CLOSED: looking for self-sowing annuals; have some seeds for trade

I'd like to put in a patch of reseeding annuals in a somewhat "wild" area of my yard (I'm gradually turning it into a cottage garden area, one patch at a time).

Some varieties I'd like to try (I'm open to suggestion, but cosmos and zinnias are already well established):
Ambrosia (Chenopodium botrys)
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), purple/pink/white only
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea turkestanica)
Cleome
Evening Stock (Mattholai longipetala)
Garden Heliotrope or Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis)
Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sp.)
Johnny Jump-Up (viola tricolor)

I have some annual seeds to trade:
Balsam Impatiens (aka Touch-Me-Not) in red or mixed colors (with or without red; I harvested it separately because it wasn't my favorite color in that bed),
'Lemon Gem' signet marigold (compact plants with lemon scented foliage), and
Zinnia (mixed colors are heavy on my favorite pinks and purples).

I'm a new DG subscriber (although I've lurked before), and I got my trade list set up yesterday. It should be at http:/davesgarden.com/trading/tl/critterologist
Although I listed things initially as "trade only," I'm sure I'll have extra seed left, and I will change that to "or SASE" probably next month. I'm trying to start out slowly so I can keep up.

Thanks!

Jill

PS. Here's a photo of my Balsam Impatiens last August.
The seed packet said 18 inches tall, but they grew to 3 feet or so.
That's a small-leafed coleus in front.

and here's a photo of the 'Lemon Gem' marigold:

critter,
you do realize that the marigolds and balsams are prolific re-seeders?

Have you considered or do you have a place for Morning glories???
I have Grandpa Ott and Heavenly Blue if you'd like to trade for some zinnias and the balsam.

This message was edited Jan 13, 2005 4:25 PM

yes, I figure I'll see lots of little seedlings from the balsam & the marigold in the spring, and the only way I'll manage not to have red balsams in that bed is to pull them up. The marigolds are welcome to sprout anywhere; they were great!

I thought about letting morning glories scramble around in the orchard (that's a fanciful name for something that doesn't look like much more than a dozen sticks so far), and I love the colors of both the ones you have -- I was just drooling over a catalog photo of 'Grandpa Ott' last night.

However, I'm concerned that reseeding morning glories might be a little too prolific for my garden, because there is a "wild" fiddleleaf morning glory (small white flowers) that is extremely pesky in my yard. Have your morning glories been invasive? I wouldn't mind if they spread within one area, but I don't want them in every bed all over the yard. What do you think?

Thanks!!

Some good re-seeders:
ageratum
borage
bronze fennel
celosia[wheat]
centaurea
coreopsis[annual type]
euphorbia
hollyhocks
larkspur
lobularia
myosotis
statice
snapdragon
sweet alyssum
sweet peas
melampodium
nigella
perilla
sunflowers

My fave re-seeders are heirloom petunias.

This message was edited Jan 13, 2005 10:12 PM

How about poppies... rhoeas (field poppies) & somninferum. There are also bachelor buttons. Take a look at my list and I'm sure you'll find some reseeding annuals. You can do that by clicking on my name.

you have mail

critter,
I have never had a prob. with them but some folks have.
There is a thread somewhere that hostanquilts started and there is good info there. My HB has been in the same place for three years and I have never had it spread- though I wish it would! I believe the wild MG are much more invasive than the domestic garden varieties.

Hi, I have blue and white love in a mist and tall red amaranthus, both good re seeders.

I just sent you mail. I have cleome and would love touch-me-nots!

Critter, I'm in zone 7B & I do not have but a few Morning Glory reseeders in spring, so I don't think in the colder zones they are so apt to be a nusance as in the warmer zones.
Bj

Thanks, Bj!

I checked out the thread that berry mentioned, and from what people said there too it seems domestic MG aren't invasive this far north even though the wild type can be a real pain.

I went ahead and traded berry for her MG seeds, and I can't wait to see them scrambling up the side of my deck next summer!

BTW, I have to say that I feel I've stumbled onto a wonderful online community here in the DG forums! I'm sending out seeds for 5 trades tomorrow, and I have a couple more in the works, and I've only been doing this since yesterday.... I'm just amazed. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful, and not just to me...... I happened upon a thread where somebody asked people to please be more careful in packaging their seeds because he just got a mangled trade packet, and two people wrote back to ask what seed he's lost so they could try to send him some of theirs. Now, that's a community! Cool.

Hi, I sure hope I'm not too late. I am really interested in your red touch-me-nots. I have a garden sunflower (Helianthus annuus) which reseeds prolificly..included a pic. The flowers are about 3-4 inches wide. Also I have Calliopsis..Please LMK if any interest you.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/2245/

Hi Critterologist, I have lots of great reseeders...sending you an email.

I have some beautiful Aster Crego and Evening scented stock I would like to trade for your lemon gem marigold and balsam, if you have any left. I would also be interested in your 'Polish Linguisa' heirloom tomato if you don't have any balsam left.

How tall does the Aster crego get?
I'm running out of places to put tall plants.
Anything much over 2 feet just looks silly among my baby dwarf fruit trees,
and that's where most of my space for reseeders is.

I do still have balsam left, although the mix that includes red may be all spoken for, I have to double check.
Seems most people love red better than I do; I'm partial to rose/pink and purple/lavender shades.

Thanks!
Jill

oh, and I'd be happy to send you the tomato seeds too gardenermaid.

As long as I'm sending out seeds, I'm happy to send whatever I have that fits in the envelope, it doesn't have to be 2 packets for 2 packets. Heaven knows, the folks on this forum have been very generous in offering to send me a number of varieties when they only want one or two things in return. I figure seed trading is the sort of thing where you build up karma -- if you're generous with the seeds you have, other people may be generous to you some other time.

Since I'm new here, I should also mention that although my trade list says "trade only" right now, that's just to make sure I can keep up with email and sending stuff out. Similarly, I initially posted 10 trades available for some things when I have more extra seeds than that, but I thought it was better to start out slow (I'm trying to take the DG trading primer to heart). So the upshot is that I'm sure I'll have extra seeds, and I'll probably change most things on my trade list to "or SASE."

First dibs on SASE seeds will be for anybody who offered me a trade for seeds I just couldn't use -- I love almost every kind of plant, but if I keep accepting every trade I will end up with too much seed I can't use that somebody else would've been able to plant. So if we don't do a trade, please remind me in a couple of weeks, and I'll let you know what I have left to put in a SASE for you.

I hope I'm going about all this correctly.

Thanks to everyone for being patient with me while I try to get a feel for how things work!

Jill

Critterologist you have mail.