This is the November color swap, featuring the color ORANGE!

It seems as though the Color of the Month Seed Swaps that we had going for most of the year have sort of fallen apart. I believe both the white and pink seeds swaps didn't happen. (If I missed them, please let me know.) But I am going to try to revive them!!!! The color I signed up for was ORANGE and there are certainly a lot of ORANGE seeds, both veggies and flowers. Beyond pumpkins and carrots, for veggies there are tons of tasty ORANGE squashes, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and dried beans. There are even some ORANGE cauliflowers (Cheddar), greens (Orange Chard), and cucumbers (Hmong Red)! I am sure there are a lot of other ORANGE edibles that I'm not remembering or have never heard of. There are also an enormous number of ORANGE flowers and ornamentals. Just a few off the top of my head . . . Sunflowers, poppies, calendulas, coleus, Chinese lanterns, gazanias, nasturtiums, celosias and of course marigolds and zinnias. The list could go on and on. Feel free to post ORANGE seed ideas in the comments.

Hopefully, we can revive these color themed swaps. Here is the original schedule as posted in the original purple seed swap thread:

April : Dan : Blue
May : Christy : Black
June: Bonnie : Yellow
July : Tammy : Red
August : Linda : Rainbow
September : Kamil : White
October : Nichol : Pink
November : Penny : Orange
December : Carrie : Chocolate
January : Wendy : Green

After this swap, there is the Chocolate and Green seed swaps. Does anyone know Carrie or Wendy and if they are still active on GardenWeb? Maybe Carrie and Wendy will post in the comments so we know if they are still interested in hosting these swaps. Also, if someone would like to host either the white or pink swaps that were missed (if I am mistaken about this, please let me know), let us know in the comments.

Okay on to the rules for the ORANGE seed swap:

You may include seeds that contain anything ORANGE, whether it is a flower, foliage, fruit, vegetable, herb, or whatever is related to ORANGE or simply just has the word 'ORANGE' in its name!

You may send edible and non-edible seeds.
(Please specify what you would like back: edible, non-edibles, or a mix of both)
I will do my best to fill your request, but it all depends on what is sent in!

Absolutely NO Invasive Plants or Noxious Weeds!!!!

Please send seeds no older than 2 years old.
Please include on the packet label: the seed's name, a little blurb about it, and whether your seeds are from a commercial source or hand-collected.

The limit for all of the color swaps has been 10 packs so far. But please feel free to send in extras.
I will try to send back extras to the people who sent in extras to be fair.

You can send in as little as 1 pack of seeds, there is no minimum to send in.

Please send in the number of seeds that you would be comfortable recieving yourself depending on the variety. There should be a minimum of 10 seeds per pack.

Please send only 1 pack per variety. Again, you may send more than one pack of a certain variety, but please know that they will be counted as 'extras'. So each variety will be counted as one trade.

Signup Deadline: December 4th
Seeds Need to Arrive by: December 16th
Mailed back by: December 19th (Hopefully! I will try to get these out before Christmas.)

After you sign up in the comments,
please send me an e-mail with your
name,
address,
GardenWeb name, and
e-mail address.

And I will reply back to you with my mailing address.

REMEMBER to use a bubble envelope (which will be used to mail back your new seeds) and include the following along with your seeds:

1. Mailing label with your address on it
2. Stamps equal to what you used to mail plus one extra in case an extra stamp is needed (if the extra stamp is not needed, I will put it in your return envelope)
3. Paper with your GardenWeb name, e-mail address and a list of what you sent in (so you don't get those seeds back)

Any questions, feel free to ask!

Your Hostess and Host,
Penny (aka cybermeowz) and Little Dude :)

My entire garden is orange, yellow, and red, so you KNOW I'm not gonna miss this one!!!

Thank you so much for reviving the color swaps, Penny! I love your little kitty too! We have had every color cat over the years, except orange. Right now we have an old, black cat, and a fiesty, young gray and white one. I'm allergic to them, so we have to limit it to two, but when one of them passes on, we're going to get an orange one. Yours is so cute!!!

Bonnie

Can you both send me an email with your name, address, garden web name, and e-mail address. It will just make it easier for me. Thanks!!

Besides Dude, we have two other cats. Sparky is a very large and mischievous black and white with a reverse mustache-like marking on his face. Pookie is a very sweet gray and white kitty who is easily spooked but who loves to sit on my lap. Dude got his name because he seems to be very laid back but he LOVES people. I adore them all.

Just a reminder for everyone. . . when you sign up, please do so here on the thread, and also send me an e-mail with your name, address, garden web name, and e-mail address. This way I can reply back to you with my mailing address.

Here are a couple of my favorite orange flowers from this year. The first one is Portulaca 'Sundial Tangerine'


... and here's Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons' with Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'

... oh, and one more. Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)

The photo kind of makes them look gold, but in person they are definitely orange.

Bonnie

So far we have signed up for the swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine
cybermeowz

Oooh, very pretty flowers, Bonnie. I grew some orange moss roses this year too. They were lovely.

With the Orange seed swap on my mind yesterday, I made some Curried Butternut Squash soup from one of the butternut squashes I grew last year. It was SOOOO yummy! This week, I'm going to make some gnocchi, which I have never made before, with a Marina Di Chioggia squash. Supposedly this squash is often used for this in Italy so I'm going to try it. Of course, I will make a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving too! So much squashy and pumpkin goodness! I used to hate squash as a kid. It's funny how your tastes can change.

Your hostess,
Penny

Janine, yes Dude is very handsome. Though at the moment he is being very unDude-like and is streaking through the house like a maniac. Silly kitty. As for listing the seeds you are sending, I don't think we did that in the other color of the month swaps but you can if you would like to. I'll leave that up to you.

Okay, I'm going to start making some lists of the overwhelming number of Orange Seed possibilities.

First up, Orange Tomatoes . . .

There really are lots of orange tomatoes, but here is just a few:

Amana Orange
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Dad's Sunset
Dixie Golden Giant
Dr. Wyche's Yellow
Earl Of Edgecombe
Elbe
Juane Flamme
Golden Jubilee
Golden Sunray
Hawaiian Pineapple
KBX
Kellogg's Breakfast
Moonglow
Nebraska Wedding
Orange Banana
Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge
Orange Strawberry
Persimmon
Tangerine
Valencia
Verna Orange
Woodle Orange
Yellow Brandywine

There are also many multicolor and striped tomatoes that I think could be included in this swap as long as they have some orange or golden orange in them.

Here is a few:

Big Rainbow
Georgia Streak
Gold Medal
Hillbilly
Isis Candy
Mammoth German Gold
Marvel Sripe
Oaxacan Jewel
Old German
Orange Russian 117
Pineapple
Polish Pastel

I don't have all of these tomatoes, but I have a good chuck of them which I grew out this past summer in anticipation of this swap. But I'm not telling which! ;)

Anyone have other varieties that you can think of to add to this list???

Penny

Anyways, just think about this during the swap. I might just join in on this swap. I LOVE ORANGE!!

Hi perennialfan273! "Invasive" is definitely a somewhat relative term. I live in the frozen tundra (aka North Dakota ;)) and there are a lot of plants that would be invasive in the south that would NEVER survive our -30 and below winters. LOL! This swap is a continuation of a series of Color Seed Swaps that began earlier in the year with the Purple Seed Swap and the rule for no "invasive" plants or noxious weeds started there. I would suggest that swappers just use your best judgment on that. I'm sure whatever anyone sends in will be fine. Having said all that, I hope you will join our swap, perennialfan273! I think it will be fun.

Your hostess,
Penny

Orange Peppers . . .

There are Orange Bell peppers like:

Ariene
Cal Wonder Orange
Sunrise Orange
Valencia
and many other varieties.

Some other non-bell SWEET peppers include:

Feher Ozon Paprika
Tangerine Pimiento
Tequila Sunrise

Some HOT Orange Peppers/Chilis are:

Bulgarian Carrot
Charleston Hot
Fatalli
Habanero
Manzano Orange
NuMex Sunburst
NuMex Sunset
Orange Scotch Bonnet
Orange Thai

I am sure there are many more Orange Peppers. You can probably include in this list some of the multicolored ornamental peppers. Any other ideas?

There are also a few Orange Eggplants . . .

A few varieties that I know of:

Striped Toga
Sweet African Orange
Turkish Orange

That's all for now.

Your hostess,
Penny

Bonnie

Penny

So far we have signed up for the swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine
poisondartfrog
brandymulvaine
dusty314
cybermeowz

and perennialfan273 is thinking about it.

dusty314, please send me an e-mail with your name, address, garden web name, and e-mail address. This way I can reply back to you with my mailing address.

Newbies are totally welcome. I was a newbie last year. Just send in what you have for orange seeds. Also, make sure you send in that extra stamp (the number you used to mail in plus 1). I have been preparing for this swap most of the year so I'll be able to send some "extras" to everyone.

Your Hostess,
Penny

Becky/ramazz

Let me see if I understand this right...

One pack counts as a trade item.

If I send five of one variety that's still one trade item but with four extras for sharing.

I send my seeds inside a bubble mailer along with a return address sticker and postage, and I include my preferences for what I'd like to trade for. The bubble mailer will be recycled to send back my divvy from the swap.

I'd love for you to join our swap! I joined GardenWeb last year (after lurking for a long time) when I came across your Wintersown Tomato SASE offer. You're the one who got me started in swapping seeds! I was so amazed and touched that anyone would send me all those seeds for just a few stamps! It's so cool that you would join the first swap that I am hosting!

Anyway, you have all the details correct. Just send me an email so that I can replay back to you with my mailing address.

Your hostess,
Penny

That's what happened to me!

My very fisrt swap wasn't even a trade--I was very leery. I was completely new to GW, new to growing from seed, new to the internet too. I had never even heard of seed trading until I stumbled onto this forum. A lady said she would send me some blue flower seeds that I could grow for my son who like blue flowers. I had never even sent a SASE for anything before either.

So, I shuddered a sigh and made out the SASE and put it into the mail--I thought for sure it was a con to rip off my stamps. Boy, was I surprised. A few days later came back the SASE and it was stuffed fat as a football--it was loaded with seeds. I burst into tears. That lady changed my life. I got hooked on seed trading and one day I had a popcorn can full of seeds, I had no way to start them all. I live in cottage, had no bucks for a light set up and the cat owned the windowsills. I was outside staring at my frozen, empty backyard and I had a thought, "Well, if Mother Nature starts them outside so can I." It's not the whole story but best to say that a seed was sowed.

T

LOL! Come on in! You know you want to.

Penny

What a great story! Random acts of kindness really do make the world a better place.

Penny

Linda, you crack me up!

I've got Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in the oven, which the kids all helped with. Now it's on to Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. Yum!!!

I have to sort through mine, which I'll do on Saturday after all the holiday insaniety is past.

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread. . . yum!! Bonnie, that is making me sooo hungry! I need to make some pumpkin pies today so I think I'm going make some pumpkin bread too.

Trudi, wow you're quick. I can't wait to see what seeds everyone sends in.

Linda, Ha! We'll wrangle Dan into this swap yet!

Here's a little bit of Orange Seed inspiration:

Orange Gerbera

Orange Ganzia

Orange Oriental Poppies

Orange Strawflowers

Penny

Dan you know you want to join. You must have more than me. I may only have 1 or 2 orange. But I'm in amyway.

Those flower pictures are so great. Wish they were mine. **HINT, HINT***

My list is:
orange tomato
orange peppers
flowers
swiss chard

Happy Trading and Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!!!!

gmom2-6boys
Sharon

"opening up a can of tuna. . ."

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine
poisondartfrog
brandymulvaine
dusty314
ramazz
trudi_d
gmom2-6boys
cybermeowz

and a couple of other people thinking about it.

Dan, I'm very sorry if I or anyone else offended you. I hope you (and Bump and Stella) have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Dude, our new little kitty and co-host for this swap, had a really bad day. He was taken in to be fixed this morning and has been tired, wobbly and unhappy since he came back home this afternoon. He is not supposed to have anything to eat until morning so he is pretty irritated about that right now too. Poor little guy. He is starting to get his groove back though. He should be back to his co-hosting duties in a few days. :)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Penny

Everyone Have A Good Thanksgiving
-Dan

Okay, I'm literally on my way out the door to Grandma's house, so I'll be away from the computer for most of the day. Everyone have Great Thanksgiving!

Penny

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Here's a few more Orange flowers for inspiration:

Orange Dahlias

Orange Marigolds

Orange African Daisies

Penny

Sandy

Anyway, I have a couple of orange bell pepper varieties I can send in for the swap. Just wish it was more but my little bitty stash of seeds doesn't even rate a storage box yet (!).

Would love to receive tomato seeds to try next year. This year's tomato attempt was well... the term "adequate" might be overselling the case but my bell peppers were stellar so I guess it all balances out in the end.

Thanks for letting me play! I've really enjoyed following the posts - many of which had me rolling on the floor laughing. Humor is a highly valued trait in my book.

Lynn

Penny, I don't know where you are finding those pictures, but they are awesome!

Bonnie

Bonnie, I've been getting pictures off of one of those free wallpaper sites and hoping that I'm not violating image usage rights. I hope not anyway! :0

Also, I received the first package today from Janine. Lots of very cool seeds!! Can't wait to see what everyone else sends in!

Penny

Dude's holding down the fort.

I received Trudi's stuffed seed package yesterday. That was quick!

So far we have signed up for the swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine ***seeds received***
poisondartfrog
brandymulvaine
dusty314
ramazz
trudi_d ***seeds received***
gmom2-6boys
butterflymomok
carsons_mimi
cybermeowz

and a couple of other people thinking about it.

Your hostess,
Penny

I've been a bit under the weather for the past two days which is the reason for the sparse posting. I'm starting to feel better now.

I just got the mail and there were two more packages of seeds. One from Debbie and one from Alana.

I have to say that I'm getting a lot of great seeds. Some things that I've never heard of and that I've had to look up. Very Cool!

Your hostess,
Penny

Is it too late for me to join in the Orange fun??

I've got several kinds of orange seeds to share too! (both edibles and ornamentals) :)

Regards,
Grovespirit

I mailed off my package today so you should have it by end of week (things go by way of Siberia from here)! I had a few more things than I originally thought so I was able to send a couple more goodies.

I can't wait to see what fun things are sent my way. Since I'm just starting out, any and all will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Lynn

Lynn, I think there will be some fun and interesting seeds for me to send back to everyone. I've already received some that that I didn't know what they were and had to look up!

Penny

Some more orange flowers for inspiration:

Calendula and California Poppies

Chinese Lanterns

Orange Crested Celosia (Cockscomb)

Penny

Some more inspiration:

Orange Lantana

Orange Begonias

Orange Lupines

Orange Sunflowers

Your hostess,
Penny

I would like to join.

Patti

Welcome Patti! I'm so glad you joined our swap!
Please send me a quick e-mail with your name, address, garden web name, and e-mail address. This way I can reply back to you with my mailing address.

Some more Orange flower inspiration:

Orange Cosmos

Orange Sneezeweed

Orange Zinnia

So far we have signed up for the swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine ***seeds received***
poisondartfrog ***seeds received***
brandymulvaine
dusty314 ***seeds received***
ramazz
trudi_d ***seeds received***
gmom2-6boys
butterflymomok
carsons_mimi
grovespirit
patti1957
cybermeowz

and a couple of other people thinking about it.

Your hostess,
Penny

Two more packages of seeds arrived today! Also, I think I will extend the signup time for this swap a few more days just in case there are a few stragglers.

New Sign Up Deadline is: Monday December 7th
Seeds Need to Arrive by: December 16th

So far we have signed up for the swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine ***seeds received***
poisondartfrog ***seeds received***
brandymulvaine
dusty314 ***seeds received***
ramazz
trudi_d ***seeds received***
gmom2-6boys ***seeds received***
butterflymomok
carsons_mimi ***seeds received***
grovespirit
patti1957
cybermeowz

and a couple of other people thinking about it.

Your hostess,
Penny

I went through my stash, and found a bunch of things to be able to participate. I hope they aren't too ordinary! Please let me know where to send.

I'm sure the seeds you send in will be great. Someone will like them. Please send me a quick e-mail with your name, address, garden web name, and e-mail address. This way I can reply back to you with my mailing address.

Thanks,
Penny

**rubbing my hands together very, very quickly**

...or was I doing that to keep warm?!? It's freakin' freezing today.

I hear you about those crazy cold temps. It's been near 0 the last several nights, and the high hasn't gotten above freezing.

grovespirit, exotic. . . can't wait to see what they are!

And as far as the weather goes everyone, I would like you all to know that it is supposed to get down to just about -20 degrees here latter in the week!!! Okay, North Dakota is the frozen tundra this time of year but it is still a bit early for that! Grovespirit, you wouldn't want to switch places would you?? Hawaii sounds SOOOO nice right about now! (It always sounds so nice. I've never been there though!) LOL!

Penny

If it's OK with all you folks, we might do a guessing game for this forum. We could let swap participants try and guess what the name of my favorite exotic orange seed is, of all the ones I am sending in. One guess per person per day tho. What do you think? :)

Penny, my Dearest Hubby is of a Nordic race and has distant relations (2nd cousins, etc.) living in your area of the USA. He really misses being able to ski and build snowmen! Can't do that here.

Can one get to skiing places from your home? If so, how far is the drive?? If there's good skiing nearby your home then perhaps you and I *could* swap places for a couple weeks- so that u can see Hawaii, and hubby can ski and romp in snow, and neither of us would need to pay for a hotel! :)

Don

Grovespirit, unfortunately there is no good skiing nearby. North Dakota is mostly flat, except for the western part of the state. The only skiing I can do around here is cross country! Snowmen on the other hand are quite plentiful. I haven't seen any quite yet though as we don't have enough snow yet. I'm sure it won't be long though!

And sure, let's do the guessing game. Here's my first guess, from your trade page, Morning glory, Fijian native (Ipomoea obscura).

So let's hear everyone's guesses for Grovespirit's favorite exotic orange seed! I'll figure out a prize for the winner.

Your Hostess,
Penny

My guess was based on your member post & trade page... you list the word 'exotic' in both places; you sound very in tune with nature so 'attractive to butterflies/birds' would please you; the additional option for cut flowers is a very nice bonus; and lastly that it had medical uses (triple duty plant).

Am I close?

Penny, the package is on it's way.

But no, those aren't my favorite orange seeds which I will be sending in.

Carsonsmimi's guess was closer for various reasons. The favorite item I have in mind is not a vining plant.

While the 2 types of seeds mentioned do both have strong potential to bloom orange, neither one is actually my fave orange plant seed.

So- there's the first hint. Not a vining plant.

Any one else have a guess for Grovespirit's favorite Orange seed????

Also, remember that today is the last day to sign up for this swap!

Penny

Here is a final update of the participants of the Orange Seed Swap:

lindaruzika
highalttransplant
jaynine ***seeds received***
poisondartfrog ***seeds received***
brandymulvaine
dusty314 ***seeds received***
ramazz
trudi_d ***seeds received***
gmom2-6boys ***seeds received***
butterflymomok
carsons_mimi ***seeds received***
grovespirit
patti1957
mmqchdygg
dem_pa
cybermeowz

Your Hostess,
Penny

Hint number 2. Considered an exotic.

Grovespirit, my next guess is Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). The pictures of this are beautiful and it has medicinal qualities.

Here is part of the description from tropicalflower.org : "In the Americas, this orange tropical flower is considered a medical plant and all parts of the plant – flowers, leaves, stems, seeds and roots – are used as folk remedies against various illnesses, including fevers, coughs, chest pain, respiratory problems and sores."

Penny

Mailed my seeds today.

Patti

Today, I received a big packet of orange seeds from mmqchdygg. Thanks, Tina!

Guess Grovespirit's Favorite Orange Seed

Also, guesses are still welcome to guess Grovespirit's favorite orange seed that she is sending in from Hawaii. You can make one guess per day. Try an internet search for "orange tropical" or "orange exotic" plants. I have no idea what it is. Winner will get a prize in your return envelope!

Here are her hints so far:

1. Not a vining plant.
2. Considered an exotic.

Penny

You're getting very, very warm- but that's still not it!

I had actually hoped to send a big batch of freshly harvested Caesalpinia pulcherrima in, but the fresh seeds were in my car when I had the wreck and scattered everywhere all over the road during impact.

The seeds weren't the only items lost during impact; I had Xmas gifts, cards, and supplies in my car b4 the impact (including some delicate electronics), which also ended up damaged, destroyed or lost.

I was too injured and stunned to gather anything and besides, no time for anyone else at the scene to mess with collecting anything that fell out of my car.

I might try to find a few more Caesalpinia seeds today, but if none are found, I will sadly have to leave this beauty out of my bubble mailer.

Been having a rotten week due to several other misfortunes (in addition to the aforementioned wreck).

Garden misfortune included: My rare and co$$tly Canna 'Tropicanna' which was a 2008 birthday gift to me, got 2/3 of it stolen overnight by thieves. The part that was not stolen got eaten by a giant African land snail (these snails get from 4-6" long) and are an infesting pest that does not belong in HI!!

I am also really under immense pressure due to having no car and almost no money, as I try to creatively re-shop for folks whose gifts were lost/destroyed. Having to take the bus everywhere makes Christmas shopping, and getting my seed swaps to the PO, *much more difficult and time consuming* for me!

A shopping trip that used to take me 1 hour, now takes me all day. Since errands now take so long, I find myself unable to keep up all of my previous activities such as cooking elaborate dinners, sending Xmas cards to distant relations, staying in touch with faraway siblings via correspondence, doing 2 hrs a day of cardio exercise, and helping with the in-laws' bookkeeping. So, been getting pressure from various family members too! Sigh.

All this pressure was bad for my health, so I got sick a couple days ago, which makes me move even more slowly.

I do hope this won't cause my seeds to arrive late, I will do all I can to get them in on time.

Brandymulvaine: Great guess, but marigold is not my favorite Orange seed either. I'd say it's my 2nd favorite, due to marvelous utility! :)

Hints so far:
Hint number 1- Not a vining plant.

Hint number 2. Considered an exotic.

Hint number 3. Not an annual. (This rules out marigolds)

Hint number 4. cybermeowz is getting warm!!!

I am so sorry for the terrible week you have had! I had no idea you were in a car wreck! I hope you are okay. It always seems like bad things happen all at once. ***HUGS to you from snowy North Dakota!!!***

Just remember, you need to take care of yourself first. Your health is more important than ANY of those other things. Maybe you won't be able to do everything this year for the Holidays that you would normally do and that's okay. People will understand.

If your seeds arrive late, that's okay. We can wait. If you need to drop out, that's okay too. Please don't let it add to your stress.

I hope you feel better very soon! :)

Hugs,
Penny

My seeds did not get to the post office today, had hoped to do it tomorrow before work but must take the cat to the vet-he has an abscess that won't clear up by its self so he needs to be knocked out, poor kitty!
-B

Good news on the home front: My husband listened to me yesterday as I vented about all the pressure I've been under. He apologized for allowing his work related stress to roll downhill onto me. He agreed that given everything I am trying to do, he shouldn't expect elaborate dinners for the next few weeks. (He's not been home to eat them half the time anyway, due to increasingly getting held overtime). Whew, one less iron in the fire!! :)

Happy gardening news: I found some more Caesalpinia pulcherrima seedpods yesterday. So I will be sending those lovelies in, after all! But they still aren't quite my favorite seed.

Back to the 'Guess Grovespirit's Favorite Orange Seed' game.
Hint number 1- Not a vining plant.

Hint number 2. Considered an exotic.

Hint number 3. Not an annual. (This rules out marigolds)

Hint number 4. cybermeowz is getting warm!

Hint number 5. Both the Caesalpinina pulcherrima, and this favorite Orange plant of mine, are referred to by the same sort of common name, a name which sounds like its flowers can take flight!

I truly cannot let myself drop out, I'd really rather take the risk of sending seeds in 1 to 2 days late. Without my GW swaps, I am like a fish out of water.

In the past I used to drop out whenever my life got stressful, and the result was that I got even sicker from missing out on one of my main sources of fun! :P

When the going gets rough for me, that is when I REALLY need to keep on going with my Gardenweb swaps the most!!!

The fun of giving and receiving seeds, chatting with gardeners in RR swap threads, honestly keeps me sane. It relaxes me and balances out the lack of fun in the other areas of my life.

TY for the support, Penny and BrandyM! :)
Looking forward to seeing what cool orange stuff the others are sending in :)

Regards and warm wishes to all. Please keep the guesses coming!

This morning I received a BIG package of orange seeds from ramazz. Thanks Becky!

Grovespirit, I'm glad that things are getting better for you. I'm pretty sure that I know what what your favorite orange seed is now. That last clue was a good one. I'm not going to guess it though as I'm trying to give away a prize dang it!!! Hard to give a prize to my self!

So everyone guess Grovespirit's favorite orange seed.

Take a look at the clues in the above post. You might, oh I don't know, do an internet search for Caesalpinina pulcherrima and look at what the common names for this plant are that would be like another orange exotic plant. The name of Grovespirit's favorite orange plant might just fly out at you! LOL!!

Penny

Bonnie

Patti

Today, I receive a package of orange seeds from highalttransplant. Thanks, Bonnie!

Also, good guesses everyone. We'll have to wait for Grovespirit to tell us if anyone has guessed her favorite orange seed!

Your hostess,
Penny

My favorite orange plant is in fact Bird of Paradise, scientific name Strelitzia Reginae. I will be sending freshly harvested seeds of it, in to this swap. :)

It makes a good houseplant in cool parts of the year... Grown in a container, it can be brought outdoors in the warm parts of the year then back in as a lovely tropical indoor plant for the cooler parts of the year.

Plant in this mix: 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 peat, coir, or high quality compost such as mushroom compost, and 1/3 sand. Fertilize & water regularly with *organic* low nitrogen fertilizer so as to not burn roots.

Likes Bright indirect sunlight. Too much shade gives lanky plants that flower less, and too much sun can burn the leaves or dry out the plant, during Summer heat waves.

Cannot handle frost below 25F, but will generally handle temperatures up to 90F if they don't get dried out or burnt from direct summer sun.

Strelitzia will get bigger each year. Repot in a bigger pot every year, and they do bloom in time as long as you protect from frost...even in Zones 6-8.

My sister-in-law grew S. reginae in a pot in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota (Zone6). Hers first flowered in an 8" pot after becomming root bound and left out on the patio till the first danger of frost (night temps were in the 40s).
At that time it immediately went indoors into a sunny window, and bloomed all winter long. At its peak size (occupying a half-barrel), it had 30 blooms in a season (YES, in Minnesota Zone 6!!) Because it was so big it was hard to move the pot, so she divided it into 4 parts and sold 3 of the divisions for $40 each, each division in 14" pots, all of which still have several blooms per year. :)

I grew a BOP from seed to its first (single) flower, in 4 years, while living in USDA Zone7. When it bloomed the first time it was in a 8" pot! :)

I have an Aunt who has done the same -seed to flower- in only 3 years, who lives in Zone8. :)

Pretty easy to start from fresh seed. Germination can be up to 90%, if bottom heat of 25C is supplied.

Congrats to Bonnie for guessing Grovespirit's favorite orange seed! There will be a surprise prize in your return bubble envelope.

Grovespirit, thanks for the directions for growing Bird of Paradise from seed. I think a lot of us have no idea about growing tropical plants. You said it first bloomed for your sister-in-law after it became root bound. Is that something that normally encourages blossoming for the BOP?? Just wondering. I know some plants really need that crowding to bloom well.

Penny

Bonnie

Today I received packages from patti1957 and dem_pa. Thanks Patti and Don!

Here's an update on the status of the Orange Seed Swap.

Seeds Received:
highalttransplant
jaynine
poisondartfrog
dusty314
ramazz
trudi_d
gmom2-6boys
carsons_mimi
patti1957
mmqchdygg
dem_pa

Seeds Not Received Yet:
lindaruzika
brandymulvaine ***in the mail***
butterflymomok
grovespirit

Brandy, I bring a lot of plants indoors, too. They have taken over our small sunroom. In there, I have several geraniums, two miniature tea roses, several gerberas, two tropical hibiscus, several herbs not hardy here (rosemary, Goodwin Creek lavender, pineapple sage, lemon verbena, etc.), several hot peppers I'm try to overwinter and some begonias and coleus in the shady parts. It looks like a jungle in there!

Penny

Jungles are nice, especially when it's nasty outside!
-B

Today, I received brandymulvaine's package of seeds today. Thanks Brandy!

Waiting for three more packages to arrive, then I can start sorting seeds and filling envelopes for their return trip.

Penny

Thanks and hugs ya'll,
Wendy / sassyb...

No seed packages arrived today. Still waiting on a few. Thanks Linda for letting me know that your seeds have been mailed. Butterflymomok and Grovespirit, if you happen to read this post, could you let me know if your seeds have been mailed. Thank you so much!

Hi Wendy!
Yes, I emailed you. I was just trying to find out if you were still planning on hosting the Green Seed Swap in January. There has been some interest in continuing the Color of the Month Swaps, so I was just trying to confirm that you would be hosting the green one so that we can come up with a new schedule for 2010. I emailed Carrie as well about the Chocolate swap for December but I don't believe that that will happen. I have not heard back from her and I don't think she has been active on GardenWeb since about April. Anyway, that is all that the email was about but I'll resend it. Thanks so much for getting back to me!

Penny

I'm working on an email to you with a few questions.

Lynn/Carsons_Mimi

Just my 2 cents,
Bonnie

However, they also just got returned to me today due to a supposed postage shortage... Which is bizarre given that I took it to a PO and used one of *THE PO's* mailing robots to mail it!! Grrr...

SO, now I have to somehow get myself back to the PO by bus to re-mail this thing, and then stand in the long line of folks waiting to be served too. Not a piece of cake given the chronic mobility-limiting condition I suffer from, for more info see my post on this thread:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/roundrobin/msg1215195215149.ht ml?10

DC# for my Orange seeds, which hubbs re-mailed today via an actual, live postal clerk:
0309 1140 0001 3139 2809

I have been sick as a dog for the last few days so that is the reason for the lack of updates.

Linda, I received your package of seeds today in the mail. Thank you!

Grovespirit, thanks for letting me know that your seeds have been mailed -- TWICE!!! I'm glad that your hubby was able to help.

butterflymomok is that only other person I have not heard from. I'm not sure if she has mailed in seeds or if she decided not to participate in this swap. butterflymomok if you read this, please let me know.

I know that in my original post I said that I would mail seeds back out by November 19th which is today. I kind of knew that was probably too ambitious of a schedule even when I wrote it. LOL!! Since, I'm still waiting on a few packages, I would guess seeds will most likely be mailed back out after Christmas when the post office is back open for business.
Hopefully that means Monday, December 28th, but if not, by New Years seeds will be mailed out.

Highalttransplant and Grovespirit, yes I absolutely think we should have the Chocolate Seed Swap! We also missed the the White and Pink Swaps earlier this year so I'd like to see them happen as well. Wendy is thinking about whether she will be able to host the Green Seeds Swap in January as she has some tough things going on right now. She said she would get back to us. I thought that I would post an organizing thread for these missed swaps and any other color swaps that people might like to do after Christmas. Sort of a Color of the Month Swaps, 2010 Edition. I don't think enough people are reading this thread anymore to try to organize that in this thread and that it would be better to wait until after Christmas when more people will back on the forums. Do you guys think that sounds like a good idea??

Okay, that's all for now as Dude is trying to destroy the Christmas tree as a write!! Little rascal!

Penny

***humming the Madonna song in my head***

;-)

Grovespirit, your seeds arrived today. Thank you!

This was the last package of seeds that I was waiting for. I'll be sorting and filling bubble envelopes this weekend so seeds should be in the mail on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Holiday! It looks like we are going to be having a very WHITE Christmas here. Our first blizzard of the winter is going to hit on Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Penny

The packages are all in the mail!!!! You should receive them next week sometime. I just got them up to the post office this morning. My fibromyalgia and chronic fatique syndrome has been acting up REALLY bad lately so it has taken me a bit longer than I would have wished. I went through everyone's want lists (those of you who had them) and I hope that I found everyone something that you wanted.

I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!!!

Happy growing,

Penny (and Dude)

Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. I'm thinking the stress and busyness of the holidays probably aggravates your condition. Hopefully, once the holidays are behind you, you can rest and recuperate. Don't worry about taking extra time. It will be like getting a belated Christmas gift.

Thanks again for hosting!

Bonnie

Bonnie

Don (dem_pa)

Becky

Thanks to all of you who took part in this trade.

Thanks to Patty for hosting and I hope you feel better fast.

There were many more seeds than I sent in. I hadn't planned on a color swap so I didn't dry seeds by color. We had really bad gardens this year so a lot of my plants did't get a chance to make seed. I will be ready for whatever in 2010. HOPEFULLY.

Thanks again
gmom

Wow! A lot of people got their seeds today! The post office must have been working over the New Years weekend!

I'm glad you are all liking the seeds I sent.

Gmom, I had a lot of extras ready before I started this swap so everyone got more seeds back than they sent it. It was just something that I wanted to do as so many people have been so generous to me over the last year on GardenWeb. It was a good way for me to give back.

I'm getting ready to post an organizing thread for a new round of Color of the Month Swaps for 2010. It should be up shortly. So if you are interested in hosting a Color swap, keep your eyes open for it.

Penny

Patti

This was my first RR swap so I truly did not know what to expect. I can't believe the generosity of the group. Now finally(!), I can go buy an actual seed box and set up housekeeping!!! My special thanks to all.

Lynn
aka Carsons_Mimi

Lynn, yep, you will need that seed box if you keep on trading. I think that most of us that have been trading for at least a little while can attest to that. I was new to GardenWeb last year and I can't believe how many new and interesting seeds I have accumulated in that time. The generosity of people here never ceases to amaze me.

Penny

Alana