CLOSED: Summer Sizzler Swap

alright i know ya all have been excited for another swap so here it is!! hope ya all will join in on the fun this is gonna be with a twist this time, the regular swap is just a seed swap but there will be a bonus if anyone would like to take part we'd love to have you join it too for some added fun! if for some reason you can't that's ok too ya can still do the regular swap so we can have more join us this way more newbies can join it is up to each person if they want or can do both, bonus is an added part and voluntairy. be's are gonna be due around end of may or begining of june.
thanks,
silkie

Summer Sizzler Swap Rules:

1. this will consist of 15 members please post here to sign up, if you don't post bonus you will not be included in that part just the seed swap.

2. regular swap-each person is to send in 14 decorated pks of seeds. theme for seeds is anything to do with summer like birds, butterflies, sunflowers, shade, pastels, fairies, something with the name hot in it ect. which means you send 14pks of the different seeds to match summer time type things or 2 kinds 7pks of each. seeds can be home grown, bought or traded please don't order them as it's to hard to know when they will be in.

3. all packets are to be decorated with some sort of summer theme also cause we all love to see each others artistic abilities and it's so much fun. have dg name, summer swap written on it, and kind of seed on it. send a SASBE for the regular be.

4. everyone is to include 1 sm gift (your choice).

5. Send stamps or enough money to cover return postage for your BE to be returned full of fun decorated seed packets and your gift. the bubbles that are 8.5 x 11 have seemed to work best for swaps please keep them about this size or under.

6. all be's will be sent to me around the end of may or beginning of june not sure date yet but if you have them ready early can be sent sooner. we are trying to keep the date not to late so ones doing bonus don't have to worry about plants ect in the heat.

7. all be's will recieve freebie seeds from me also.

bonus round- anyone who wishes to do both the seed swap and the bonus please post you want included in on the bonus. if you don't sign up for it and send a bonus you will not recieve a bonus back you will only be doing the regular swap, remember bonus is your choice.

for this part i would like for your be's to include 4 extra things preferably small to save on ship but not tiny something someone else would enjoy. shipping method is your choice but i recomend priority with track # just in case and in a box not a bubble to protect your bonus items. please include enough stamps or money for return shipping and all your goodies. it can be rooted cuttings, small plants, babies of a mother plant, shoots, rizomes, bulbs, seedlings, cuttings, ect-your choice but we want it to be a surprise what everyone get's back. the 4 can be all the same or different, kinds color ect is totally up to you all i ask is to label what you send cause i don't always recognize different species if it is named please list what it is. for bonus round there will also be a surprise added for each participant from me along with your freebies from the swap.

in short:
*regular swap ya need-14 decorated pks of seeds, small gift- your choice

*swap plus bonus ya need- 14 decorated pks of seeds, a sm gift-your choice and 4 sm- plants, rooted cuttings ect your choice.

any questions please ask and if i missed anything let me know.

alright time to get ready for some summer fun!!!








This message was edited Apr 18, 2007 5:08 AM

This message was edited Apr 18, 2007 5:24 AM

I want to join in. Sounds like FUN!
~Helen~

welcome aboard and thanks for joining!!


it was asked about shipping going up, i forgot about it. shipping as of may 14th will be from 39 cents to the new 41 cent stamps. i want to try to keep these sm cuttings/plants/gift that way our goal is under 1 pound. at the moment 1 pound is $3.95 if i remember for ones i just shipped.

i want this to be a bigger funner swap than the last one we did but not pay an arm and a leg for it. by small plant i figured like something you have around the house sm shoots, baby plants, sm house plant, sm cuttings of things not tiny but small to cut down on ship and have room in the box. for example i could do mine like 4-6" rose cuttings and baby hosta shoots and say a pk of stickers or a keychain plus the 14 pks and still keep it under a pound. keep it simple and lightweight. if ya all need more help or have questions just ask.
thanks,
silkie

Ok, I'm in (clunk, clunk as I beat my head against the wall) This shouldn't be to difficult. I'll have fun trying anyway.
Robin

Robin, can you hear a syncopated clunk from the other side of the wall? As Horseshoe says, "I'm not right", but count me in, too, Mary.

karen

I thought it was the echo in my empty head! lol kool Karen

yeah!! i luv my garden gal's, wouldn't be the same without you!! ok that makes 4 of us now.

i got a question do you guys want to make it so that we have a choice to do plants/cuttings or not? i got to thinking some might not want to join because of the new rate going up. if we do then only who sends them will get them back the rest can just do bubble envies. then more might be willing to join us they would do the same only difference is they would be in a bubble rather than a box and they just wouldn't do the plants or cuttings or recieve any back. let me know what you all think.
thanks,
silkie

I think it's great how flexible we can be - I'm fine with choosing cuttings or not - or whatever else may come up.

Or be more specific with the theme?

To do rooted cuttings or seedlings, perhaps more time might be helpful?

I'm partial to moonlight and roses - lots of companion plants there that can be grown from seed (pinks, violas, aubrieta, columbine, campanula, sage, hyssopus officinalis, etc.) and just one plant (scented geranium, artemisia, lavender, evolvulus, African blue basil, etc.) can yield a half dozen or more cuttings - the new shoots appearing now are most easily rooted this time of year - including any rose shoots appearing now.

Other themes would be fine...

Keep chatting gardeners, I'm learning...LOL. Great ideas!

silkie has strep and so does the kid's she also is getting pneumonia. the kid's have been to the doc but we can't get her into her's to get meds. if she gets much worse i'm taking her to the er since the doc is booked. she will be back as soon as she can and feeling better. she said to tell you all she misses you and will try to get on at times when she is up to it.

silkie's husband

Thanks for letting us know -

Very sorry you all are having to cope with such a nasty situation. The sooner you get Silkie to a doc, the better. Hope everyone gets well soon. Silkie will be missed.

Karen

Take care and get well soon silkie and family, Take care of yourself too silkie's husband. Don't get sick, you're going to be needed by them all.
Robin

Please do tell Mary to take care of herself and my prayers are with you and your family during these nasty illnesses. Please do keep us posted. I'll miss Mary's upbeat personality and great stories - - - she is a doll!
Belinda

awe, thank you girls for the prayers and get well wishes it really means alot!! well the kid's are all doing better they were allowed to go back to school today since they have been on antibiotics long enough they are nolonger contagous. i can't keep up with them it is awefull. there larengidous, barking coughing, asthma attachs and all that is gone, they are hyper again,lol. they just sound like they have a little cold now and got 2 more doses of meds to take. i'm so happy they are better. this is only the second time all 5 have been sick at once i felt so bad for them.


dh has a cold i hope that is all. as for me i'm sick as a dog my lungs are on fire, i can't sleep i'm starting to loose my voice to and i think my bronchidous is now moveing to newmonia which is so not good on top of my strep but i'm holding on despite everything.

i miss ya all i'll be back as much as i can. i can't wait to get this swap going and get things started so as soon as we figure out all the details we're good to go. if there is something ya think we should change or whatever with the swap just d-mail me i'm flexable not a prob just drop me some lines with ideas and we can extend time to also not a prob.
talk soon,
silkie

hi,
well i'm still sick but feeling much better than i was. the kid's are all doing good just 2 have like a cold now but slowly going away.

is there anything above ya all would like changed or added? if it is to much to do for the rooted cuttings ect we can just make it a normal seed swap i just thought it would be nice to have something new added before the temps get to hot and not so great to ship. i thought mabe ya all would like to do something new to make it a little more fun and different. let me know your thoughts i can always change some things above like blue said i'm flexable and if ya all shoot me some ideas we'll get it figured out so we can all get busy decorateing. not a prob just let me know, ok.
thanks,
silkie

I like it the way it is. I also like the idea of the option on not sending plants, too. It will give more people a chance to get in on the fun. Especially newbies, who don't have any plants. Just my opinion. I can do either way.

One way would be to pair the seeds up. Two kinds that would look great together. Like purple salvia and yellow marigolds, or crazy daisy and prarie coneflower. pink zinnias and Mondo grass. lol

Silky,
Brain dead here can you tell me what all of you are sending in this swap? I am confused...LOL I was born this way... :-(
Susan

well then why don't we leave that part optional and also add more time and if you want to do it post ya want to do the bonus round. i'll go back and fix it above. that will tell us who is in just for the seed swap and who wants to do both the seed swap and the bonus round. i totally understand some won't be able to do the bonus so i don't want anyone to be left out of the swap.

how do you want to do the bonus? by dg name and what is available for all who are doing bonus and we pick 4 items? or do you want to do it surprised going by wishlists? which is easiest for ya all? what date do ya think we should extend it to?

let me know and i'll get busy and fix the top.
thanks,
silkie

I'll do bonus, make it surprise and don't go to far past May 30. The heat can get unbearable around here with the humidity, and I will be very busy after that.
I start back to work this weekend at the bar and grill, at least just weekends till June, then it's full bore with the tourist season. Hope my back holds out another year. I want to try and get everything in the ground and pots by the second week of June so they look great for the rest of the summer.
I have a beautiful purple ______ ___ that will look good in a hanging basket in the full sun. (don't want to give away my surprise)
I'm headed out to plant my rose and transfer my Clematis and Jasmine. Then move a bunch of hostas. Full morning ahead of me. Talk later gang.
robin

ok, i updated it let me know if that works for everyone. i tried to make it as simple to understand as i could cause i know some where confused, some couldn't do the bonus, some ship was an issue so i think this way will help everyone so we all can have fun and it will also help newbies out too.

so far me and robin are in for the bonus, now the first ones to sign up let me know if you want just the swap or bonus and swap. i'll start a list so we know who is doing what. let me know and i'll update as needed. if anyone wants to join please post there is lots of openings, let me know swap or swap and bonus and i'll add ya on. thanks everyone who has joined so far i'm really excited and looking forward to this swap i hope you are too!!!
thanks,
silkie

1. scrap_n_tell-bonus
2. Robynznest-bonus
3.bluespiral-bonus
4. silkiechick-bonus
5. susan51-bonus
6. kaykay1010-bonus
7. Seandor-bonus
8. TexasGardenMom-bonus
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

please remember you can choose to add bonus it is optional or just do the reg seed swap it's up to you.



This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 7:17 PM

Crystal clear to me. good job. I'm starting today on the seeds, have 3 of the 4 plants picked out and will start the rooting today too. Back to work.
r

Ditto to Robyn - will do bonus of 4 small plants & 14 seed packets a la summer instructions in your 1st post above -

Susan, move over, you've got company in the brain-dead society - wonderful day in training for a spring session at a local farm teaching kids about plants and the interconnectedness of all life with each other and the planet via creek classroom, farm, earthworm composting, etc. My memory banks are looking rather dicey right now - Still need to add some research on these subjects

Robyn, I have just the ___________ ______________ with gray-green, woolly leaves and blue flowers that can take a lot of shade in the garden or in a pot - oughta make any pot with both your purple flower plant & mine smoke :) Will start cuttings tomorrow.

Stuck a couple dozen pieces of cooking thyme from the local Asian grocery around the outer perimeter of one of my beds after that session this afternoon - the herbs sold at grocery stores can be propagated, you know. One rose in the middle: Clothilde Soupert...broke up a pot of silver thyme for an inner circle around Clothilde..."hunks of seedlings" (hos) of wintersown Papaver rhoeas 'Fairy Wings' (trade from Mr_Crocosmia) went in between the rings of thyme...punctuated with 3 pots of a pale pink argyrantheum ($2 a pot from Huber's - prices are uniquely low there)...There will be dark, purplish green leaves of Thai basil in a nearby bed, also from grocery store herbs

It was fun hearing what Robyn is up to in her garden - would enjoy hearing more as season progresses

lol ya all make me laugh! i think i'm the ring leader in the brain dead society, rotfl but it's honestly the blondeness that does it. ya know it took me hours to figure out how to fix that, gosh i had to simplify it so i knew what i ment, that's bad.

hm, silkie don't know what to do for her bonus yet i got a few different ideas,lol. i have a bunch of things that would work. i have 2 green houses i ordered comeing sat so if i haven't made up my mind yet by then i'll find something i can start in them as soon as i put them together. it will be my first project with them. i have trades to get ready to go out fri or mon so as soon as they are done i shall start on my seeds.

what is everyones top 5 fav things you are looking forward to growing this year? since we all love to collect seeds so much,lol i thought it would be fun to share what we all are gonna start growing. mine are seeds for tiger lilies, amaryllis, corkscrew vine-i just got my first seedling, yeah!!, columbines, huge pumpkins.
silkie

ya all are so quiet this time,lol please keep chatting. what are ya all looking forward to most this summer?
silkie

come on don't be shy, plenty of room for more, we'd love to have ya join us!!!

I win hands down for brain dead...really I do...LOLOLOLThe doc's tell me it is from so much anesthesia in the past 8 or so years and from the Fibro. It stinks...
Ok I am hoping I have 14 packs of seeds .. I am in and tell me about this 4 cuttings? Do they have to be rooted? I am not the best rooter... What do people want ??? So beam me up Scottie :-)
Susan

oh, no you don't, now stop that. that's me with my blonde moments,lol. wow has it been that long you have had those surgeries? that is so aweful i sure hope things are going lots better since the last one you had. i couldn't even imagine. my heart goes out to you sue. sue i'll send ya a d-mail to help ya out and i'll add ya up top. thanks so much for joining and welcome aboard!! i'm thrilled to have ya all here!!
silkie

I am fine now Silk, and my last surgery was about 10 weeks or so ago and the one before that 2years and the rest were about 5 years.. I had my fair share but compaired to others I have had nothing.. Never have they found cancer so I am thankful for that... Life goes on and so do I.. :-)
I am in for the the extra part... I have things here I want to send... :-)
Thanks for letting me join...
Susan

oh i'm so glad you are doing better, ya know i worry about ya!! we'd love to have ya join the bonus too!! your very welcome and thank you all for joining i love these swaps as not only are they lots of fun and full of surprises but we also get to meet lots of new friends and share with them also.
silkie

Okay, here goes, I am hoping to get all the seeds planted (thats the biggest thing for me to do). I really want Kali's Butterfly and Hummer garden to take off. I personally want the Daturas, the brugs, Pride of Barbados, Bird of Paradise, Cactus Rose, Blue Butterfly Flowers, and my vege garden to grow.

Of course all the other flowers and all the new trees I just bought. $43.00 for 105 trees and bushes. not a bad deal, huh? I got them from the Dept of Conservation. Found out they do this every year. I order them in Nov. and they delivered last week. Everything has buds forming on them. I got Black Walnut, Hardy Missouri Pecan, American Hazelnut, Loblolly Pine and Blackberry bushes. Lots of good eats and pine mulch for the gardens. I think it was good money well spent.

Time to go work outside before I have to get ready for work.

Hope everyone is feeling better or feeling great and gets out in the beautiful sunshine.
R

robin,
that is awesome!! are you looking for more seedlings? i have lots i can do for postage either hardwoods or golden forsithia bushes. i have sour gum, maples, cherry and ash i think it is up there. if you are interested shoot me a d-mail and i'll scout out today what all is up there. i have to many and are chokeing out my momma trees would love to find a home for them if someone can use them rather than thow them away cause there is no room.
let me know ok,
silkie

i also have berry bushes they are either blackberry or rass. i can't never remember unless berries are on them,lol. i can also do those too.

Thanks Silkie, The only other trees I want are Fruit trees. Pear, Apple and Cherry. I did finally find someone with grape seeds. Now I just need seedling of the fruit trees. I have most of the other trees you mentioned.
R

lol, ur welcome. i got my apple and peach trees at big lots for $12 something. anywhere else here they are double that or more mabe try a place like that. they are very healthy and bigger than our nurseries carry.

i have paw paw seedlings in my bedroom i bought off ebay, and i have persimons that a nice person on another forum gave me since she had extra seeds so i have 10 who now have 4" tap roots, only took me 4 mths or so to get them this far,lol. eventually i'll have a small orchard but waiting for the fruit on some will take about 6 or so years that's the only bad part of it,lol. oh, try arborday i just saw some on there last night looking. i saw if you were a member some were as low as $8 i didn't get to look at all they had yet, mabe check there too.

i love fruit trees although mine aren't old enough yet to have fruit but my favorite 3 trees i have here are a lavender twist, chinese blue wisterias and my weeping cherries. i so cannot wait to see them big. i've enjoyed just watching them over this past year. the one i'm looking forward to seeing grow up the most is the lavender twist and i want to get more, if you have never seen one look on the net for a pic of it, it's gorgous!!!!
silkie

eddited to add-Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud (PP10328)
Cercis canadensis 'Covey', awesome little tree!!

This message was edited Apr 22, 2007 7:06 AM

I've seen lots of those trees. They are native to Missouri here. You can drive down the road in the spring and see whole hillsides or yards with them in it. My last house I had 10 in the front and side yards. I love them too. But if you think those are awesome you should see our native (state tree) Dogwoods when they are in bloom right next to the redbuds as we call them. It is a gorgeous thing to see.

Since you have the persimmons growing do you still want me to try and get you some seeds this fall? I have a huge tree right down by the road. It's another tree that grows around here all over the place.

I just got in about 40 packets of seeds yesterday but didn't have a chance to look at them all before I went to work. So I'm going in to check them out and look some of them up.

Have a good day.

oh, i'd love to see that i bet that is really pretty!! i don't have any dogwoods yet but i have seeds for them.

the ones you had and ones native there, are they just redbuds with normal branches or are they like mine and twist branches and have the weeping effect? mine isn't a regular redbud it is a covey which is a rare species. no other redbud is weeping it is the only kind known to be. i think the ones you are talking about are different than mine but very similar. here are some links to check out what i have. now i didn't buy mine from either of these places mine is from cultivated tissue stock, i think it's called. there is pics on all 3 links to show you what they look like at different stages. mine is really short as they only grow to be 8-12ft tall and it is only a few years old. mine will stay about 5-8 because it is not staked so that it takes on it's origional form.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53336/index.html

http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/431/index.htm

http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/productdetails.aspx?proname=Lavender%20Twist%20Weeping%20Redbud%20(PP10328)

yes, i would love to have more persimmon seeds in fall!! i'd like to alternate plant them to produce more fruiting when they are mature enough. some we are doing for here for the fruits for us to eat and the rest are going to be planted for the animals in another location for a food source.

silkie

We have both kinds here in MO. They are close to the same tree, but the one weeps.

Be sure to remind me this fall to get thoses seeds. It's no problem, I always pick at least one or two and cut the seeds in half to see what the winter is going to be like.

How could I possibly resist? Please count me in on the bonus round, too!
~Helen~

that is awesome!! i'd love to see them out in nature with both kinds together. i have mine potted inside. lastnight i saw i had buds it fineally woke up. i'm so excited spring is fineally here!!! lol, i'll probably forget again you reminded me this time, i'll try to remember.

helen, i'm excited to have you all here, thanks for joining us with the bonus!!

how is everyone doing? some of ya i haven't heard from for a bit, please don't be shy. :-) has anyone started on their seeds yet? i haven't yet been to busy but i will soon and can't wait to get started!!
talk soon,
silkie

This message was edited Apr 24, 2007 3:24 AM

I want in!! ON the bonus round too!!

Silkie, when is your deadline????? I am trying to decide if I can add yet ANOTHER "to do" on my plate!!!!!!!!!! I really want to jump in on this one, but I need to find out for sure when you need them by, to see if I can make it or not. :0) Thanks GF!
Belinda