2019/2020 Seed Exchange Calendar

The HPS Online Seed Catalog will be available between Christmas and New Year’s and when open, the website information will be e-mailed to all members.  Print catalogs will be mailed during the same time frame to seed exchange donors and select members. If you cannot print out the online Seed Catalog and need a print Seed Catalog, please e-mail [email protected] for a copy and allow extra time to receive the mailing.

January 8 - Mail or deliver donations: Seed may be submitted by mail or delivered by January 8 to Loretta DeMarco, 603 Walnut Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19128.

January 15 - Seed Starting Tips and Tricks with Loretta DeMarco, 11:00 am at the Henry Foundation, 801 Stony Lane, Gladwyne, PA

A workshop for intermediate seed starters and those who have started some seed but want to know more about being successful. The workshop will cover indoor sowing, winter sowing, and sowing using baggies. Participants will do hands-on seed starting with explanations and suggestions for getting the best results from different types of seeds. A fee of $5.00 (to cover expenses) is payable by cash or check at the door. This is a members-only event, and space is limited, so please preregister online at www.hardyplant.org or call Susan Doblmaier at 215-542-7865. Registration opens December 15th.

If you have a particular seed you are interested in starting, let Loretta know. Contact her at [email protected]. Be sure to reference The Seed Workshop in the subject line.

January 17 - Online Seed catalog order deadline: Members can submit their orders online or by mail. The online catalog will be closed after this date.

January 23 - Late-fee Seed catalog order deadline. No orders will be taken after this deadline. This is for mail orders only. The online seed catalog will not be available.

January 24 - Seed Propagation Workshop: Alice Doering and Helen Standen will have a Workshop at Jenkins Arboretum, 631 Berwyn Baptist Rd, Devon, PA 19333, 10 am – noon. Open to HPS/MAG members and nonmembers for a fee, $5 and $10, respectively. Please preregister online at www.hardyplant.org or call Susan Doblmaier at 215-542-7865. Registration opens December 15th.

January 28 - Start of checking, cleaning, packaging, & filling orders workshops: Work performed by HPS/MAG volunteers at The Henry Foundation on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm.

2020 Seed Exchange Workshops - volunteers welcome
Workshops to clean and package seeds for our Seed Exchange begin on Tuesday, January 28, and continue into February. The workshops are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm at The Henry Foundation for Botanical Research, 801 Stony Lane, Gladwyne, PA. Workshops are a great way to meet and chat with fellow members while we work. They are also a wonderful way to learn new things about seeds and seed propagation. Most importantly, the workshops are fun! Bring a lunch for yourself and maybe a snack to share. Coffee, tea, and water will be provided. To schedule a workshop day, please contact our volunteer coordinator Polly Garnett at [email protected], 610- 695-9135.

Since the Seed Exchange workshops may coincide with the worst of the winter's weather, we will notify volunteers of cancellations with an announcement on the home page of the HPS/MAG website, www.hardyplant.org, by 8:00 am of each workshop day on which the weather is a factor. For those without access to a computer, if the weather is bad, please call Susan Doblmaier at 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."