I've just finished sealing all return envelopes. I'm heading out to the Post office now.






This is the evidence of all of us being seed addicts!

I almost broke my back lifting this bin, it's so heavy. My husband has offered to bring me to the post office so he can carry it in! I wouldn't make it across the parking lot with the weight of this thing.

Happy planting ladies/gents

PS: Thank you to those of you who put notes of thanks/candies in your seed packages!

They look a little bloated, like they had too much eggnog.

Oh, gosh, thanks Lisa!!! What a wonderful surprise (yes, it's always a surprise) it will be when they arrive.
I always consider Winter Solstice as the first day of the new planting year. I started my first set of seeds this morning, and preparing some for the refrigerator cold stratification (not enough winter in Florida). Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year, and especially you, Lisa!

Woo-hoo! Mine is estimated to arrive Tuesday.

YAY!!! We'll figure out where to plant them all.

I forgot to mention in my original post that I signed up for click and ship with the USPS((thanks @poisondartfrog), this reduced the cost of mailing to $8.80 per player. As I was getting packages ready today I realized that I didn't have enough singles to send everyone back their $2 change. I started to keep a list but gave up towards the end, I was pushing it close and possibly going to miss post office.

If you receive your package and the $2 change is not in there, you can message me and I will send it out in a regular envelope.

Happy Solstice Friends! I have this tradition of selecting one seed type to winter sow to kick off the season. This year it's Bleeding Heart. What's in your first milk jug?

@DeerXing that's cool! I never thought about starting bleeding hearts from seed. Is it a particular variety? I just have the common pink ones and some white bleeding hearts.

Once my trade package arrives I'm going to winter sow daylily seeds in milk jugs.

Thank you, Lisa! It's always exciting to receive that big package of seeds.

So excited they're out in the mail!! It will be my best Christmas present!! Thanks so much Lisa for doing all this! Merry Christmas,
Mary Jo

Thanks for passing on the savings Lisa. I hope you didn't put 2$ in my envelope. You do an incredible job of corralling us seedy sycophants without profiting yourself and do extra work to include extra fun as much as you can. That's a point of honor, but paper and ink, baggies, etc. are not free. An extra dollar or two here and there to help cover expenses won't hurt you. If it does here's a 🩹.

Mollie670 said: @DeerXing that's cool! I never thought about starting bleeding hearts from seed. Is it a particular variety? I just have the common pink ones and some white bleeding hearts.

Once my trade package arrives I'm going to winter sow daylily seeds in milk jugs.

Wishing you daylily sprouts in the new year! Bleeding heart is new to me. I have read the seeds must be fresh. These are not. What to do? Toss, trade, or sow? Sow! I will be charmed and amazed if 2024 brings one sprout from this pinch of seed. It's all about hope, I guess!

@DeerXing , I was busy finalizing swap packages all day. I empty all packages one at a time to be sure all the bundles in each envelope belong. It's time consuming. I had to finish typing in address information to use click and ship for packages. I left my house about 3:30 to head to the post office which is over 20 minutes away. By the time all packages were scanned for mailing, it was too late to make the store I buy my growing medium.

I got nothing planted for the first time in a long time on winter solstice BUT I got all packages mailed out on winter solstice. 😀

I'll plant something on Saturday, I watch my granddaughter all day today. The good thing is that when I drive her home this evening, I can pick up my growing medium around the corner from my daughter's house.

poisondartfrog said: Thanks for passing on the savings Lisa. I hope you didn't put 2$ in my envelope. You do an incredible job of corralling us seedy sycophants without profiting yourself and do extra work to include extra fun as much as you can. That's a point of honor, but paper and ink, baggies, etc. are not free. An extra dollar or two here and there to help cover expenses won't hurt you. If it does here's a 🩹.

I couldn't say it any better. Lisa!

@poisondartfrog, Thank you! It does cost money to host a swap but I really enjoy doing it. It makes me feel good when players receive their new bounty!

This year was even better than last year with everyone listing their best seeds. @Bluespiral donations give so many great extras! The games that you play in addition to what I'm able to pull off all contribute to a successful swap!

@DeerXing, I actually sowed 10 yesterday and put several into my refrigerator for cold stratification, but my very first one I sowed was campanula rotundifolia (Scottish bluebells) - seeds of remembrance for my Dad, it was his favorite flower.

@Mollie670, I have had fabulous luck with the daylily seeds I've received from this swap in the past. The Witch's Thimble had lovely blooms, and I divided it, so am expecting more blooms this year. Others I've started (would have to look up the names in my journal) have thriving foliage, so I am expecting this to be a good year for dallies

My package is arriving today...how exciting! Thank you everyone!🙂

@janinilulu , you'll have another package coming. I missed a few extras I have for you.🤦‍♀️

Mine isn't even showing up on my Informed Delivery yet I don't think! It's coming from MA, correct, not MN?

@feebean . I sent you your tracking number. I looked it up and it's due to arrive on the 26th.