THE BIG EVENT
There are two WG Seed Swaps offered for the general public. One located in Maryland and one in Virginia. For a small fee, a lite-snack and a tote bag of goodies, the day goes by quickly. When there are captivating speakers, more questions come to mind. It is an exciting Saturday at the beginning of Seed Sowing Season.
This year, I attended the second Seed Swap held at Greenspring Gardens. Greenspring is located in Alexandria, Virginia. On the National Historic Register, Greenspring has a beautiful 18th century Plantation house surrounded by breathtaking gardens. It is the perfect setting for any type of horticultural event…or anything special. The Annual Seed Swap is THE Special event of the season.
Marianne Wilburn, garden columnist, Blogger, and author – BIG DREAMS, SMALL GARDEN was the first speaker. Mariann shared terrific tips on how to effectively organize our seeds. Having a planting plan is a great idea so that you can start the right seeds at the right time. Knowing what seeds can be sown together or not is also a big help. Labeling seeds and storing them properly is a task that many of us forget. Having an organized method of keeping track of your seeds, makes seed sowing fun. I know I will use some of Marianne’s tips to gather, organize and sow seeds of success. To find out more about Marianne, click here Small Town Gardener.
Debby Ward, Professional Organic Grower, Founder, Prior Unity Garden. She has sown and grown in Fairfax, Virginia for many years. This woman is an Organic Powerhouse of information. There is more to know what to sow than just going to the store and deciding on a packet of seeds. Debby sowed seeds of wisdom one might not initially consider. It is important to know if they grow seed to sell or do they use small farms to grow for them. Do they belong to professional organizations? What is their mission statement say? This talk had me going back into my seed stash to see who I consider my go-to resources.
As Prior Unity Garden has evolved as a resource for all things Organic locally for the last 10 years. Debby is currently providing online courses in addition to one on one garden coaching. I was happy to find out that one of her favorite seed companies is also one of mine – Renee’s Seeds. To find out more about Debby Ward, click Prior Unity
After the information filled talks, the Seed Swap began. Tables upon tables of shared seeds were available for the attendees to take. In front of an eager audience, Kathy Jentz, Owner – Washington Gardener Magazine, lead the charge. Everyone had the opportunity to see what seeds were available during the breaks. Some participants asked questions or shared experiences from the previous year’s gardens. One lady was looking for Perilla and another shared her beautiful pumpkin. At the end of this year’s Seed Swap, there were minimal seeds left. It was seed sowing season and this year’s participants were serious.
CLEAR YOUR CALENDAR
Here is a tip – SAVE THE DATE. The next Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Swap is January 25, 2020. It will be held at Brookside Gardens. The second date is February 1, 2020, at Green Spring Gardens. Here is a link to find out more, Washington Gardener Magazine.,
Seed sowing season does not end at the seed swap. Once planted, most of the seeds evolve into beautiful plants. Washington Gardener Magazine also sponsors a Photo Contest. Beginning to seasoned photographers submit photographs of all things beautiful found in nature. These photographs are judged and the winners are announced. I was ecstatic to see so many winning entries were from Constitution Gardens on OUR National Mall. To read about the beautification efforts on Our National Mall, read my recap here. I can’t wait to watch Constitution Gardens grow!
On Sunday, June 30 at 2:00 pm, there will be an opening reception to congratulate the winners. Meadowlark Gardens – another beautiful, inspiration filled garden of note – will have an ongoing photo show that will run through July 30, 2019. This gives any seed lover enough time to sow some seeds and take beautiful pictures. The next Garden Photo contest entry period for photos taken in 2019 will begin on 1/1/2020. I know I will be sorting my pictures as I nest this coming winter. To find out why you need to visit Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, click here.
From the creative name tag contest…
to the intense searching and reading the tickets for the raffles, it was a terrific afternoon had by all!
Save some seed for swapping next year. Take pictures throughout the season to document your success. Hope to see you during the 2020 seed-sowing season!
Nesting as I dream about swapping and sowing seeds,
Teri, Cottage In The Court
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