Sad return from vacation - home is a seedling graveyard

Left the plants in care of my better natured half while I spent 11 days in Ireland - and upon my return, almost every seedling started from this winter's first foray into seeds is dead. They only got one light watering and I was gone for 11 days. Ohhhh, so many seeds started and nurtured since early winter, so many seeds tended, worried over - all for nothing. On a hunch I didn't start my Japanese MG's because those would have died also.

Ah well, at least a few remaining seeds to look forward to. Just feel numb.

Sorry - just had to let this all out. So very very disappointed - I think all told, I lost 80%+ (and the most of the remaining survivors don't look good). I was so enthusiastic this winter, starting seeds for the first time watching, cheering.

This made me have tears, I know how much this must have been a horrible disappointment!

I get fried when these things happen to me - I asked a friend to water my garden while I went on a mission trip and came home to weed encrusted, shriveled herbs and flowers and she had sold or given away my entire tomato harvest!

So I commiserate with you. Dang it!

sbarr, my deepest symphaty on the demise of all your little seedlings. it is a sad sad thing.
But how was Ireland????

Sandy, do you want some seeds that will produce for you this year yet? LMK, and I will send you some. Tell us what colors, heights, needs you have.

"eyes"

I'll bring you stuff to the round up.......I know you wanted to grow them yourseld ,so its not the same but it might help.

Also,its not too late to re start stuff up here.......

oh sandra what a major bummer. i know i would be devastated too if the seeds that i planted were gone. i too am just learning and taking care of them and seeing them actually grow and some do well and others still living well that has been my little miracle. so i know that you to had a miracle.
i just started some zinnia's, cosmos and sunflowers. within 2 days most of them are starting to pop up already. we have a may 31st frost date here, so i'm trying, for the first time to have some seedlings to put n the ground.
i have planted all my japanese morning glories and some died, some are so so and some are doing grandly. i hope to bring some to the round up to share. that is my goal. the others i'll put about the garden or give to friend/gardeners here by me. so if you like i can bring yu some japanese morning glory plants too.
god bless you sweeti. i know it feels good to just get it off your chest
debi z

so sorry, i have been there too and cried for days. i have lots of seeds and seedlings. give me idea and i will send you so postage paid. janet

oh that sucks! I'm so sorry, I know the feeling. When my oldest daughter was about 3 years old, I had dozens of seedlings growing just as happy as can be, until one morning she decided to help mommy by neatly pinching every single one off right at the soil. When I saw what had happened, I just sat down on the floor and cried! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help

Awwww, thanks everyoone. This is the kind of place you can cry about something like this to people who understand.

pebble - Ireland was lovely. Pity I can't find a job there - or who knows, maybe I can.

eyes, cc, debi, janet, Carena, everyone - thanks for the generous offer - I need to sit down and evaluate what I have left for this year. I still have many many Japanese MG's to start, also some nasturtiums, a few of the Purple Magesty Millet, sunflowers.

I guess I was feeling sorry for myself and had to rant a bit online rather than at Doug - he kept saying sorry over and over and I had to hug HIM and bite my tongue ( thinking - but when they WILT you water them!!!) - On a happy note though, he mulched and added edging along all of the shrubs (a massive effort) and the two dogs were well cared for, I guess 160 pounds worth of dogs is hard to ignore.

sbarr, so sorry about the loss of all your seedlings. I fared much better than you. I was gone for a week, had asked a neighbor who lives a mile away to come and water everything every day, which she did, so all my things look good. i just have to find time to plant them !!!! Again so sorry you lost so much. Donna

your a good with shirley. i know it is hard when they are so sorry and you just want to ring there neck, but hey there sorry. kind of a round robin thing.
sounds like your feeling better now that you have vented a little. i know that can help me so much too. god bless you sweeti
debi z

sbarr I feel so sorry for you. It is devastating. I am leaving for a week & have asked my DH to water everything for me & NOT let them die. I know I am going to worry the whole time I'm gone. If I were to lose 600+ plants I would just be sick. I'm not sure I could be as nice as you were if that happened to me. Good luck & it sounds like you have a lot of friends bringing plants to the roundup & sending seeds.

I'm so sorry about your seedlings!
You have to tell a none plant person exactly what to do.
When I went on vacation I told my BF he had to come to my house every other day. I showed him how to water and how much. When I left I told him that if I came back and my plants where dead, we were BROKE UP.
My plants where perfect when I got home, and the poor guy was worried about some leafes that the Brugs had lost, LOL
Try that next time.

So sorry about your loss. I have some cuttings from mom's lilac you can have if you want. Tracy Ok Everyone's talking about the roundup what is it? Where is it? When is it? Curious.

Sbarr ~~~

I have some started nasturtiums..., would you like me to send them to you? I also have some of their seeds left, unstarted, which you could have if you wish.

Adam.

hi hillbilliebo - there is a northeast roundup in Cooperstown, NY next month. Is this the one? We'd certainly love to have you show up if you can make the drive. Please see the thread in the Roundup Forum - and feel free to send any of us a message.

Adam - Thanks so much for the generous offer - I do have several Nasturtiums that I just started this weekend (I think they're called "empress") - and I know Nasturtiums hate their roots bothered.

Have you been able to determine whether your schedule will allow you and Karen to show up to the RU?

I too have suffered from well intentioned but uninformed and just plain neglectful friends, better halves (hmm this could apply to more than gardening..) and have now found this solution. I start all my bedding plants with a horticultural friend and we agree to have non concurrent winter holidays. My place is the location of said plants and she has a key and comes every day while I'm away. It works very well as we both have a vested interest in their health.

My nasturtium starts are in little Coke bottle greenhouses.

Adam.

Thanks so much Sbarr - I can't make the one next month it's about 15hrs each way from here - but there's one in KY that I found on the forum for the end of Sept. I'm going to try and make that one. Hope you all have a lot of fun!! Tracy

Sorry to hear about the seedlings, how disappointed you must have felt when you saw them! If you need any, let me know.

I lost 30 different kinds last year, some really hard to obtain. Unfortunately it was due to local wildlife having a feast one night so I didn't even have anyone to berate *G* An unpleasant part of being a gardener!

Sandy, go here:
http://davesgarden.com/t/378007/
and pick out anything your little heart desires, let me know and I'll send them off to you!

Sandy, let me know what varieties you lost, I will send some if I have them.

Sandra - why don't you make a list up of the seedlings you lost. I'd be happy to bring starts to the roundup. I've planted waaayyy too much for myself.... not to mention the gazillions of plants that need dividing.

Everyone - I'd lost track of this thread, so please accept my apology for the delay in responding.

Thanks for kind and generous offers - I'm in pretty good shape. I do have many annual seeds that I just started. Most of the deceased were perennials. Luckily there were some survivors, the day lilies that poppysue had so nicely shared this past winter - they were strong enough to survive the drought.

In retrospect, the loss did do something beneficial for me - it lightened the worry of making sure everything was in the right spot - most of them were perennials that I wanted to get started for upcoming years. I was fretting about making sure everything was right, putting this here, that there. It gave me the chance to head out with the remaining seedlings and seeds and instead of by plan - I started planting them by "feeling" - hmmmmmmmmmmm, let's put that there, this here.

I'll start again this summer and fall with the perennials and won't worry about being behind this year - one advantage here, I won't have to maintain so much inside next winter!

sandra,
i like the 'feeling' way of planting. i'm going to definately need it when i get all the plants i ordered at 75% off from wayside and parks. i think i have over 50 plants coming. plus my annuals that i haven't bedded yet. i'll be feeling up a storm. thanks for the reminder that gardening should be fun and with the heart.
debi z

sbarr: I too lost perennials, but unfortunately, mine were last year's plants wintering over. We had a mild winter, then a real warm up in February that caused all the plants to start growing. Unfortunately, this early spring was followed by a plunge into the mid-teens one night. I now have rows & rows of dead plants in 4" pots. I regret the loss of new varieties I was looking forward to seeing bloom this year, but, it also made prepping the nursery tables for my little greenhouse business a lot easier... one small table for second year perennials! I guess the failures are necessary for us to appreciate the successes.