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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. Please Recycle This Newspaper! 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