Hi guys! Gillian, I planted the original seeds for the nigella thinking they were garlic chives! lol I had forgotten that a client of mine had given me the seeds and I mislabled the packet. Ever since that first year they just keep coming back and in soooooo many areas that I hadn't planted them! lol Tiffy, thanks! We have had just incredible weather up here, lots of regular rain and hot summer days. I am expecting to find ole Jack-in-the-Beanstalk come climbing down the bean pole! lol That anchor... glad you like it. I made it with cement and sand cast it into the anchor shaped hollow. I embedded the shells into the sand before I filled it with cement mortar mix. I kinda like it too! Marly

Hi all, Sorry this is a double post from the orchid exchange, but I didn't know where to put it. Would anyone be interested in pollinating some native orchids in your yard (or in your pots) and doing some sort of trade later this fall when the pods are ready? The exchanges I'm thinking of are very negotiable and are on the lines one of the following. 1.) NON-NATIVE: I have a few small tropical orchids which I will happily trade to get a large pod or two worth of hardy orchid seed. 2.) NON-NATIVE: For those interested in flasking, I have 15 pods of Phaius bernaysii, (and I only need half of one), as well as a few pods of Bletilla striata, hopefully several Bletilla formosama, a single Pleione bulbocodioides, conceivably some Epi radicans if there was interest. 3.) NATIVE TRADE: I will delightfully take your seed, and if it germinates and grows into seedlings, I will send you a percentage of the seedlings (30% maybe) in one and a half years when they're ready. Of course, please only respond if the plants are on your property: Illegal removal of parts of orchids from parks etc is bad. I will consider any native hardy seed species, except for Cypripedium acaule, the pink lady slipper unless you choose option #3, (don't expect much in return, though), because it's too hard to germinate. Those genera that I am particularly looking for are cypripedium, calypso, pogonia, platanthera, habenaria, calopogon, arethusa, epipactis gigantea, galearis spectabilis, and triphora trianthophora. By the way, if you need help pollinating some orchids, I can help. I also have an excellent essay on the pollination of Cypripedium by Camiel F DeJong that he has posted on the internet for private use. This is for my private research and learning. It is of great interest to me, but It is in the interest of $$ that I don't pay $6 a packet at the Orchid Seedbank Project, as wonderful as it is. Any interest? Ross

Why don't you post this on the Canadian Exchange forum? You would get more responses there.

Bumping back up b/c every CDN should have the opportunity to join the list if they wish to. not every person on Far North Gardening, visits the Exchange forum and they would never know the thread existed. Happy SPRING all! Barb southern Ontario, CANADA