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bonniepunch

WANTED: Unusual seed exchange

bonniepunch
15 years ago

I am officially taking names now for my unusual seed exchange. This is open to newbies and regulars alike. The deadline is Friday December 5th. This means I must have the seeds in my posession by this date. The swap will be made that weekend and seeds mailed out Monday Dec 8th.

This exchange will work like this:

- You send me your unusual seeds in a padded envelope, along with $1.92 in postage and a return address label.

- I will swap your seeds for others that I have received from other people.

- I send your new seeds back to you using your padded mailer and postage.

Pretty simple! Of course there are some other rules I have to apply to keep things working smoothly. If you are interested in participating, please read the following, and if youre interested, please email me and I will get back to you.

The first big rule is determining what is, and what is not, an unusual seed. This isnÂt for costly or rare seeds, so please do not expect or include any. An unusual seed, for the purposes of this exchange, is a seed that you probably wonÂt find in VeseyÂs or Canadian Tire. Seeds for tropical or houseplants are unusual. Seeds for plants usually sold as bulbs or live perennials are good. Heavily hybridized plants are ok as long as you know the name of the parent(s) - Hostas, Daylilies, and Iris for example (the Âbig green and white Hosta in the backyard does not count!). Echinacea ÂWhite SwanÂ, white Cosmos and Bee Balm are not unusual seeds. Ligularia, Petasites and Heuchera are examples of unusual perennial seeds. There is no definitive list of what qualifies as an unusual seed and what one person considers unusual may be very common in another area, so I will ask people for some examples of seeds that they would like to send. I may veto some of your selections if I think they are too common or if they are being included by everyone (I want this to be as fair as possible for everyone participating). Some examples of unusual seeds that I will be including are Astilboides tabularis, Clematis tangutica, Hosta ÂInniswoodÂ, Actaea (Cimicifuga) racemosa, Liatris ligulistylis, Gloriosa rothschildiana.

No veggies. I know some people will want them included, but most people will not, so IÂm putting them out of the running early on.

All seeds must be marked with a common name, if known (not all plants have common names), and a botanical name. Please note if the seeds are from a commercial source or collected. If the plant the seeds came from is a hybrid, then that should also be indicated (please give the name of the parent/s, when known).

The seeds must be placed in a leak-proof envelope. I use 2x3" ziplock type envelopes I buy at the dollar store. I recommend against using your own pre-made paper envelopes  these have a history of coming open in transit and the seeds are lost. If you must use them, then make sure they are sealed *thoroughl* with tape!!! The same goes for those paper coin envelopes  they donÂt always travel well, so tape them shut.

You may include up to five envelopes of the same sort of seed. These will be exchanged for five different seeds. This way, even people with only one or two types of unusual seeds will be able to participate. Please keep the number of seed envelopes in your padded mailer to less than thirty. Large seeds should have at least six to twelve seeds in the envelope. Medium seeds should have at least two dozen in the envelope. Small seeds should have a good 1/8 teaspoon full in the envelope. You may put more seeds in the envelope if you wish, but please do not put in fewer than suggested.

If you are sending seeds that will require refrigeration until they are planted, or any other special handling during the trade, please indicate on the packet, and I will store them as required.

There is no way of knowing what people will send in so there is no way of knowing what you will get back. It will be a surprise. You may make suggestions as to seeds you would particularly like or dislike and I will make every effort to accommodate those requests, but there are no guarantees.

Further suggestions and comments are more than welcome!

If you are interested, please email me and I will send you my mailing address.

BP

Comments (31)

  • gardeng8

    Sent you an email, Thanks, Carol

  • gardeng8

    Hello Bonnie, sent my seeds this morning. Thank you in advance. Carol

  • gardeng8

    Sent you an email, Thanks, Carol

  • gardeng8

    Hello Bonnie, sent my seeds this morning. Thank you in advance. Carol

  • gardeng8

    Sent you an email, Thanks, Carol

  • gardeng8

    Hello Bonnie, sent my seeds this morning. Thank you in advance. Carol

  • bev_w
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bonnie,

    Please sign me up. I used the GW e-mail form to send you my list.

    Thanks for organizing this.

    - Bev

  • greylady_gardener
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sent you an e-mail :)
    gg

  • tiffy_z5_6_can
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Count me in there Bonnie!! :O) I'll send my list to you later.

    Nicole.

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have now emailed everyone that expressed interest in this and in the other thread, with the exceptions of:

    artteacherworking
    muffin1
    smurf428

    These people have not enabled the email option in their profile and I cannot contact them. Please email me and I will get back to you!

    If anyone else has not yet heard from me, then an email went missing along the way somewhere. Please post here to let me know, or email me again :-)

    BP

  • linkir
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    hi Bonnie,
    Please sign me up - list essntially same as last year but I'll send it later
    Kirsten In NS
    linkir@eastlink.ca

  • ladybug6a
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bonnie, I am very interested. Please include me in the exchange.
    Karin

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    linkir and ladybug6a - I have sent you an email. Please let me know if you do not receive it (sometimes GW mail isn't reliable).

    BP

  • origami_master
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would be interested in joining
    Bonnie, I'll email you a list of the seeds that I will be including

  • hmacdona1
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bonnie,

    I mailed my seeds today. Thanks for coordinating the exchange....Heather

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    gardeng8 and origami master (I think, om = KS ?)- I have sent you email as well.

    I'll let people know when their seeds arrive, so that they don't worry :-)

    BP

  • wendy2shoes
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Bonnie..you have mail.

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    wendy - I got your email and have replied.

    I also sent mail to Karen B and jj

    hmacdona - your seeds have arrived.

    BP

  • wendy2shoes
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a quick q bonnie re:postage. I know oversize to the states is $1.92, but isn't it still $1.15 within Canada? That's what I've been using for my SASBE's i.e with Kenny's exchange. I have np with the postage, just wondering if you were using the international rate. (?)

  • wendy2shoes
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    woops.disregard..just checked out Canada Post. Guess you are figuring on the extra weight.
    sorry..wendy

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I ought to have said why I requested that amount of postage! Sorry for the confusion :-) Some people's envelopes are on the heavy side, and based on past experience, I now ask for the larger amount of postage.

    Before I send the envelope back, I weigh it, and if the extra postage is not needed, I return it.

    BP

  • ladybug6a
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bonnie
    My seeds are ready to be send out on Monday. Thanks for doing this exchange, I am soo looking forward to some exiting seeds.
    Ladybug6a
    Karin

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    hmacdona and gardeng8 - I recieved your seeds in the mail today.

    BP

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    tegwyn - I just found youe email in my spam filter, sorry about the delay!!! I have emailed you back.

    BP

  • ladybug6a
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bonnie
    You should have received my seeds Bonnie. Please let me know.
    Karin

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Karin - your seeds came in today's mail.

    Everyone - I will be going to visit my parents tomorrow, and I'll be away for a week. I will try to check in and if any seed packets arrive while I am gone, I will try to get my DH to figure out who it's from and post a I can. I will post an update when I get back on the 18th.

    BP

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All right, I'm back from my trip and back in communication!

    While I was away, seeds from the following people arrived:

    B Wagner
    W Hiltemann
    R Hale

    I also recieved email (and have replied) from:

    tiffy
    newine
    C Robbins

    If you emailed me and have not yet heard back, it's because something did not get through. Please try again, or post here, and I will try to email you.

    BP

  • ladybug6a
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    welcome back bonnie. Hope you had a good trip.

    Karin

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A. Flemming - your seeds arrived this afternoon.

    There is still time to participate if anyone else wants in! The deadline is two weeks away, and that should be plenty of time to get your seeds in to me.

    BP

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry guys, I didn't realize what the date was! The deadline is actually this week. If you live west of Ontario, it is now too late to put your seeds in the mail. Any late-comers from Ontario and east, should be able to get their packages to me if they are in the mail by tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

    ***Please let me know if you have seeds that are still on their way to me. I would hate for someone to miss out if their package is on the way. I know of two packages that are en route at the moment, and I will wait for them (and any others I am warned about) to arrive before I do the exchange.

    BP

  • bonniepunch
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Connie R. and tiffy - I got your seeds in today's mail.

    BP