With all this genetic engineering going on, it's a way of preserving heirloom varieties and keeping Monsanto's laboratories out of the flower beds of the nation. I have never considered myself a gardener. I plant "things" and they grow, however, when I am in a group of real gardeners, I fall short - I know I'm only 5' tall anyway - but I never know the name of the latest cultivar and I couldn't do the Chelsea Chop, even if I knew what it meant.
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| Coreopsis |
This being said, what I plant grows and in fact, grows wild. One bush of Spirea planted a few years ago is now 5 or 6 bushes scattered around the garden in "gay abandon." A cedar tree, sprung from a seed dropped by a small spreader, is now a towering structure for Christmas lights.
I also like playing Rose of Sharon roulette. That is, I dig up the small seedlings that sprout at the base of the tri-coloured Rose of Sharon, trying to grow a new tree in each of the three colours - white, purple and pink. I have a new mauve one now and I am just waiting until next year to see what colour a second one I transplanted will be - this roulette wheel takes a long time to spin :)
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| Tri-coloured Rose of Sharon |
Now I will happily share any of these seeds, along with seeds for wild Tulips, Columbine, Coreopsis. In fact I beg people to take my Lily of the Valley, orange Day Lilies, Achillea, Lady's Mantel and more.
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| Lobelia |
Seedy Saturdays are a great way to meet people, well garden people anyway, and a great way to breathe new life into a fading border. There should be a chapter near you. Google always sends me to sites in Toronto, so it will probably send you to sites in your area. Sometimes the exchange days are called Seedy Sundays - just imagine!
Have a blooming wonderful day!!
I love seed sharing but I am still mortified by my mother who visits gardens armed with a sharp knife to cut cuttings and old envelopes in which to shake seeds. It is impossible to visit a single stately home without her leaving with some illicit plant life. My favourite was when she returned from Finland. At the time we were living in a very remote and exposed site. She brought me cuttings and seeds. "I have no idea what they are, but they are beautiful and come from within the Arctic Circle so even you could grow them....."
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