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ericabraun

NEW: My Love Is Like A Valentine's Day Seed Swap

EricaBraun
9 years ago

We all survived Christmas, but now it's time to get ready for Valentine's Day!

Love is in the air... Cupids... Doves... For all of us, there is one thing synonymous with love, and that is our garden. Let's celebrate that love with a Valentine's Day Seed Swap!

RULES:
Qualifying plants come in three catagories:
1) Anything with a Valentine themed name. Ex. Love In a Mist, Chocolate Vine, Cupid's Dart, Bleeding Heart. Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate, etc.
2) Valentine colors. Anything with red, pink, or white fruit, flower, or foliage. Examples include: Alpine Strawberry (red fruit), Appleblossom Yarrow (pink flowers), White Christmas Caladium (white foliage).
3) Symbolism that is appropriate for Valentine's Day. Ex. Heliotrope (eternal love), Honeysuckle (bonds of love), Jasmine (sweet love), Red Salvia (forever mine). For these, please put a notation on the pack stating what the plant symbolizes.

Send in however many packs you'd like, maximum of 100. Whatever you send in will be the amount that I return to you. Only three packs of the same type of seeds are allowed. If you send in more than 3, the extras will be considered bonus and will not count towards the number of packets sent in. Minimum of 15 seeds per pack. No seeds older than 2014. Anything older than 2014 will be considered bonus and will not count towards the number of packets sent in. Please be sure that all packs are marked with a date.

Use a bubble mailer, as this is what I will use to return your new seeds. Include a return label with your address on it, as well as the postage it cost you to send, plus one additional stamp. This will help account for potential differences in weight/bulk, bonus seeds, etc. If you send cash, I will supply you with a tracking number -- this is my preferred method.

Email me a list of what you have sent, so that I make sure to send you different seeds (putting your GW name or initials on your pack is also helpful). If you have a preference as to what you get back, include it on this list. Please no more than five items on your request list. It can be specific, ie "roses," or general, ie "I prefer edibles." I will do what I can to fulfill your requests.

When I have all of the seeds, I will divide them up to send back to you. Any additional seeds welcome.

Deadline to get the seeds to me is Feb 1st. I will get your new seeds out no later than Feb 9th. This will give the post office a full five days to get your packages to you, so that you receive them by Valentine's Day.

Please respond here if you are interested. Remember, the more unusual or rare, the better!

Send seeds to:
Erica Braun
1894 Lindo St
Benicia, CA 94510

And for those of you wondering... Yes, I will be hosting a contest for a chance at a prize!

Wishing you all a fabulous New Year and a Happy Valentine's Day!
Erica

This post was edited by EricaBraun on Wed, Jan 21, 15 at 23:08

Comments (152)

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary -- Just confirming that I got your seed requests. And thanks for sharing the story. There are a lot of animals out there than can use a bit of a helping hand. It always touches my heart to hear about people helping.

    Dawn -- Super bummer! I was actually disappointed that no one did the quote game. If you end up finding something with your answers, that's dated, I'd be happy to give you the win.

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ha, Dawn, I have way too many. June in the early 90s, we were called over to a friend's house, to see "a baby hawk" that a young man had taken in, children were bothering it in the alley. The on going discussion prior to our arrival: Take to a vet? To a shelter? Well, either of those would do what we did. We took it home and got in touch with wildlife people. This was my first hawk experience, I looked at it and thought it might be a peregrine, uh oh, don't want trouble. At home, we had it sit on our leather gloved hands, I have photos of this. Hysterical, tiny tiny fledgling on big clumsy leather work gloves. Sibling in law put us in touch with wonderful lady in Florida (!) that identified this bird for us. An American Kestrel. A small falcon, off came the gloves. She answered a lot of questions and gave us a couple of local contacts, including SOAR. Save Our American Raptors. So we had proper food (insects and small mice) and she perched on the living room curtain rods (no drapes). We did this until she could be "hacked" back to living wild, just ten days. (she had been on her own remember) I was sitting in the dining room, writing out bills ... something went overhead, the silent flight of a falcon. "You hungry?" I defrosted a mousie, then stood on a chair to hand it to her up on the LR curtain rod. Dropped it. Faster than it could register in my head, she stoop dove to the floor and grabbed it. So it was time. We took her out a SOAR rehab family. She joined three other little kestrels for hacking that June. She was banded and released. Enchanting while we had her.

    This post was edited by cottonwood468 on Mon, Jan 26, 15 at 20:52

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Mary. What a fabulous story. That must have been magical being able to help such a beautiful bird.

    Picture below of the American Kestrel.

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, it was such an adventure. BTW, that is a "tercel" a male in the picture...he has that one bar on the end of his tail. Females have several bars on theirs. The females are somewhat larger than males. Kestrels can be used in falconry. You need a permit, etc. Many young birds don't survive their first winter. You don't want to hear they found your band number.
    I had never noticed Kestrels before this experience. It opened my eyes. I saw them all the time after that. You see them up on phone wires, watching for prey. Saw one in our yard that November, not the same one, chasing sparrows.
    Thanks for the beautiful photo.

  • tergrov
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm an old member recently back ,never tried anything like this can I join., Here is what I have ,

    love lies bleeding under the blazing stars ,as Johnny jumps up for the rose for Sharon. If she gives her love in a puff ,their will be Canterbury bells ,in the heart of Graceland , And when it's time to kiss your salvia red hot lips ,,,,,,I know our love will be forever.
    Sincerely
    Butterfly Weed
    A
    symbol of my Love

  • 🌱 ~ 🌿 ~ 🍅
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is my entry for the love poem game!

    My love is like a daffodil
    Resting silent in the loam
    Cradled in earth, coddled by stone
    Keeping me safe and still

    Trembling warmth brushing near
    His touch melting into the ground
    Blades cracking from within the mound
    Fervent slicing you cannot hear

    We reunite, my light and I
    This verdant gleam breaks through
    Ivory meets green as gold meets blue
    Earth tied to blushing sky

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Welcome, tergrov. Please be sure to send your seeds out in the next day or two, since they need to be to me by the 1st.

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Tue, Jan 27, 15 at 14:59

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anyse -- Great poem!

  • cryptid
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My poem:

    My love is like a gentle, summer breeze,...
    delightfully unexpected,
    delicious with fresh mown grass
    and honeysuckle communing with bees.

    Enraptured with Nature, and all her sensations,
    with eyes smilingly closed, I am embraced
    by a loving invitation to partake of her glory
    and join the celebration.

    Seeds become gifts, become food, become flowers,
    lovingly tended, helping them grow is a passion of ours,...
    and by ours I totally mean to convey I see all of GardenWeb precisely this way.

    The love that we share is rooted together,...for the love of
    a garden, like birds of a feather.

    The splendor, the bounty, whatever the season, we all gather here for precisely this reason.

    -Cryptid

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bravo, Darrin! Wow, you guys are going to make this one hard to judge. I knew we had a lot of fabulous gardeners here, but I didn't realize we had such good poets!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jen and Terri -- I received both of your packs today. Everything looks great.

    Jen -- I had to come back and add that I love your seed pouches!

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 21:41

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For those of you who haven't mailed your seeds yet, don't forget they need to be to me by the 1st. Try to get them in the mail tomorrow.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sigma3 -- I received your pack today.

  • Artemis
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Erica - I completely lost track of the time! I can pack the seeds up today after work, so they'll go out in tomorrows mail, if that's alright.

    Artemis

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Artemis -- Sounds great!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary -- Thanks for the email. Since you don't receive my emails, I figured I'd respond here. Thanks for the bonus seeds. As for the quotes, the Dr. Seuss quote was my favorite too. The Ovid and Bailey were close runners up. I got a good chuckle when I came across the Ovid one. It really resonated with me.

  • dawn1972
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Erica, did you get my email about dropping out.

  • dawn1972
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Erica, did you get my email last night?

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dawn -- I didn't get your email. Sorry. If you are sending your emails through GW, it is notoriously unreliable.

    I sent you an email. You should be able to respond to that without any problem.

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Fri, Jan 30, 15 at 13:50

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary (cottonwood) and Terry -- I received packs from both of you today!

    Mary (cottonwood) -- Thank you so much for all the extra goodies. What kind of leaf was that? It was very unusual. Looked like a maple on crack. Lol.

    Besides, Dawn, Anyse, and Artemis whose packs are en-route. Does anyone else still have a pack that is on its way to me? If no one else speaks up, I will begin sorting as soon as those last three packs arrive.

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 19:14

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh yes, that is a leaf from my Cardinal Climber vine, Ipomoea sloteri. I was so taken with the beautiful leaves, I stuck several in a phone book. If any crafty people need dried leaves, that would be ideal to grow. It has red flowers. I grew it for the first time this year and it was a winner for me. Mary E.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. That's very cool. I haven't seen anything that looks quite like that before.

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    duplicate

    This post was edited by cottonwood468 on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 22:19

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, and as the vine grows, the leaves are all different sizes. From about one inch up to the size of your open hand The leaf was part of the decorate your own valentine, in the package.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Terry (tergrov) -- I just checked your pack. You forgot to include return postage and a return address label. I sent you an email.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anyse -- I received your pack today!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Artemis -- I received your pack today.

    I think I'm just waiting on a pack from Dawn now.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If anyone wants to send in their two cents on who they think should win the Valentine's poem, please feel free to email me your vote anytime between now and the 5th. Votes for yourself do not count. On Feb 6th, I will announce the winner.

    Here are the contestants:
    gardener365
    blossombrigade
    cryptid

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just had time to open Artemis's pack. Unless I missed it, these were the only seeds that included some symbology. I got a good smile out of it, so thought I'd share:

    Lilac -- symbol of young love
    Black Spanish Round Radish -- symbol of lust
    Garden Strawberry -- symbol of love

    And then there was this clever one: Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli with the notation "originated in Calabria, Italy and we all know St Valentine was from Rome!"

    Thanks Artemis for giving us some great symbology and a historic reference! And thank you for the hostess gifts!

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Wed, Feb 4, 15 at 0:30

  • Artemis
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm glad you enjoyed that, Erica!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Today (5th) is your last day to email me your vote for the "My Love is Like..." poetry contest. I've received one vote so far from Jen. I'll be announcing the winner on the 6th.

    The contestants are:
    gardener365
    blossombrigade
    cryptid

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Thu, Feb 5, 15 at 0:16

  • terrigail_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've emailed my vote!

  • patton40
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Got my vote emailed!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jamie, I received your vote. Terri, I didn't get yours. I sent you an email to vote again. If you voted through GW's email service, it is extremely unreliable.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have Terri's vote now. We have 3 votes in!

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I voted twice (both email addresses) Mary E.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary -- Lol. I saw. I checked my reg email, then logged on to my alternate to email you back!

    So, we have 4 votes in and it's a two way tie at the moment!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I received a vote from Dawn. We're no longer tied.

  • cryptid
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Most interestedly reading,...but, otherwise, not posting (well,...except for this, of course).

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Winner will be announced in about 35 mins!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Game Winners

    I'm a few mins late getting this posted.

    Congratulations to Cryptid for the poetry contest!! Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote.

    Darrin, please pick 10 packs from my trade list and email me your choices.

    For our two runners up, gardener365 and blossombrigade, please pick 3 packs from my trade list and email me your choices.

    Thanks to everyone who participated!

    This post was edited by EricaBraun on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 0:47

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My love is like tulip colors sharp in rainlight
    like heirloom tomatoes free of blight

    Congrats to all the winners! Mary E.

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mary -- I love it!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Starting a new thread, since this one is almost full.

  • cottonwood468
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Teeth
    Watermarked sepals
    Colors sharp in morning light
    Today ruffled tepals
    Lily

  • cryptid
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congratulations to Cryptid for the poetry contest!! Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote.

    Darrin, please pick 10 packs from my trade list and email me your choices.

    For our two runners up, gardener365 and blossombrigade, please pick 3 packs from my trade list and email me your choices.

    Thanks to everyone who participated!

    Holy Cow! Wow! I actually won?! What a great day this day has been,...I even found a quarter on the ground when Elly & I were out grocery shopping! Thank you so very much, everyone! This is definitely a first for me regarding GardenWeb themed swaps. But more importantly, as did Erica, I totally likewise thank my fellow participants for their excellent entries as well! - Again,...Wow!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rofl, Darrin. I like your holy cow!

  • Artemis
    9 years ago

    Received seeds today. Thanks, everyone!

  • EricaBraun
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Holy snail mail! Yours took forever to get to you! Glad they got there though. :)