Gita, coleup, CatBIRD and up to two more stragglers who want to ride in my van from central Anne Arundel Co. or along Rt 70.
we can leave as early as BY 10:45 (not 9:45 ) to arrive at Chef Lin's BY 12 NOON (not at 11 am ). (edited my times)
Reminder- I will be collecting cash for the lunch bill. Check in with me and make sure I check you off on the list when you pay. Thanks!
This message was edited Feb 9, 2014 11:41 AM
"Think Spring!" seed swap DISCUSSION
Sally, I'm not seeing a 'spring plant swap discussion thread' so can I ask you here? Can I have some of your Monarda bradburiana that was highly recommended by David greenthumb?
Sure Catmint!
CatMint, I have you down for some Asclepias perennis. I can root cuttings of mountain mints for plant swap. The M. bradburiana has larger, glossier leaves, less tendency toward powdery mildew, and blooms earlier that most other Monardas.
This message was edited Feb 9, 2014 10:58 AM
Catmint, are you growing parsley or fennel this year?
Butterfly caterpillars love to munch on them, and you can eat the leftovers! ;)
Thanks so much, Sally and Greenthumb! :-)
SSG, I got both parsley and fennel last year and they did really well. Fingers crossed that they overwintered okay and will bloom again this year. Did you have parsley down on your wishlist? If mine resprouts and is big enough by spring swap, you can have some of mine!
no, that link brought me back to SEED swap discussion.
Do we need a thread still for the spring plant swap discussion?
I think so. After all, it is still months away. I put a comment about parsley and fennel into my Haves and Wants to hold it till we have a thread.
Oops! My error! I removed the link. Guess a thread is in order, but Aspenhill should probably be the one to initiate it.
Does anyone have any extra gallon jugs for wintersowing? I've tried smaller containers, but the regular gallon-sized milk/spring water containers are the best for me.
Catmint, I'm getting parsley seeds from greenthumb this year!
SSG I'm always emptying out gallon jugs of water!! At the moment I don't have any but can always save for you!
YAY! Thank you!
Sally, saw your note about fennel and parsley. My fennel grew huge by the end of the season. The parsley got pretty bushy too. I'm hoping they both come back for the black swallowtails!
I have some seeds that I got a couple of ago but never got to plant them.
Easy Wave Beachcomber Mix Petunia
Wave Lavender Petunia
Tidal Wave Petunia
I still love petunia but will probably end up buying them in the spring. I don't have the room to start them all indoors.
I loved my pink wave petunia last summer! I wouldn't mind having a few of your seeds SSG!
I'd like to follow greenthumb's lead and encourage planting of Conoclinium coelestinum (formerly called Eupatorium coelestinum).
I have a lot of seeds! Yes, it supposedly is invasive, but easy to pull up. I planted it last year, so I can't say how fast it spreads....BUT it is an important fall nectar source for butterflies, and dead-heading should limit the spread.
It's not bothered by pests or diseases, and it's fairly deer-resistant: the deer nibbled on the new growth, but didn't touch the older leaves or the flowers. It has a very long bloom period, too.
Edited to say that I hope this link works now: www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/gardening/archives/2010/native-plants-for-pollinators.aspx
I read it requires up to 3 months cold stratification, so the seeds are now in my fridge.
This message was edited Feb 9, 2014 11:12 AM
Sally, thank you for mentioning that time item. Oh, the dangers of cut and paste! I put "noon to 4" at the top but missed that one. It does seem useful to have a "time window" for gathering, so...
Let's meet at Chef Lin between 1130 and 12.
Greenthumb, I'd love to try winter sowing your white milkweed and your white penstomon. Thanks!
I forgot to add that I have way more Asclepias syriaca seeds than I thought, about 9 teaspoons/1080 seeds. So far, that's 360 each for Coleup, Speediebean and Catmint. I'm putting them in packets of 1 teaspoon in case you all don't think you can use that many.
If you sow them like I did, however, you won't find it hard to use them up! I put them so close together in the woods that, assuming the deer don't eat them, they'll be growing on top of each other and I'll have to thin them out!
Catmint, I have 3 packages. Which one would you like? Silver, lavender, or mix?
Jill, have you down for the Asclepias and the Penstemon.
A note on cold stratification: It generally requires some moisture in addition to cold temperatures. Try putting the seeds in a sealed plastic baggie with some damp vermiculite or sand before storing in the fridge. For Asclepias and Penstemon, surface sow the contents on your container and place outdoors as soon as possible.
Ssg what colors are your mixed?
The package says "blue, coral and shell pink."
OH, and I have a package of Dragon Wing Begonia Pink seeds.
I'm going to grow cuttings instead of starting them from seed.
Muddy, I'll take some Blue Mistflower please.
Thanks Ssg. I think lavender! :-)
Sally monarda berb plant or seed please
Greenthumb penstemons please. and boneset vine
Muddy Blue Mist flower please and any other seeds from your list.
Natives wildflowers pollinator plants all good and when I'm digging in milkweed, I'll scatter some!
TYP Rudbeckia hirta
Purple cone flower
Zinnias
Anyone grow Tithonia?
Jill garlic chives NY Iron Weed
Muddy, I'll try some blue mistflower as well!
Catmint
I'm hoping my seeds from Hazards's will come in plenty of time for bagging & sharing... Coleup, I know you'll want a pinch of each of these also for the flutterbys.... anybody else?
Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Deep Red' (clusters of tiny red flowers with bright yellow centers, tropical milkweed for the monarchs)
Dill 'Dukat' -- late to flower and go to seed, so lots of foliage for the black swallowtail caterpillars.
hi, Critter. Could I try a pinch of your 'Silky Deep Red' and 'Dukat' as well?
thanks!
You got 'em, Catmint! Maybe I should just assume everybody "needs" butterfly plants this year. :-)
thanks, Critter! :-)
Thanks for taking the blue mistflower seeds!
Greenthumb, thanks for the cold stratification tip. I just happen to have sand on hand.
Thanks, Jill and Im sure the butterflies will not feel they are in a food desert when they hit our yardens! EGADS I have nine Black Swallowtail pupae overwintering in a protected outdoor site! Have to review my notes on what they will need to nectar on when they eclose. I do have a few pots of rue if my dill and fennel froze in their little pots.
Fun fact: Did you know that during WWII children would go out and collect milkweed pods and pull off the 'fluff' so it could be used to stuff life vests!
The seed floss has been used as a substitute for kapok, which was not available during the Second World War. Schoolchildren all over the Midwest were recruited to gather thousands of pounds of this floss so that it could be used as stuffing for life-preservers for the armed forces. Today it is used instead of down for insulating jackets and comforters by a firm in Nebraska, and it is said to be much better than down for insulating purposes, of course it is cheaper too as down is imported.
Fascinating fun fact! I love milkweed floss; it's sooo incredibly soft. My cat didn't like having it fly into his face as I was separating it from the seeds last night, though. I don't know whether they'll use it in nests, but I'm going to put it outside near my birdhouses.
Re. the Lupine perennis... I did a quick search and found that for less than the cost of a flat, we could get an entire pound of seed ($38 with shipping) from American Meadows. (Im pretty sure their bad reviews are all for plants; they seem to do fine with shipping seeds) Maybe we should just try direct-sowing seed instead of planting little plants?
adding to my haves
Corydalis cheilanthifolia- might need to stratify, may have seedlings to share in May http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2193/
German Johnson tomato grown for generations near Charlotte NC shared before as "Aunt Jewels German " did great for me last year.
Yes, the birds do use the fluff. As kids we couldn't wait for the pods to split open and the ripe seeds begin to fly in the wind. If they caught a current they would fly ever so high and far: much better than dandilions! Ocassionally a bird would catch one on the fly but most nests we found were lined with it. Radio program said fluff stronger than feathers
Critter, may I try a pinch of your "Silky Deep Red" Asclepias, please? Thank you! =)
Edited to say: Here's a current list of my "PROMISED" seeds... I'll be putting them in the mail tomorrow: have I got everyone?
PROMISED:
Butoneer: Double Wine Hollyhock
Catmint: Double Wine Hollyhock
Typ: Veronica Spicata "Red Fox"
Greenthumb: Agastache "Tutti Fruiti"
Muddy1: Gaillardia (Aristata?)
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/editpost.php#ixzz2srx8XYgQ
This message was edited Feb 9, 2014 6:07 PM