Oh boy, lots of cards today and so thankful! I was a little down and this brought me right up!
NLB-Nacy sent me a cute card and rudbeckia mix and cosmos! I will definitely be planting these!

Faye- sent me a gorgeous Santa Claus and sweet pea royal navy blue and Montauk daisy! I am thrilled!

Pinkiris sent me a another lovely Santa card with aster giant perfection, aster andrella super and alcea rosea. I am very happy!

Kathie (sinbadsmom), sent me a beautiful card with daylily mystical rainbow and banquet at verseilles x crown of life, rose columbine, pink salvia, and orange and yellow columbine. Thank you so very much!

I love everyone of them and thank you all so much!
Melinda

All the way from Alabama, I received a card today from Ron/sunnysouth36604 with luffa seeds in it. THANK YOU RON!
I've always wanted to grow some luffa, but didn't think to add it to my list this year. Looks like an elf whispered in Ron's ear for me. How cool is that?

Love the spaniel (?) mix by the fireplace with Christmas cards. And the sleeping fox Christmas card!
Faye nottougly sent me a shiny red snowflake card with seeds I love: tall snapdragons, Country Romance hollyhocks, Crimson Rambler morning glory and Seashells cosmos. Thank you so much, Faye!
Mary E.

This post was edited by cottonwood468 on Sun, Dec 21, 14 at 12:23

Sorry for the late thankyous!

dem_pa don, sent me pretty button card (great idea) with Modem Pink Peony poppy (very pretty), and 4 kinds of beans (cherokee, wax, May flower and sultanas pole bean). Wow! love all of them. Thank you so much

Darrin cryptid, sent me Christmas ornament card, pretty crocheted butterfly pin with Cucumber Armenian dark green, Basil Mrs burns, Tomato chockolate cherry, Blue lake pole beans and Sugar ann peas. Wow! love all of them. Thank you so much.

I am home after my surgery and doing OK.I have bunch of cards to go thru. wlll post thanks you when I can

Evening Everyone!
I came home a couple of days ago after little family emergency. My 88 year old aunt fell and broke her leg, ugh! Her and my uncle were trying to put up their Christmas tree and it landed on her.

Miraculously, she's home. And comfortable.

Hubby has been setting my cards aside, and I'm just now opening them :)...

I want to thank...

cryptid for the adorable snowman card and Tropical Milkweed, Mexican Hats, Toothache Plant, and Pink Milkweed :D

Promise, pmb2005 for the pretty snowman card and the Amana Orange Tomato Seeds...can't wait to try these :D

Melinda, ilovefarac, for the pretty Christmas stocking card and the Stupice Tomato and Haley's Purple Comet Tomato, YUM :D

dmkelly for the very cute handmade ornament card and the Matt's Wild Cherry Tomato, BIg Max Pumpkin, Lumina Pumpkin and the very adorablely named Hillbilly Tomato...perfect for a family with 2 Billy's :D

Michelle, micrey, for the very sparkly handmade snowman card...so pretty!! and the Milkweed Hairy Balls :D

Lorabell for the lovely green Christmas card. So pretty! And the Tomato Pink Bumblebee and Tomato Chocolate Pear...I have never heard of these and can't wait to look them up :D

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT CARDS!! This has truly put me back in the Christmas spirit after such a strange week. :D

Merry Christmas Everyone!! :)
vina

Jaime thank you so much for the lovely card and the seeds. She sent me velvet sunflower and a mix of zinnia, different colors and heights.
Thank you!
Heidi
{{gwi:2133389}}

Unbelievable!!! Hahaha, mailman just came and I have another GW'er to thank!!! :D

Dirtdaddy!! Holy Moly!!! Thank you so much for the beautiful sparkly card and the the St.Pierre Tomato, Hillbilly Tomato, Taragon, Stupice, Shisho Perilla, Black Krim Tomato, Curry Plant, and the Live Root of Tarragon!!!! HOLY MOLY :D THANK YOU!!!

Merry Christmas!!!
vina

Wow, what a wonderful Christmas. Two more cards!
A giant thank you to Margo, for the beautiful pointsetta card and the
round zucchini seeds. I so wanted to plant these this year!

And to Faye for the glittery Santa card with the castor and scarlet runner beans. Two more that were on my most wanted list.

nottougly sent a glittery snow scene card with white money plant and birdhouse gourd seeds. Thanks for these!

sinbadsmom sent a glittery seashell sleigh card and sargentae lily seeds! Hope these grow - looking forward to the blooms! Thanks!

Happy Friday mail cus Xiangirl(Heidi) card and seeds were in my mailbox. I am doing the Happy Seed Dance!!!

Kathie (sinbadsmom) sent a sparkly card with some interesting perennials--Lilium sargentae, wild delphinium, and Thermopsis carolinae--which really brightened my day. Many thanks!

I got a card from nottougly with Frosty's family on it. Thanks so much nottoughly for the card and the Janie Harmony marigold and zinnia seeds. I want to put these out in my garden as soon I can. It made me feel better to find this card in the mailbox. Thank you.

WOW!!!! I must have been REALLY good this year..... I received 5 cards in the mail today......

kchd : Thank you VERY much for the Tromboncino squash. I haven't grown them before.... These will be a GREAT addition !!!!

kjnorris918: The monarchs will be SO HAPPY in Alabama this fall.... Thank you for the Orange Butterfly Milkweed.... I hope to help the life cycle in 2015......

nottougly: Thank you for the cards..... I received an EXTRA surprise..... 2 cards today!!!! Yarrow moonshine seed are new to me... I had to google them.... LOL - will be perfect in the hummingbird / butterfly garden.... The 2nd card had hummingbird vine and Mexican sunflowers....... I have grown both in the past, but never from seed..... Thank you SO MUCH!!!

pmb2005: Thank you for the tomato stump of the world and the squash delicata mix - I cannot wait to plant them.....

Thank you everyone!!! This has been such a GREAT experience.... It brings back memories of me gardening with my grandmother..... We ALWAYS gardened together and saved seed.....

I'm a little behind this week, and have several people to thank:

Lisa/ishare - thank you for the foxglove lutea, calendula zeolights (yea!)and white toad lily. Love the cute owl card.

Leann/Leann2800 - thank you for the moonflower/devil's trumpet. These bring the tropics to Ohio and work well in large pots.

Faye/Nottougly - thank you for the cheery & sparkly santa card and pink 4 o'clocks and zinnia seeds.

Christine/socalgardengal - thank you for the pink lemonade zinnia, delphinium black knight, and dianthus siberian blues. These are all new to me.

Wilsha - thank you for the 4 o'clocks, cosmos, basil, foxglove, zinnia and cleome. These are perfect for my cottage garden.

Jayeanne/pinkiris - thank you for the beautiful iceskating card and sweet basil, black peony poppy, zinnia 'illumination', zinnia 'bright jewels cactus' and calendula 'radio'.

Sahmjay/Sam - thank you for the purple salvia, black hollyhock, carrots, mesclun, bunching green onions, and lemon queen sunflower. Can't wait to plant these!

Thank you all for taking the time to share your seeds with me. My garden is going to look awesome this summer!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful, peaceful holiday season.

On to the next handful of thank yous!! :)

Yesterday.....

Nancy (Nlb52) - A doggy card with lily mix seeds!! I can't wait to plant these!!! :) Thank You

Micyrey - Looks like a lovely handmade card (I suck at arts and crafts lol I wish I had this talent). She sent me milkweed and blue stocking bee balm..more milkweed :) and can't wait to see what the flowers of the bee balm look like!!! :) Thank You

Today....

Lorabell - a cute christmas tree card with phlox star mix (these look gorgeous and unique!!), echinacea double decker (I am seriously drooling over these echinacea seeds from everyone! Lol) and Aurora delphinium :) Thank You

Kachana - A cute glittery stocking card with chestnut brown chaters hollyhock (The winter and clay soil I think killed my seedlings of chaters mix last year which was my first attempt at hollyhocks again so this brightened my day!) and gulf coast penstemon. Can't wait to try these!! Thank You :)

Thanks everyone :)
~Michael

P.S Pmb2005, I just saw your post and your pics of your girls as I scrolled through and all I have to say is Aww, they look so happy!!!! :) Hope you will stay with us for a long time, I plan on it too!!

I got four cards today!! :D

A big thank you to DirtDaddy for his generosity in sending me chives, large cherry tomato, globe basil, lettuce blend, lots of dill, cilantro, shiso perilla red (ooo interesting!!), thyme, garlic chives, curry plant, rosemary, and mustard greens!! Thank you so much!! There's some fun new things in there for me to try!!

Thank you dem_pa for your generosity in sending Tennessee spinning gourds (those sound interesting!!), soapwort, and rhubarb!! :) Thanks so much!! Can't wait to see how those do in my garden!

Thank you nottougly for your generosity in sending me jalapeno peppers early ones and mild ones. Can't grow enough of those! yum yum! I make jalapeno poppers with most of them, but I lacto-ferment the mild ones for salads and sandwiches. mmm! Thank you so much!

Thank you socalgardengal for your generosity in sending golden cross bantam corn, stuttgarter onion, and yellow of parma onion!! :D I can't wait to try growing them!! Thank you so much!!

I hung up all of your pretty cards in the living room. :)
~Riley17

sinbadsmom, sent a glittery seashell sleigh card with sargentae lily and Apricot floxgloves. Love both of them. Can't wait to try them. thank you so much.

nottougly sent me glittery santa card with Marigold jane harmony, Marigold moonsong orange and Zinnia mix. Love them all. Thank you so much.

dmkelly, sent me cute snowflakes card with Tomato rutgers, Sweet Italian pepper, Applegreen eggplant (cool), Okra clemson spineless and butternut squash. Love them all. Can't wait to grow them. Thank you so much.

Thank you Betty (tessie83856) for the cute smiling Christmas tree card (see pic). The little snowman you drew on the back of one of the seed packs was so sweet it made me smile :) I really appreciate the watercress and Fenugreek seeds. I never had either of these herbs and am SOOOO looking forward to planting both.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Wilsha

Oh another happy day at the mail box! This has been so much fun!

Laura (lorabell) thank you for the forget me nots, burgess buttercup, and pink banana squash. I've decided to make a new squash garded next year with my new seeds.

Faye (nottougly) thank you for the mexican sunflowers and the cypress vine. The cypress vine is new to me and I have the perfect place for it.

Don (dem_pa) thank you for the granny's bonnet, hollyhock mix, Will Rodgers zinnia, and the peony poppy. I had to look up three of those and am really excited after seeing the the pictures.

Michelle (micyrey) thank you for the pink calendula, black eyed susan, and hosta. All three of these are things I love but don't have.

JayeAnne (pinkiris) thank you for everything! Radio calendula, asters, and zinnia will be perfect in the flower gardens and the squash and sugar pumpkins will have a home in my new squash garden

On a happy note my winter break started today so I have two weeks to organize my seeds as well as start plotting and planning my gardens. Oh! And reading about the many new varieties. The gardens are going to be absolutely beautiful with all of the seeds you guys have gifted to me.

Thank you again one and all!
Dawn

I may have mixed up who sent what seeds here but I hope not!

From Cryptid and his wife I received a wonderful crocheted butterfly pin, and bloody butcher dent corn, virginia pickling cukes, and peppermint stick zinnias! Thanks so much!

Ilovefarac's card I believe contained white devil's trumpet, moonflower, and early sunrise coreospis!

Nottougly sent me royal navy blue sweet peas and mixed zinnias!

And from Dem-PA I received Dixie white butterpeas and Will rodgers zinnias.

These seeds have me so excited for planting this winter and spring to decorate my brand new huge yard next year. Thanks again everyone!!

I had a later mailing date, but my cards are en route to ya'll now so this swap ain't over yet!

Merry Christmas everyone!

socalgardengal -- Thank you so much for the Christmas card and the amazing assortment of seeds. Your generosity has left me beside myself: Goat's Rue, Lambs Ear Calendula, Clary Sage, Tartarian Honeysuckle, Bells of Ireland, Dutchman's Pipe, Edelwise, Sunset Blvd Primrose, and Foxglove. You're absolutely fabulous, Christine!

Oh, what a good day at the mailbox! You guys should see all the beans LoraBell sent me! I am on cloud nine here. Laura, I am so grateful for all the extra effort you took to mail these to me and I will do my best to get a great harvest so I can spread the love.

Thanks so much,
Susie

(Heidi, the dwarf Zinnia seeds I sent you I got last month and I split them up to share. I hope they do well for both of us....if they don't grow for you, let me know and I will send some other kinds.)

This post was edited by susieqsie on Fri, Dec 19, 14 at 22:13

Kachana & Faye thank you for the cards. I mixed up the seeds so I can't remember who sent what but thank you ladies for Holy basil, Edible Amaranth and purple swirl datura! LOVE EM ALL!

I received 2 more Amazing cards today.
Thank you to Nottougly (Faye) for the Lebanese White Squash! New to me and sounds Delicious!
Thank you to Lorabell (Laura) for the pepper seeds, Fresno, Martins Carrot and Trinidad Scorpian. I LOVE PEPPERS!
Thank you so very much ladies for putting a great big smile on my face today! Happy Holidays!

Just came home from bible study, and guess what's waiting for me???? Four cards from awesome secret Santas!!!

In no particular orders:

1. Margo: A beautiful poinsettia Christmas card with two packs of seeds that are brand new to me; Yellow coneflowers and blanket flowers!!! I cannot wait to see these in my yard this new year. The envelope was stamped with "received in damaged condition" message, but it looks like the seeds are fine! I'm definitely growing these this spring. THANK YOU, MARGO

2. Chrystal: An adorable "HO HO HO" card with the following seeds: Bells of Ireland (need to look this up), Toothache Plant (sounds very intriguing!), and Swamp Milkweed. Thanks for your thoughtfulness in including sowing tips. I love these. THANK YOU, CHRYSTAL

3. Katie: A pretty tree card with Salvia Lyrata (Lyreleaf Sage). Very pretty! THANK YOU, KATIE . Another great addition to my newish garden.

4. Faye: A beautiful pop-up card (that's my daughter's impression LOL) depicting a snow covered cottage (wish I had a house like that!) with glittering snow. How serene. I cannot wait to grow the zinnias that you sent. THANK YOU, FAYE

How fantastic and wonderful,...I received two more cards today!

From socalgardengal (Christine) -

A lovely, shiny, metallic red-framed wreath card. Niiiice! :)

Seeds:

Tomato, San Francisco Fog - WOO HOO! Some more!! Doing my Happy Dance (or, at least as close as I can come to same anymore - Heh),...!!

Tomato, Black and Brown Boar - Black and Brown Boar is a beautiful, dark reddish-brown tomato with metallic green stripes. The strong growing plants are heavy producers of 3-4 oz fruit with a tart flavor.

Black and Brown Boar was discovered and stabilized by Brad Gates, Wild Boar Farms, Vacaville, CA. It came from a row of Green Zebra plants at Brad’s farm.

Melon, Banana - 90 days. Banana-shaped fruit with smooth yellow skin and sweet, spicy salmon flesh. 16-24 inches long, 5-8 lbs. It was listed in 1885 by J. H. Gregory's Catalogue, which said, "When ripe it reminds one of a large, overgrown banana... It smells like one, having a remarkably powerful and delicious fragrance."

Melon, Tigger - 90 days.The most amazing looking melon we have grown. The fruit are vibrant yellow with brilliant fire-red, zigzag stripes (a few fruit may be solid yellow), simply beautiful! They are also the most fragrant melons we have tried, with a rich, sweet, intoxicating aroma that will fill a room. The white flesh gets sweeter in dry climates, mild tasting. Small in size, the fruits weigh up to 1 lb. The vigorous plants yield heavily, even in dry conditions. This heirloom came from an Armenian market located in a mountain valley.

Melon, Minnesota Midget - This very small, very early heirloom was introduced in Minnesota in 1948. Measuring just 4inches across, they have sweet, orange flesh and are perfect miniature versions of the "Classic Muskmelon". Compact, 3-4-foot vines produce good yields. I fondly remember these as the only melons our family could get to ripen in Charlo, Montana, about 20 years ago.

"Yo-yo-yo..." Uber thanks, Christine! A super merry-n-happy to you-n-yours!

-----

From lorabell (Laura) -

A totally festively-frigid card featuring a pair of Cardinals (birds, not Vatican). Nice artwork fer shur! My MIL's favorite bird is the Cardinal. Closest we get around here are Cedar Waxwings.

Seeds:

Pepper, Giant Thai - Medium hot, 4-5" fruits on 30" plants mature quickly from green to dark red and dry fast on the plants. Harvest about 69 days after plants are set outside. Tie several peppers on a long string to hang for drying. CAUTION: Use rubber gloves or clean hot peppers under running water to avoid skin burn from the pepper juice.

Pepper, Korean - This hybrid variety is one of the most popular fresh hot peppers in Korean markets. Fresh green peppers, 12-15 cm in length x 1.7 cm in diameter with medium thick skin, are mild hot and well flavored. Plants in pendent habit set lots of fruits for a long time. This high yielding hybrid is well known for its earliness and tolerance to low temperature. An excellent variety for home garden and fresh markets.

Another pepper I cannot find a description for: "TAKanotsome"? Don't care, I'll happily grow it, assuming it's more that likely a lovely, delicious hottie. ;)

Squash, Buttercup - Buttercup squash is a winter squash belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. Not to be confused with its cousin, the butternut squash, the squat green buttercup takes its name from its shape, which some say resembles an upside-down acorn with an undersized cap.

The average squash of this type is about 7 inches (17.5 centimeters) in diameter and weighs approximately 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms), though some individual specimens may grow to be over 5 pounds (2.7 kilograms).

The inedible rind is dark green, striated with silvery gray lines. In some cultivars, a cap of paler green sits atop the squash at the blossom end. The buttercup’s dense flesh is dark yellow-orange, sometimes approaching a deeper reddish color. It is worth noting that the more intense the color, the more vitamin A the squash contains.

The flavor of the buttercup squash’s flesh is sweet and nutty, with a creamy consistency more in line with that of a baked sweet potato than a pumpkin, which tends to be more fibrous and watery by comparison. The flesh can tend toward dryness, a flaw that is easily compensated for by cooking method. Steaming and baking are preferred methods of preparation, as both will bring out the sweetness of and add moistness to the flesh.

As a dark yellow-orange vegetable, buttercup squash is a powerhouse of nutrients. A0.5 cup (100 gram) serving contains fewer than 50 calories and little if any fat, but it is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, as well as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It also provides protein and fiber.

Carrot, Atomic Red - When you dig them up they're pink, but when you cook them, they turn scarlet!

Grow carrots the way our ancestors did!

75 days. Full of cancer-fighting Lycopene, these carrots look as good as they taste! Super-nutritious and made for cooking, Atomic Red is the most exciting carrot of the season!

These long, tapered roots reach 8 to 11 inches long. When you unearth them, they are a disapppointingly dull shade of pink. But don't despair! Just clean them off and either bake, steam, or boil them. Immediately they turn brilliant scarlet, improving not only in appearance but also in flavor and nutritional flavor! (Yeah-yeah-yeah, even more!! Hooray for genetic diversity! Totally lovin' it!)

Atomic Red redefines plate appeal. So whether you have reluctant vegetable eaters, want some extra lycopene, or simply enjoy new things, give this great new variety a try!

Y'all are just the best ever! What a wonderful, festive swap! :)

This post was edited by cryptid on Sat, Dec 20, 14 at 18:46

Here are some flower/herb pics that are the parents of some of the seeds I've sent :)

More adult pics of some of the seeds I sent :)

kchd/Katie sent me a Christmas card with a generous amount of purple liatris... thank you so much! I have a couple favorites I'm sending you. ;) Merry Christmas!

Wilsha... what kind of lettuce is that? Great pics!

Sheri

Sheri (Panhandle), it's Parris Island Cos Romaine. It is so crunchy and tasty. Although, it's not growing as fast now, (I'm in MD), we're still eating it :) I can send you some seeds, if you're interested.

Yesterday I was blessed with four cards in my mailbox!
"Mom & Philip", Kachana, socalgardengal, and sunnysouth:
I want to express huge gratitude to you all! This has truly been a very special experience. Thank you all and best wishes!

Good Morning,

I received more beautiful mail.....

Faye (Nottougly) sent me a gorgeous frosted card, a lovely cottage with a snow covered roof....and the seeds, Red Bee Balm and Zucchini Black Beauty. Thanks so much Faye!

Faye, I wish you and your family a very beautiful and safe Christmas....I do hope you get a day or two or three or four off from Amazon after Christmas! Happy 2015!

Happy weekend to all!

Annie

I've just started sending my cards out, but I am behind on some thank yous:
These were all wonderful cards:
ishareflowers sent a wonderful card filled with seeds for plants I have been itching to grow. You always know what I like. Thank you Lisa!

cghpnd and philip send a special handmade snowman card with white cleome seeds. Thank you both! Phillip did a wonderful job on the card.

EricaBraun sent a Victorian themed card with Kangaroo Apple and Vestia lycoides seeds. I am looking forward to growing them both.

ilovefarac's card had some great Zinnias and Alyssum seeds. Thanks Melinda!

Thank you pinkiris, for the Viola's, Impatiens and Geraniums in my favorite colors. You spoiled me!

PMB-2005 spoiled me too, sending whole commercial packets of Asters in my favorite color, as well as Songbird Aquilegia direct from Burpee. What a treat!

Audrey sent seeds direct from my wish list! I am excited about the Abutilon's especially. Thank you!

canyonwind send Abutilon's too, as well as some others from my wish list.

I am delighted with all I received! Thanks so much,
Alana

A big thank you to Lorabell for the wonderful Christmas tree card and the Indian Spring HH and Lemon Cream calendula! I am excited to be adding these to my garden! Thank you so very much! Melinda

More cards today! I can't believe it!

Dawn/dmkelly sent a card covered with snowflakes and filled with love in a mist, burgundy gaillardia, snapdragons, buttercup squash, and sensations cosmos!

Socalgardengal sent a wreath-topped card filled with lemon chiffon sunflowers, mammoth sunflowers, new england asters, and dwarf blue cornflowers!

Terrigail sent a polar bear card containing giant double zinnias, purple coneflowers, and yellow boy marigolds!

Thank you one and all! You made my day!

Got a few cards today!

Brightens up my day!
Philip says Thanks for all the compliments. He feels special.
He does not have the patience for gardening BUT he loves everything else about it. It was Philip who turned me onto gardening by the way!
(long story short... we went on a school trip to DC for the Flight Of The Monarch film at the Natural History Museum)

Thank You Tessie for the Card and Borage! I had seen this in a neighboring gardeners plot and well she doesn't like to share so i just had to put it on my list! :)

Thank You Linda (roper2008) My son will love this card because of the dog!
I got some Siam Queen Basil, French Marigold Sweet Mace and Hairy Balls! I have been trying forever to get these milkweed seeds. Almost 3 years ago when i Began gardening I was given a package of seeds to plant for the Monarchs. and the Hairy Balls were in there. I have tried to grow these every year but they never make it to producing blooms. I can try again! YES!!!! =D

I got Dons famous card! I Thank You Don!

In there were Butterfly weed, Lady Baltimore Hibiscus and Grannys Bonnet Columbine. i had given up on the Butterfly weed because I always Kill it! But I think this is a sign to keep trying! :)
All 3 will fit perfectly into my garden based on their colors alone! I am a Baltimore Girl so I do appreciate these! Thanks so much to everyone!

Thank You Dmkelly for your card and seeds as well.
She shared with me Super Sheperds Hot pepper (Philips father will LOVE these), Straight 8 cucumber (my fav), Scarlet Nantes Carrots, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Buttercup Squash and Burgundy Gaillardia.. Thanks a bunch! cant wait to try them,
I appreciate the cards and all the time that went into prepping these seeds and yall taking care of your fellow gardeners.

This post was edited by cghpnd on Sat, Dec 20, 14 at 15:06

I'm doing the seed dance around the room!

sdambr Thank you for: Cleome pink Kiss Me Over Garden Gate cosmos sensation cilantro Marigold large yellow double Gaillardia. What a cute card and it had built-in padding!

lorabell Thank you for: sunflower black sunflower white gaillardia sundance. My daughter and I are so excited about all 3! I would do a cartwheel, but I wouldn't survive it!

kachana Thank you for French marigold seeds.

Heidi/xiangirl

It's a dark and overcast day with snowflurries and we were down at the mailbox (finally) decorating our gate when the mail carrier drove in with seed sunshine! Three cards today--thanks go out to:

Kachana sent a sparkly Christmas tree card with Gulf Coast Penstemon from my wish list!

Katie / kchd sent a neat tree card, almost looks like a wood block print. Inside was JD's Special C Tex heirloom tomato. I'd never heard of this one, so looked it up and it looks great; a large, heavy producer with great flavor. Sounds like a big winner for the pantry!

Margo / smitties sent a beautiful Audubon card with Downy woodpeckers--we love them on the trees and feeders. Inside were coneflower Tomato soup (very exciting!) and penstemon Husker's Red, both from my list! I now have 3 different penstemons to try!

Many thanks to all three of you for thinking of me, and special Christmas and new year's wishes to you and your families.
Betsy

Recently my mailbox has been full of happiness! Several santas have been good to me.

Thank you Jamie (kjnorris918) for the Christmas card with lettuce and parsley! I will have those in my garden this summer.

Promise (pmb2005) I received your cute Santa card with old fashioned Peony Poppies. Thank you so much! I can't wait to try these in my garden.

From socalgardengal (Christine) I received a pretty glittery card with columbine, Sebring Gold squash, Bianco de Trieste zucchini, and jackpot summer squash. My garden will be plentiful this year! Thank you!

Nancy (nlb52) sent me verbena bonariensis and yarrow mix in a Christmas tree card. Thank you very much - I haven't tried those before, but they look pretty. I'm looking forward to it!

Sue (sdambr) - thank you very much for the wonderful card and seeds. You were very clever on using the card to cushion the seeds - nothing was crushed! I am looking forward to the lime basil, burgundy columbine, pole beans, sweet bell peppers, straight 8 cucumber, and black beauty zucchini!

Heidi (xiangirl) - I love your upcycled card! It was so cute how you had the card with cutouts for the seeds! And I'm happy to try the Balsam (touch me not) and the two cosmos!

Lorabell - I received a cute pine tree card from you today! Thank you so much! I haven't tried these yet - Chervena peppers, May's gold zucchini, Cubanella sweet peppers! And I love Blue Lake Pole beans. I can't wait for these to go into my garden!

Merry Christmas all!

Mandy

kchd thank you for the heirloom melon! i can't wait to try it this upcoming spring! :D

Pinkiris, thank you so much for the Daisy seeds,yellow multicaule. Appreciate it along with the sparkly card!

And to Linda/roper, super cool! Sinningia sellovii, amaranth 'oeschberg', I love having to look up seeds! Plus blue flowering milkweed.... And a most beautiful card to boot.

You girls have warmed my heart today!

Yesterday I received 3 cards!

Mandy (l1oness) sent me Bouquet Dill (can't eat my cucumbers without homegrown dill), and San Marzano Redorta tomato. Thank you

Michelle (micyrey) sent me Big Momma Hosta, Iron Weed, Rose of Sharon Bluebird, Rudbeckia, Sweet Basil and
Italian Oregano. This Christmas card smells like a pizza.
Yum! Very cute card too. Thank you

Grdngramma sent me rutgers tomato and mixed zinnia. My
butterflies love zinnia...Thank you

WOW! Much thanks to give.

Thanks Jordan for the black cherry tomato,inca red drop chile pepper and basil!

Thanks cghpndfor the Santa card and marigolds and Spilanthes, eyeball plant.

Thanks jas_il for the curly kale and curly mustards! Luv the greens!

A super thanks to ishareflowers for the Santa card, I printed one like that before. And thanks for the Flagstaff marigolds!

Another Santa card and marigolds moonsong from nottougly. Thanks!

PEACE, dd.

I am woefully behind on thanks yous, and a bit behind sending out cards.

Thank you to nottougly for the salad mix and the jalapeno peppers. Each year we expand the salad bed, so these will come in handy, and next year I want to make jalpeno jelly again.

Thank you to WilSha for the chicory, dill, kale and lettuce. I see greens in my future. Yay!

Thank you to Panhandle_Seed_Swap for the Webb's Favorite Lettuce. I love the heirloom lettuces. They just don't make them like they used to.

Thank you to kinectentity for the globe thistle. The evil post office machines shredded your envelope, leaving only the top half of my last name and my zip code on the envelope. Luckily I live in such a small town that that was enough to get it to me. The card and seeds were fine.

And finally thank you to cottonwood368 for the Lemon Drops. I am assuming these are peppers. They look like pepper seeds, and the genus name starts with c.

nottougly... thank you for the beautiful sparkly glittery SANTA Christmas card and sharing with me a part of your gardens...red bee balm and zinnias...thank you!

socalgardengal...thank you for the beautiful Christmas wreath Christmas card and for sharing with me a part of your gardens... Cornflower 'double mix', large ivory cherry tomato! yum! super excited to try these! and the I.nil 'China Doll' and I. nil youjiro! wow! all of my favorites! thank you for spoiling me ..... =)

nlb52... thank you for the beautiful glittery ice skating scene Christmas card.. also for sharing your gardens with me... Marigolds 'orange and yellow', coneflowers and toad lilys! yay! I will be winter sowing these...thank you!

pmb2005...thank you for the precious penguins Happy Holidays Christmas card...also for the Coreopsis 'Mahogany Midget' and Echinacea 'Tennessensis' .... will be winter sowing these as well! thank you!

wishing you ladies and your families a very happy holiday season and a beautiful garden for 2015!

Psuedocris
Yes, that is a superhot pepper. Not as hot as Bhut Jolokia, but very, very hot. From your wish list, on "wish lists only thread".

Mary E.

This post was edited by cottonwood468 on Sat, Dec 20, 14 at 22:04

kchd sent some Tromboncino heirloom squash seeds! They are a new variety that I've never grown and they look SO COOL! I can't wait to grow them out! Thank you so much! :)

Cottonwood,

Perfect. Just what I was looking for. Will definitely treat these with the respect due a very hot pepper. Rubbed my eyes once when cutting up a habenero. Not a mistake that you make twice!

I can't remember the date requirements for the picture contest, but if it's still going on, Here's my entry :)

Wilsha