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The 2019-2020 Seed Exchange is now open! Why not share some of your favorite or unusual plants? The Seed Exchange is a great way to do that. Choose the plants you wish to donate, fill out the online donation form describing the plant, harvest the seeds, place the seeds in paper envelopes, and mail them to the Seed Exchange. In January and February, volunteers will clean the seeds and place them in packets for distribution to fellow HPS members. Please let us know the seeds that you intend to submit before October 31 so that we can include them in the Seed Exchange Catalog. There are 4 different ways to submit your seed donations (Please only use 1 of these ways): 1. Complete the online donation form for new seed donations only, click here. 2. To print a donation form for new seed donations only, click here and send them to: 3. E-mail a spreadsheet or a Word document with your seed list and descriptions to [email protected] 4. If you have donated to the Seed Exchange in the past five years, you will receive a checklist of past donations. If you do not receive this list by September 15th, please e-mail [email protected] we will forward it to you. When you receive your checklist of previously donated seeds, please follow the instructions included with the checklist and return the form before October 31 to [email protected]. Also, if you have any new seeds that are not included on the checklist, they will need to be submitted one of the other 3 ways by October 31. The Seed Exchange would like to make it as easy as possible for you to donate seeds this year. Mail in the harvested seeds by January 8, 2020 to: Loretta DeMarco To view the 2018-2019 Seed Catalog, click here. If you have any questions about the Seed Exchange or would like more information on how to store or package your seeds, please contact me, Susan Doblmaier, [email protected] or 215-542-7865.
What is the HPS/MAG Seed Exchange? Since the fall and winter of 1993-94, the Seed Exchange has been one of the activities that makes HPS/MAG stand out from all of the other plant societies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Each year, as the fruiting season for a plant comes to an end, dedicated Society members collect the seeds and forward them, along with a description of the plant, to the Seed Exchange Team. This information is then used to create the Seed Exchange Catalog. Click here to view a copy of the 2018-2019 catalog. In early January, Society members are invited to order seeds for a small fee. Later in January and February, dozens of volunteers meet at The Henry Foundation for Botanical Research in Gladwyne, PA to sort and divide seed into packets to satisfy the orders. Thousands of work hours and volumes of gardening knowledge go into providing this valuable exchange of seeds. Any member can submit seeds or volunteer to clean and sort seeds. Want to join the fun? To volunteer for any Seed Exchange Workshop, contact Polly Garnett at [email protected]. To learn more about the Exchange, read "A Seed of an Idea and How it Grew" and "The Power of Seed" from past HPS Newsletters. Also visit the Avant Gardens Blog, GardenForeplay, for their 2014 posting titled "Collecting Seed for Seed Exchanges." |