From: "Tyra Smith"
Subject: Plantable Ornaments Tips/Techs #1 11/19/97From: Aglaia Handcrafts
I've seen the plantable dove shpae ornaments in the Seeds of Change catalog & been thinking of making up some myself to give with gifts (theirs are 3 small ones, flat - no 3 dimensional design - for $7.95 plus shipping & I counted about 8 seeds in each of their notecards (5 cards for $16 - get papermaking folks!), I'm kinda into detail on those seed counts :-).My plan was to just make THICK sheets, then cut out the shapes I want when the paper is dry - foregoing all mold issues and I can make many different shapes easily. I'll probably use raffia ties as they did for tree hanging. I won't iron the sheets to dry as seeds are living organisms and that much concentrated heat could kill them. What I've been playing with is which seeds for which folks. I do seed collecting from my garden and swaps. I know my brother grows snapdragons in part of his yard AND has a sprinkler that comes on once per day which would mean they could plant the ornaments and they'd sprout. I don't have any snapdragon greens so will most likely just cut up and dry any old thing for the plant material in the paper. Nicotiana sprouts easily and is a wonderful plant. Cosmos & marigolds have pretty long thin seeds that look good in the paper & may be the easiest two flowers to grow from seeds but they're not planted till late spring. For winter planting (take tree down and stick ornament in dirt) violas and pansies work. **The lady who started the discussion is doing sunflowers which are also wonderful looking seeds and VERY easy to grow.* Wanting to do squash or gourds (they sprout in 3 days or so, so very rewarding for kids to plant). Will do lots of sweet alyssum as everyone has a lil blob somewhere and if planted out here (CAL) after Xmas it should come up fine with our spring rains (if we don't flood and drown everything with El Nino).
A word to the wise - avoid most herb seeds, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes. I grow them from seed but it's a pain - parsley can take 5 weeks of keeping damp just to sprout, the three veggies need very warm temps - my seed trays sit on top of the stove for a couple weeks, these are only good for your avid seed started friends.
If you are buying seed packets to use check GERMINATION TIME (10 days is ok, some gourds say 10, then sprout in two days, anything longer than 2 weeks is too difficult to deal with for most folks who'd plant the ornaments/notecards.
PLEASE tell folks what color and how tall your plants should be if flowers - it does matter to gardener types - tho many will want to simply save these for year-to-year use.
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From: Aglaia Handcrafts
A word to the wise - most catalogs omit to mention when a plant is a bear to start from seed - Germination time is generally a clue (think of a damp pot of dirt in a warm spot on top of the stove (I have gas pilot lights) for 40 to 60 days just to sprout - arrgh. Veggies are generally easy, herbs gernerally hard (tho easy from cuttings but that's a whole different matter) and most flowers easy tho I've NEVER gotten impatiens to work for me.GREAT Seed Catalogs:
Sherperd's Garden Seeds - wonderul seeds many heirloom, great company, most of my seeds have come from this company over the years and I've always been pleased. Say Burpee and Park will carry everything but Sheperds and Seeds of Change will only carry seeds that are easier to grow or very different varietes. Wonderful sketches of plants, no color photos. 1-860-482-3638
email: gardener@sheperdseeds.com
web site: http://www.sheperdseeds.com
30 Irene St Torrington, CT 06790-6658
Seeds of Change - ORGANIC, many heirloom, few color photos 1-888-762-7333
email: gardener@seedsofchange.com
web site: www.seedsofchange.com
PO Box15700
Sante Fe, NM 87506-5700
Burpee - GREAT color pictures of almost everything & wonderful 2 page planting chart (when bloom, how much sun, height, when to sow..). Better than MANY plant books and FREE.
1-800-888-1447
300 Park Ave
Warminster, PA 18991-0001
Park Seed - ditto above PLUS germination time is listed in their plant index (not listed in Burpee).
1-864-941-4206
email: info@parkseed.com
1 Parkton Ave
Greenwood, SC 29647-0001
---------------------------------------- From: Aglaia Handcrafts
1. When you make your paper, do you just set the seeds in the slurry as you take it out of the water? Yes. I lift up the sheet, then sprinkle the seeds over it before all the water drains, then turn it out and press the water out on a couching cloth with a sponge (and the pressing sets the seeds). To sprinkle the bigger seeds while the frame is still in the water so they'll be enough paper around them to hold them in.2. Does wetting the seeds (in the wet paper) cause them to sprout? Get your paper to dry within a day, very few seeds would sprout in less than two days of dampness - say in the oven with pilot light on or in a warm room, only let them dry as single sheets, don't pile up a big wet mess. (I'll place mine on a camp/portable table and place it near a heat vent). **Seeds can handle a bit of water before sprouting.** Many seeds must be washed before saving and soaking (say tomato with the goop stuck to it) is part of the whole seed saving process.
3. Was the concern for germination time because of this fact or was it because you don't want people to have to wait too long? Because I don't want people to wait too long and it's often indicative of seeds which may be harder to get to grow into plants (I've never gotten an imaptien plant from seeds tho I've tried). I wanted something that would grow should the person plant it.
4. If these are given as Christmas gifts, can they be held and planted in the spring in colder climes, like Missouri? (Recommended planting time here is late April, early May. Except for Poppies--Feb. on them.) Yes, once the paper is dry it's a fine storing mechanism for the seeds, can be held to a year or more.
5. Are there any flower seeds to avoid? I would think the smaller, flatter seeds would be best. Well,I may try to do big round morning glories (have two friends who like them) and just plan to make REALLY thick sheets so they don't tear thru the paper, but I think the best "look" is the longer thin seeds like marigolds, sunflowers, cosmos and such. My alyssum I hope to put the lil branches in the paper with seeds attached.
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From: inkyangel@juno.com
I tried the teenie bit of glue thing..didn't germinate due to the glue. Easiest way to do it is to sprinkle the seeds onto the screen which is holding the still wet paper pulp amd gently press the seeds to imbed them into the pulp. The stuff I've seen and made was left fairly thick to hold onto the seeds. I made this with my clients (group home) for Mother's day and one Mother brought us a bouquet of the flowers snap dragons. It's easier than people are making it out to be.---------------------------------
From: Linda Isarael
Why not sprinkle them on when you spread the paper out while it is simi wet and place something hard over it to push them into the paper. That should keep the seed from sprouting, who knows it could look really neat.