Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Braselton News
Page 11A
Seed collecting, sharing: A great way to celebrate the season
Arts festival planned in Winder
Gardener’s
Grapevine
with
Fil Jessee
filwrites@aol.com
It’s the season of plen
ty or, rather, it used to
be before all of our water
began to disappear. But,
regardless, fall is always a
great time to harvest seed
for sharing with friends
and to get a head start on
a hopefully better year for
gardening in 2008.
When hiking in areas where
wildflowers bloom, you’ll find
an abundance of seed pods and
capsules this year in spite of the
continuing drought, and might
want to collect these to start your
own low-maintenance beds or to
give to gardening friends.
And you can do the same with a
number of domesticated annuals
like marigolds, zinnias, daisies,
spider flowers and impatiens.
This is not only a practical
activity, but also a good way to
get children interested in garden
ing and to introduce them to the
concept of gift-giving long before
they’re financially able to shop
for presents.
Seed collecting also inspires
kids to develop an early apprecia
tion for nature, conservation, and
the cycle of life. And in addition,
it’s a good way to create living
mementoes and souvenirs from
vacations and infrequent visits
with loved ones.
From my own youth, I remem
ber that planting something that
grew in Granny’s flower beds
or Grandaddy’s vegetable garden
always seemed to keep us closer
together when, geographically,
we were hundreds of miles apart.
And it was fun to grow from seed
various plants and trees that I
associated with various vacation
points of interest.
For both youngsters and adults,
collected seeds accompanied with
proper identification and plant
ing instructions make great little
envelope stuffers to accompany
holiday greeting cards. But to
ensure a recipient’s success in
growing these requires special
attention to proper techniques for
drying and storage.
It’s a mistake to place freshly-
collected seeds in an airtight jar or
medicine bottle. The same is true
with sealed sandwich or freezer
bags. Even seeds that appear dry
when harvested may contain just
enough moisture to generate the
growth of mold or fungus in such
containers.
Most seeds will maintain their
health and vitality better if air-
dried before storage and, then,
placed in cloth bags or paper.
Begin the process by cleaning the
seeds of clinging petals, pods, or
debris, and spreading them out
on dry newspaper in the garage
or similarly shaded location pro
tected from the wind. Let them
remain there for at least two days
before storing.
Once completely clean and dry
on the outside, seeds may be
stored in a cool dark place, like
a broom closet or pantry shelf.
Another good place to park them
is your refrigerator door, but never
in the freezer section. A long
continuous chill between harvest
and planting time will help many
get off to a better start and, with
some, it’s absolutely essential for
them to break dormancy.
For seeds of tropical origin,
such as impatiens, coleus, salvia,
angel trumpet, and four-o’clocks,
a head-start in flats, followed by
replanting in pots, can be suc
cessfully accomplished as early
as December.
The light these young plants
might receive from an east, south,
or west-facing window is usually
more than sufficient to keep them
from becoming too weak and
leggy indoors.
The plants should also be main
tained in warm but not hot con
ditions, and watered frequently
enough to keep the soil moist but
not soggy. Too much moisture
can lead to damp off, especially
when accompanied by chilly air.
Seeds of wildflowers and most
annuals or perennials that pre
fer full sun, on the other hand,
should not be started until late
February or March. The less time
these seedlings spend indoors,
the better. But at the same time,
it doesn’t pay to get in too big a
hurry to move them from inside
protection to their permanent
planting sites outside.
Rows of these seedlings should
be thinned by selectively pinch
ing or transplanting to avoid
overcrowding. And a week or
two prior to their final move
to the garden, relocate the flats
to a partially sunny spot on the
deck, porch, or patio to let them
toughen up a bit in the cool night
air. This process is known as
“hardening off,” and it greatly
improves the overall strength of
the seedlings and their ability to
withstand heavy showers or wind
without breaking.
Although it’s very tempting to
let a seedling’s first flower buds
open at the earliest possible date,
it’s better for the long-term flow
er-power of the plant if you pinch
these out. This early removal of
the first blooms will encourage
better branching, stronger stems,
and a longer lasting show.
Whenever possible, I like to
photograph the blooming plants
from which I collect seed, both in
the garden and in the wild. I can,
then, download the pictures of the
plants, print copies, and include
with seed packets I present as
gifts. By so doing, the recipients
of my gift seed packets not only
have a better idea of how the
forthcoming flowers should look
but, also, of how tall and wide
they should grow.
Fil Jessee lives in Braselton,
where he works as a freelance
journalist. He is a Georgia
Certified Plant Professional with
experience in ornamental hor
ticulture and landscape design.
Reader questions relating to gar
dening can be sent to Fil at fil-
writes@aol.com.
The Georgia Piedmont Arts
Center in Winder is inviting
everyone to attend the 10 th annu
al Harvest of Art two-day indoor
festival on Saturday, November
10, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and
Sunday, November 11, from noon
until 4 p.m.
The festival is being held the
same weekend as the Winder
Chautauqua Celebration.
Art in all mediums will be dis
played and offered for sale both
days. There will be art demonstra
tions all day long on Saturday and
children’s art activities will be
offered on Sunday.
More than 20 area artists have
already registered to participate,
including: Joyce Nelson, paint
er; John Weber, photographer; Jo
Cooper, painter; Dottie McCague,
jewelry design; Alice Stark,
painter, jewelry designer; Ben
The Northeast Georgia History
Center at Brenau University,
Gainesville, will hold its fourth
annual ghost walk on Friday and
Saturday, Oct. 26-27.
The tour will feature two new
stories and updates to other sto
ries. Stories will include the Hall
County Library ghost and ghosts
at the old Gainesville Mill, which
was struck by a tornado in 1903.
The walk occurs, rain or shine.
Guests are asked to wear com
fortable shoes for the five block
walking tour of the Brenau
Willingham, painter and gourd
artist; Bill Cooper, potter; Rose
Hardy, glass artist; Lou Germain,
ceramic artist; Bobbie Austin,
painter, sculptress; Myrna Trapp,
potter; George Germain, painter;
Joyce Shores, potter; Craig Gill,
glass artist; Loy Lawrence, wood
worker; Luz Rodriquez, painter,
potter; Kathleen Gill, glass artist,
photographer; Rebecca McCartt,
painter, mixed media; Christina
Sullo, potter; Paul Handy, potter;
and Charleen Romine, glass artist.
The Georgia Piedmont Arts
Center is located E. Athens Street
at the intersection with Park
Avenue in downtown Winder.
This event is free to the pub
lic. Call Kathleen Gill at
404-202-3044 for additional infor
mation or visit the web site at
www.GeogiaPiedmontArtsCenter.
com.
neighborhood. Tours are limited
to 25-30 people per group and
begin every 20 minutes, from 6
p.m. to the last tour at 8 p.m.
The tour lasts for an hour and a
half. The tour is not recommend
ed for children under school age
or persons with limited mobil
ity.
Tickets are $6 for history cen
ter members and $10 for non
members.
Reservations are suggested.
Lor more information, call the
history center at 770-297-5900.
Ghost tours set in Gainesville
JOSEPH
Joseph joins
ReMax team
in Braselton
ReMax Towne Square announc
es that agent Andrea Joseph has
joined the RMTS team and will
be working from ReMax Towne
Square’s newest location in
Braselton on Hwy. 53.
Joseph’s focus is on creative
advertising paired with competi
tive pricing and professional list
ings. Customer service is her
greatest asset.
She may be reached at
706-658-2000.
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