I was raised by depression era parents.
They were not over the top tight
But let’s just say I never leave a room
Without turning off the lights.
They were however
Extravagant in all the right places.
Loving, giving, sharing.
I’m a lucky lady.
What I experienced in childhood
Shows up over and over again
In my garden.
I guess that’s what you can attribute
My seed collecting to.
I simply can’t throw anything away
That might turn into a plant
In someone else’s garden.
The problem is
In a garden the size of mine
That’s a ton of seeds.
You can’t just let them all drop to the ground
Or your garden will become
Even more of a jungle.
Now seeds are generally tiny
So you would think I’d have room
To store endless amounts.
That’s what I thought
Till it got totally out of control.
Last spring
I dug all of my seeds out
From the places I’ve stashed them
And put them in these clear jars.
Plants like Purple Coneflower
And Gloriosa Daisies
Are just too big
Or too prickly
For the space I have.
Luckily my friend Martha
Has five acres that she is planting
To flowers for pollinators.
We garden together at Faith Farm
Twice a week.
So I’ve been taking
Grocery sacks full of deadheads
To her for the past several weeks.
I love finding good homes for things.
Right now my potting bench
Is covered with German Bearded Iris
Waiting to go back in the ground.
Some will go here
Others still need a home.
Zinnias are drying
Along side dahlias.
Dahlias are a new challenge for me.
I really don’t know what I’m doing with them yet.
Much research ahead of me.
So what do I do with all of this.
Some goes into my garden
But most are
“Up for adoption”.
Because there is only
So much Larkspur
And Cockscomb
A garden can handle.
I hope you will come by my house
This fall and make a few selections
From my seed inventory.
Because seeds need to be spread around
And given homes
Where they can take root.
Loving, giving, sharing.
Thanks Mom and Dad.
Gail
In My Garden 