referring to a specific plant? if you have blue bachelor buttons and someone two blocks away has pink bachelor buttons, I don't think you would have to worry. If you have Sonata cosmos and your close neighbor has Gazebo, you won't know what your seeds are. So list them as Cosmos, pink mixed.

I think as Canadians we miss out on all the co-ops and a lot of swaps, so I was thinking of the easiest way for lots of gardeners to get seeds from each other, but just the seeds they want, not a lot of surprises. If you are wanting some surprises, I can do that too. I want to include new gardeners that don't have a lot to offer, because I have lots, and my wants are few. I would try my best to see that everyone is happy with their seeds.

I was thinking of Cosmos Rose "Bonbon" which I purchased after seeing them pictured as very double flowers. They never did look like the picture in the catalogue. But they are giving seeds. I only grew the one type of cosmos in my yard, but someone else in the neighbourhood might have grown another variety. If I send them in for the swap, could I call them: a mix of single and partly double rose coloured cosmos?
Caroline

I've got a lot of seeds to harvest, and have left overs from previous years. I'll check to see what I have available after I collect.

I do know I have opuntia (prickly pear cactus, yellow/peachy blooms) seeds produced in 2008, collected spring 2009, and more than several hardy little ball shaped cactus in pots (species unknown) .... if anyone wants...

Sure. Perhaps we can list these types as from as in from open pollinated Cosmos Rose Bonbon.

I love Cosmos, going to look those up.

Hi Sue, add them to your list. Sounds very interesting.

lol, the cactus are in pots because I can't bear to toss or compost a perfectly good plant..... The cactus garden is full, and I'm running out of places to plant them and so they are up for adoption.

Maybe you'll get a trade for them. I think we have a few cactus lovers.

I would be interested in a seed exchange. Most of my seeds are open pollinated so they could be cross pollinated with another colour but I have some that would be true to type.

I will follow along on this forum and see where it goes.

Arosey

I'd be interested in participating too, though most of my seed is commercial. But I do have lots. :)

Joanne (Jo North)

That's great Arosey and Joanne. I'm still working on my list. I just went through my commercial seeds and need to do my leftovers from trades and harvested and then I'm done.

That is good that an exchange forces us to go through our seed bins.
However, as soon as I had everything slimmed down by placing in envelope to send-----
I was out in the yard gathering more! LOL?

I should have some OP hosta seed to contribute once I finish harvesting and cleaning them. I could certainly send some if you think there'd be interest in them.

Sandy

Is everyone working on their lists? I have been distracted and very busy this last week with family issues and a death in my family, so may not get back to working on this for another week. I would like to know what everyone is thinking though. Shall we post our lists here and let everyone make their choices and then send just the ones that were chosen, to me to redistribute? And add in mine.

Other options/ideas? Anyone else interested?

Sounds like a plan!

I sent you the following seeds:

1.Maroon Hollyhock
2.Tidy Tips Daisy (Layia)
3.Red Orach (Mountain Spinach)
4.Canterbury bells
5.Delphinium---blue shades
6.Orange Oriental Poppy
7.Cheiranthus Charity--mix colours
8.Gypsophilia--annual Babybreath
9.Flowering Kale
10.Double Shirley Poppy Rydburgh hybrids
11.Siberian wallflower
12.Cosmos Rose Bonbon
13.Verbena bonsariensis
14.Ricinus Gibsonni

That is what I sent.

My wish list incudes the following:

A. Bidens
B. Dahlberg Daisy
C. Rudebeckia lanceolata "Golden Glow" the tall double one
D.Lavatera---the tall one

Thank you in advance. Caroline

Can I add to my wish list after seeing others?

E. Clematis integrifolia
F. Hosta seeds

This message was edited Oct 23, 2009 7:25 AM

we had another wet weekend, so I did not gather as many seeds as I had wanted to.

the morning glory seeds are not yet ripe enough.....

I did manage to get some 'wild cucumber' seeds, they are starting to open the pods, dry and drop their seeds. have gathered some birdhouse gourds, should have seeds for them.

should have Big Rainbow, yellow pear and green zebra tomatoes (all indeterminate)

Caroline - I have Lavatera and it gets tall. But it has hybridized over the years and I have no way of knowing whether the plants will have white or pink flowers.

I will also have a variety of various hosta seeds (which do NOT come true) but can be interesting. Am just starting to collect them now and they need to dry so I won't know for awhile exactly what I have.

And I have Calendula and red Maltese Cross. Likely some others from last year too.

Ann

I'm in! I'm in! Wait for me please! Wait for me! I will post a list of what I have and what I'm looking for or want from others lists on the weekend. There are some still to dry and be collected over the winter but I will list them all. Then the later ones send direct to wanters? Is that how we're doing it?

Caroline I have bidens. I don't know what species though and not dry yet. Do you want these? Shall I just give you them direct?

Well I notice Caroline has pulled the plug on her subscription, so those of you in AB are probably the only ones that will have any contact with her. I am not sure how she will fit into the exchange now.

Les, Sue and Anne you are very welcome to join in and there is no rush. Just let me catch my breath again and I will get busy again on this. It's not too late for anybody else that is interested to join us either.

I'm working on my list too, although it will be a short one (I'm a balcony gardener).

One of them would be 'Durango Mix' marigolds - I checked the PF entries for Durango marigolds and most of the entries seemed to say the plants would not come true for seed. ? I have not tried them yet myself - this is the first year I've had them, and they were bedding plants.

Should something like that be included with the appropriate proviso, or simply not included at all?

Shannon

I would put them on your list. Seeds from a mix are usually pretty good for saving because they are from a strain? You could get something very interesting.

I tried to grow seeds from a white marigold (trade) a few years ago. I think it was Vanilla, only two germinated and grew. They didn't look the same in shape, but they were both a creamy white. Germination was very poor though, they may have been collected before maturity. I'm guessing Vanilla would be considered a hybrid.

Thanks. Interesting - yes, sounds like a hybrid. There are different kinds of hybrids too. My 'Star of Yelta' morning glories come back wonderfully year after year, and I'll be including them on the list.

Well at the very least the marigolds could be an interesting experiment for someone (as long as they are marked as such from the outset :-). I'll try them next spring myself.

lol, every year my garden is an experiment!

I'm going to include my bronze marigolds with the proviso that some revert to orange and yellow cuz they do. I agree that as long as they are labelled everyone will know what to expect. echoes I tried to get white marigolds to stay true from seed and they always reverted to yellow (bummer).

I will have some Balsam - all mixed colours.

I'd like to get this exchange done now. So how about everyone that wants in, get your list of what you have to offer posted by the end of Wednesday, October 21. Then you can start picking and send me the list of your wants by Dmail starting Thursday. How long do we need to have the lists up? Then I'll Dmail everyone to let them know what to send me for distribution. I'd like to get the seeds out soon as some members like to do fall/winter sowing.

Shannon (spklatt)
Joanne (Grow_Jo) listed
Les (dahlianut) listed
Brenda (echoes) listed
CLScott (Caroline) listed
Ann (Annabelle) listed

If anyone has any questions or suggestions for this plan, please speak up.



This message was edited Oct 28, 2009 4:43 PM

It is a good plan----remember my lists are back aways in this thread.

I will work on mine tonight!

I have to admit that I really didn't, in the end, collect many seeds at all this year. I DO have lots of Lavatera from last year. They should still be fine, but with the sudden cold weather, this year I just ended up pulling out the plants. Likely also still have Calendula from last year.

I collected seed pods from nearly 30 varieties of hostas, but I can't tell yet which will have seeds. Upon pulling them out of the pods, some of them were certainly empty black wings. However, if is important for anyone growing hosta seeds to understand that 90% of the time (or more) they will end up being just green although some may have other traits such as ruffles or red leaf petioles and they will vary in size (though the mature size may not be apparent for a few years). If anyone would like to try some just for fun, let me know and I can send some once I get the seeds separated.

Ann

Same here. I've just returned from a trip and haven't sorted and cleaned my hosta seed yet and I'm afraid I don't see it happening by Oct 21, either. But, as Ann has offered above, if anyone on the Can. Gardening forum is interested in hosta seeds, please just dmail me and I'll be happy to send you some!

Sandy

Working on my list! Would it be better to just pass on to each other in Cowtown and save you all the mailing echoes for that part? Just a thought. I volunteer to coorinate that for me, Jo North (grow-jo) and Caroline if that would work better.

Sure Les, that could save on some postage. I'll let you know who wants what, when I get the lists.

Hi all
A bit late but it still made it under the Wednesday deadline:
I have:
Salpiglosis, open pollinated Kew Blue and Chocolate cross.
Poppy dark purple (carnation looking) annual 3'-4' tall
Pacific dark blue Delphinium (May have crossed with double light purple)
Blue Columbine.
I will Dmail Echoes for her address and send these.
Should they be sent in bulk or divided into smaller envelopes? I'm not sure of the protocol.
Ann

You can wait to see what gets picked off your list Ann, and then send them to me. I'll let you know how many and you can repackage or just send bulk and I'll put in little baggies.

Thanks for joining this exchange. Nice list.

I'm not going to make your deadline echoes (blush). Way too busy! I will post anyway later and even if you close the exchange I guess people can just dmail me. Thanks SO much for doing this echoes (kiss, kiss). This was a great idea! WHO KNEW we would have such an early shutdown in Cowtown and be scrambling to get the bulbs in and winterize!