Winter Solstice Means Winter Sowing

Finally! The day I have been waiting for. Time to start my winter sowing. I’m a little worried, though. I only have 55 containers. I hope that it’s enough.

This winter sowing is a sickness, isn’t it?


To start me off, I have seeds from the Joe Pye Weed around the parking lot of Holly House at Rutgers Gardens. Also gathered “without permission”, seeds from some kind of lilies. I was having dinner at a restaurant with a patio and there was the nicest stand of lilies that had bloomed and set seed. I have no idea what color they are, but I gathered seeds anyway. My non-gardening dinner companion was mortified. Maybe Carol should add “embarrassing friends and family by harvesting seeds from public areas” to her list of Gardening Geek characteristics.

“Legally” gathered from my own gardens are Bachelors’ Buttons, Nigella and Blackberry lilies. The Blackberry lilies fall into the “experimental” category. The squirrels kept eating the seed pods before they ripened. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I harvested all of the seedpods and dried them indoors. The resulting seed is shriveled and dull rather than round and shiny. I don’t know if they are viable so I didn’t offer any on the Garden Bloggers’ Seed Exchange. If they are viable, I will offer seed next year. “Legally” gathered from the Rutgers Gardens Herb Bed are chive seeds for the Accidental Herb Bed.

I participated in two trades on the GBSE. I now have parsley for my Butterfly/Hummingbird bed from Colleen and coreopsis from Gina.

Kerri was kind enough to send me seeds for both pink and white dicentra in exchange for some columbine seed. I love Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts! The white will go into my new White Garden which has Dutchman’s Breeches and white chelone from Well Sweep Herb Farm. I plan on adding white foxglove and variegated hosta to complete the shady bed.

It’s so good to have my hands in the dirt again.