This Weekend - "Plant Yard Sale" - Sunday only

Our "Plant Yard Sale" will be on Sunday 8/28 this weekend. On Saturday, DH will be home, taking a well-earned day off!

Our current list of available plants is here. 

I'm looking forward to meeting Tallahassee Plant People on Saturday, 8/27, at their monthly Plunch (Plants/Brunch/Fun) event!

Native Plants for Moss Garden Terrariums

All summer, I've been encouraging our native mosses and ferns to grow in pots and planters in shady places. With all the rain we've been getting, they have really spread! 

To enjoy these woodland plants indoors, I've been planting moss garden terrariums. 

Terrariums in three styles and two sizes will be available  at this weekend's "Plant Yard Sale"!

• small garden terrariums
• medium garden terrarium

1) Woodland Dish Garden (small garden terrarium)

Two kinds of moss, and lichen on a branch, grow together in an elegant dish garden for a seating or study area.

Keep the lightweight cover on between viewings to maintain humidity, and spray lightly with rainwater or distilled water when condensation no longer forms on the glass. Provide filtered light.

Native plants, sustainably grown. Easy care to leave plenty of time for serene contemplation.

Charcoal and pebble base layer. Lightweight cover provided. Glass vase 3 ½” tall x 4 ½” wide.

Hot Days and 'Forest Fire' Celosias

This year, instead of buying Celosia seed, I used saved seed from my 2020 'Forest Fire' Celosia plants. I had bought the 'Forest Fire' variety from Fedco Seeds in 2019. (Although Fedco didn't carry 'Forest Fire' seed this year, they do offer a similar Wheat Celosia variety, 'Ruby Parfait.')

Wheat Celosia plants thrive during our hot summers in north Florida. I love growing them!

Celosia's light-dependent seeds are easy to start when the weather is warm, and Celosias make great fresh cut flowers and dried flowers for fall arrangements. They can also be added to potpourri for a touch of color.

Celosia plants are big, and they grow somewhat loosely in the garden, so they can look a little wild. But, when the flowers are cut, they can be grouped closely together in a vase for a fun, dramatic look. 

To dry the flowers, I bundle several stems together with a rubber band.

I slip an opened paper clip under the rubber band to make a hook for hanging the bundle. 

Then I put the bundles inside paper lunch bags to keep them dust-free until they're dry. The bags also catch any seeds that fall off the flower heads.

Now I can enjoy my Celosias when the hot days of summer are done!

Ashwood Homestead Plants and Products

Our plants and products become available for you throughout the seasons. 

Here is an updated list of what is ready now. (pdf available for easy viewing and printing)

(edited for changes to plant availability 8/22/22)

Free Template for Printing Homemade Seed Packets

Yesterday's post showed how to use a sheet of printer paper to fold a 3" x 5" seed packet with no cutting or gluing! 

Today, I'm sharing a link to a free pdf template, so you can print your own seed packets to fill in with information from your favorite seed-saving adventures!

https://tinyurl.com/2s3wp4mv

This link will take you to my Google Drive where you can access the pdf template for printing.

There's space on the front for plant name(s), the place you collected the seed, the (approximate) number of seeds in your packet, and the "main" use of the plant. Tags like "herb," "vegetable," "perennial," "annual," or "native plant" might be helpful as you organize your collection.

You can note the growing zones, height and width of the plant, and some notes on special characteristics like bloom color, fragrance, and the plant's history. 

On the back, there's space for planting and growing instructions. You can list depth to plant, days to germination, and care of plants over the growing year here.

Hope you enjoy using your Free Foldable Homemade Seed Packets with no cutting and no gluing! 

I'd love to hear about the seeds you collect this year!

Homemade Seed Packets - No Cutting, No Gluing!

I've finally settled on my favorite homemade seed packet design. 

(A printable template is available. Folding instructions are in this post.)

Please note that I occasionally recommend a resource or product that I think you may like. If you buy something recommended on this blog, I may get an affiliate commission that can help to support our work, but will never influence our recommendations or affect prices for our products.

It's based on Robert Pavlis's very useful idea for folding any handy paper into a homemade seed packet.

His YouTube video,

"How to Make a Simple Paper Seed Envelope (packet)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvGrIAkcv5k 

shows how to quickly fold a seed packet to any size you need, from any paper available, so that you always have a way to save seeds, no matter where you travel.

Pavlis's design allows you to collect anything from large seed-heads to tiny seeds, folded safely into a packet that is easily slipped into your pocket, purse, or pack. And you can write all the information you need to remember about the plant right on the packet with a pen or pencil!

Since I want my packets to accept printed information, my seed packets start with printer paper. The most common printer paper in the U.S., 8 1/2" x 11", can be neatly folded into a standard 3" x 5" seed packet like this:

• First, fold the 11" length at 5" and 10" (I also fold at 10 1/4" to make a top flap easier to close)
• Then, fold the 8 1/2" length at 2 3/4" and 5 3/4" (this gives a center panel 3" wide for printing)

I use a grooved scoring board to make the folding easy and to keep all my packets uniform.

A supply of my pre-folded blank packets is ready to carry in my gardening basket and to slip into my pocket when I go out.

Here's an example of a printed packet for Anise Hyssop seeds I collected this week: 

• scored

• folded in half, then in thirds

• printed front and back showing

I highly recommend Robert Pavlis's YouTube channel, Garden Fundamentals, with its many useful and informative videos, and his blogs are great reading and references on many topics!

https://www.gardenfundamentals.com/gardening-information/

https://www.gardenmyths.com/sample-page/

(updated link on 8/24/22)