I got another card today and it was from mcc371 Tammy sent a

Snow covered house and trees card with hard shell Corsican & Dinosaur Gourds & Orange Marigold seeds.

Thank you so much and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.

Faye!

TAMMY, thank you for the card and orange marigold seeds!

Tammy, thank you for the card and Indian Spring hollyhock. Hope you have a Happy New Year filled with peace, love, joy and blossoms galore!

I also got a card from Tammy when I picked up my mail this evening.

Thanks so much for the Candytuft seeds! I love candytuft in my borders and these seeds are much appreciated. I hope that you had a great Christmas.

And, Dan, your trees in the snow cakes look really yum!

High Five!

Thank you Tammy! The pretty Santa on a snowy roof card with pepper seeds inside was a treat. I will be growing them both.

I'll also be growing the assortment of pepper seeds Megan included in her humorous card. I can't wait. It won't be long until time to sow. Thank you!

Many thanks, Tammy (mcc371) for the Dianthus 'Baby Doll' seeds. That mix looks like a very cute one!

More cards for me. How exciting!
mcc371 (Tammy), sent me pretty card with early jalapeno red, swiss chard mixed colors (love) and Baby doll Dianthus (pretty). Love everything and can't wait to plant them. Thank you so much.

Meagan, sent me pretty card with vintage vine tomato, Blue lake pole bean, kentucky wonder pole bean, Swiss chard perpetual spinach (love) and Queen sophia marigold. Love everything and can't wait to try them. Thank you so much.

hibiscusfan, sent me pretty glittery card with Peony poppy mix (nice) and exhibition Daisy. Love everything and can't wait to try them. Thank you so much.

ranegrow, sent me pretty snow scene gazebo card with cactus zinnia seeds. Love it and can't wait to try it. Thank you so much.

Thank you Tammy for the Santa/Reindeer card and these seeds:

Gourd 'Big Apple'

Snapdragons Purple & Pink

Dianthus 'Baby Doll'

Thank you Patricia (patrob) for the Naughty or Nice card and these seeds:

Nigella 'Miss Jeckyll'

Penstemon digitalis

Monardo Bee Balm 'Scorpion'

Gomphrena "Strawberry Fields'

Thank you Paula (Paulan70) for the Santa card and these seeds:

Blackberry Lily

Pink 4 0' Clocks

Thank you Michelle (Micyrey) for the beautiful homemade snowman card and these seeds:

Cockscomb Gandin

So looking forward to planting all these lovelies

From the mailbox....

Tammy (mcc371) sent me a lovely snowy card and seeds Bright Lights Swiss Chard and Red Russian Kale......Thanks so much! I wish you a wonderful 2019....a beautiful and bountiful garden, good health and happiness!!

Happy New Year to all!

And many thanks to Santa Kym for running this show. Kym, you do a fantastic job.

Annie

Tammy (mcc371) ... thank you kindly for the beautiful 'Peace on Earth' card and including the 'Rouged Hiver' Lettuce and the 'deep orange' marigolds ... I always grow lettuce and marigolds, perfect! wishing you and yours all the best and may you have many blooms to bring you many smiles! thank you Tammy!

MEGAN.....thank you for the "ditto" house card! Would you believe I know of a couple houses like that back in Traverse City? Each year one house goes all out and their place can probably seen from outer space. Next door the occupants put up a sign lit with Christmas lights that just says "ditto". I used to drive by every year for a laugh. I also want to thank you for the columbine mix, queen sophia marigolds, sugar pie pumpkins, thyme, and giant cactus zinnias! They'll all be great in my garden! I hope your holidays are treating you well, and that your gardens do fantastic this upcoming year!

Today's mail contained a card from lexiegirl with tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, and beans.

You are all so welcome. Glad everyone received something they will enjoy. I am way behind on my thank you’s as I have been at my sons most of this month. He has had some family issues. Anyway, my husband says there is a bunch of cards with seeds in them waiting for my return. . I just wanted to get on here and say to everyone a great big THANK YOU! I am sure I will love what you sent. I appreciate the thoughtful of sending me a card and I know my gardens will be beautiful and bountiful in the new year. So Thank you!!

Hope everyone has a blessed New Year! I should be home Monday and I will be posting again. Thanks everyone!!!

mcc371, thank you for snowman card and seeds. swiss chard mixed and red romain lettuce. Both are my favorites. Thank you so much.

hibiscusfan, thank you for sparkly snow scene card with sempervivum seeds. My absolute favorite. Thank you so much.

patrob, thank you for nice Christmas wreath card with Lettuce red merlot, Basil sweet genovese, Arugula, begonia grandis evansiana. Nice selections. Thank you so much.

cghpnd, thank you for sparkly red berry card with marigold bonanza hameny, verbena moss, Amaranthus love lies bleeding and Pink hollyhock. Nice selections. Thank you so much.

An adorable card that looks like real cookies on front from Megan Pettis came today! Also had Queen Sophia marigolds! Thank you so much!

Melinda, you're going to love those Queen Sophia marigolds! They're my favorite marigold!

I would like to thank everyone for their cards and seeds full of the romance of the season and year to come and hope you will forgive me if I don't list details at this time. Things have gotten very difficult here and you have all been a huge help to keeping up our spirits.

Thank you All for making our Christmas brighter than it might otherwise have been.

Dawn (lexiegurl09) ... thank YOU ever so very much for the beautiful sparkly Christmas tree card ... filled with my absolute favorite things to grow! wow ... 'albino' beet - love! - have not grown but will get these started asap! 'chinese rose' radish and 'red meat' radish - love love love radish! cant wait to start these, Im thinking Ill start in next day or two ... 'red ruby' lettuce - wow will also start asap - love lettuce ... 'willow leaf' pole lima - have never grown these and very excited to get these growing! and 'Tiny Tim' tomato and 'dwarf fire sweet' tomato! wow - super excited to grow these as well! have not grown either. will be starting tomatoes very very soon! thank you very much Dawn! wishing you and yours all the best and may you have many blooms to bring you many smiles!

Thank you all for sending me seeds. Sorry for delay, I was away for holiday and came home to a wonderful pile of cards! Elana Davis, Patricia Roberson, Tammy McClearen, Porsondarfrog, Melinda Hagen, Chriptal, and Dan for the wonderful seeds and cards. You spoiled me! I love this group. I hope to start growing indoors soon!

Do you guys still post a seed trade list on Houzz? I just got mine set and ready to trade. Where do we post it. This site has changed and I'm lost.

I've no idea any longer about how to create a seed trade list, though I'd like to know how. When houzz took over there were too many changes for me to keep up with.

My order from Park Seeds came today! Yahoo!!!! Now I've got seeds for Rudbeckia Denver Daisy and Cherokee Sunset, Cosmos Double Click Snow Puff , Xsenia and Xanthos, Sunflower Monets Palette Mix, Morning Glory Heavenly Blue and Split Second, and Snapdragon Chantilly Deep Orange! If all goes well this summer, I'll have those and more to share for next Christmas!

Here are some pics of the future flowers in my yard...

Rudbeckia Cherokee Sunset

Rudbeckia Denver Daisy

Cosmos Xanthos

Cosmos Xsenia

Morning Glory Split Second

I can't wait for spring!

Hi everyone ! So sorry for the delay in sending thank yous as I have just returned from Georgia and Florida where I had been spending a week with my family for Christmas. It was wonderful but too short. But all the lovely cards that were waiting for me certainly cheered me up. Unfortunately while opening the mail in the chaos of unpacking our luggage, a few cards got separated from the seeds and I am not sure who sent what but I want to say thank you to everyone as they are all fabulous seeds that I can hardly wait for spring.

Thank you to Melinda, Amber/amberroses, Fommy15/Paul, Elena, Dan, Mandy, Susie,Pinkiris, Patricia/patrob, Tammy/mcc371, and Alana/poisondartfrog ;-) Thank you all so very much, this swap is the best and I think about you all all year long when I am planting the seeds you have shared. There is something special that we gardeners have when we can celebrate the holidays and our love for planting and growing in our gardens ;-) And a very special thank you to Kym for hosting this swap again, I hope you will continue it in the coming years. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all the very best in a Happy New Year ! I can hardly wait for spring ! Best wishes, Iris aka ranegrow

I sent a card and specially chosen seeds to everyone on the list because I wanted to. I hope these received my card: if not,, let me know and I'll send another. Happy New Year!

AppalachianSasquatch

Intelkid

mperria

PaperFinch

the-store

I'd like to give a belated thank you to other Santas who sent cards to me -

ishareflowers-Lisa - I like that your card featured one word, engraved upon a gold plaque, "B E L I E V E", beneath a Santa who looked like he was about to settle down by the tree and engage in a lonnnng, windy chat. Where would we be without our magic, especially on Christmas? Pairing pale and deep pinks of Silene "Hot Pink" and Malva moscata 'Appleblossom', behind ground-hugging, purple Stachys officinalis "nana", and then sequing via Penstemon 'Blue Buckle' to zinnia Red Cherry, also hunkering down in the foreground, makes a magical vignette to look forward to. Thank you for such magical possibilities.

MicyRey - Thank you for a generously filled packet of garden-collected marigold seeds. At this point, anything that succeeds here will be a gift, so the mystery of these marigold seeds' identity is becoming part of the fun. Beautiful hand-made card with a family of embossed snow-people on blue, glittering with ice crystals in a snowing landscape.

Pinkiris - On the card, thank you for the trio of wild horses running through powdery snow in a sunlit forest glade - love the sense of freedom on that card. Am looking forward to low mats of Aubrieta 'Whitewell Gem' and Silene "Shocking Pink" covering some of our denuded slopes, as well as the knock-your-socks-off-gorgeous crested Aster "Giant Princess" in a flatter spot.

Patrob - Love the delicate geometry of snowflakes descending upon red of cardinal and berries on a bare thorny branch. Where the vandal dug out double-orange oriental poppies and Allium 'Purple Sensation', I'd love to naturalize the Oxeye Daisies with Zinnia 'Persian Carpet', as well as naturalize the Columbines 'Woodland Gold' and 'Silver Queen' on a shady slope closer to the house. Thank you - this looks do-able.

Val - Thank you for the festive Christmas card with gold calligraphy on red and quite a bounty of flower seeds inside. I'm looking forward to direct sowing three kinds of Shirley poppies, clarkia and candytuft over bulbs and then following them later in the heat of summer with Evening Stock, Marigolds Red Brocade & Strawberry Blonde, and Persian Carpet zinnias. They can all bow to Lavatera 'Silver Cup', and then hopefully seedlings of biennial Sweet William will continue further anticipation of flowers over the next winter. My grandmother would have loved such a cornucopia of seeds.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a safe but magical New Year during the months to come. Thank you All for brightening this time of year for us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We were away for the long weekend, came home and found my lovely amaryllis in full bloom, and 2 more wonderful cards awaiting me.

Thank you, Tammy, for that adorable snowman (surrounded by kids and dog) card and florist pepperbox poppy and Faron Calendula seeds! From Jayanne, a lovely card with horses dashing through the snow and Sunfower Elf and Crimson Blaze seeds - Thank you both so much!!

Dan, got some nice choices there! Those cherokee sunsets are to die for! :D

2018 was a very trying year for me. All your cards and wonderful seeds certainly helped brighten my holidays, that's for sure! THANK YOU!! Cant wait to grow them all!

Here's hoping that 2019 will be a wonderful, HEALTHY year for ALL!

Pinkiris thank you for the card and seeds of " Vinca Cora White" and " Vinca Jams and Jellies Blackberry." Also for " Tomato Brads Atomic Grape" and " Sunny Boy.". Cant wait to see them grow!. THANK YOU!!!!!

Val, I don't know if you're a mind-reader or have been somehow monitoring what I've been looking at online in the way of seeds, but WOW!!! You put an entire garden or two in that package you sent! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Charlie took one look at all these seeds and then looked at me and said "You're going to be busy this spring, aren't you?" Lol, I love it! You included seeds I've never tried, some I've always grown, and seeds for plants I had to leave behind when I moved. The winter scene on your card is how it looks around here after this last snowfall. We got a little over a foot of snow on Monday night.

Are some of you curious about what Val sent? Here's the list:

Black-eyed Susans (I've got an area of the yard I want to grow a huge bed of these in)

Hairy Balls Milkweed (those got a grin from me and Charlie)

Blue Salvia

Gomphrenia, Strawberry Fields

Zinnia Mix

Elephant Head Amaranth

Purple Globe Amaranth

Luna Swirl Hibiscus

Black Hollyhocks (I've been wanting these)

Yellow Morning Glory

Verbena (almost bought some yesterday, thank you!)

Foxglove (another one I almost bought yesterday, but my order was getting a little pricey)

Red Cardinal Flower (I've been wanting to grow these again)

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory (I'm putting my MGs on my white picket fence)

Morning Glory, Tall Mixed Colors

Magenta Celosia Plumosa (these'll be pretty in my front flower garden)

Anise Hyssop

Petunia

Red Cockscomb

Columbine (these will be perfect beneath our pine trees!)

Liatris (I had to leave mine behind, thank you!)

Grandpa Ott Morning Glory

Nicotiana Sylvestris

Just this morning Charlie was telling me we're going to have a good year, and you know what? He's right. And you, my dear friend, have helped start it off with a bang, and all these seeds are going to help keep it that way. I hope your year is filled with health, fun, and the best growing season you've ever had!

When I thought Christmas is over and no more cards for me then I got the surprise card from Dawn (lexiegurl09), your card is beautiful and thank you so much for the 11 packs of seeds. All commercial. Wow! These are Tomato Pondorosa, Rutgers, Costoluto genovese, homestead, pink oxheart, pink siberian, Ass ss, yellow brandywine, porter, Red ruby lettuce, Eggplant Listada de gandia. Love everything and can't wait to try them. Thank you so much.

I've been sorting seeds this afternoon, trying to get a head start and figuring out what I'm planting this coming Spring. Our granddaughter finally woke up and came out of the craft room where we put her bed while she's home from her first year of college. While munching on her Captain Crunch, she asked if I wanted the seeds from her room. "What seeds?" was my reply. I've been in there plenty of times, but haven't opened all the boxes of fabric yet. "There's a plastic container of seeds in there. It fell out of a box of material a couple of nights ago when I bumped it and the stack fell down." Remember that container of seeds I thought I'd lost in my move??? IT'S NOT LOST ANY LONGER!!! I've been playing with seeds all afternoon, and wanted to share the good news with you all! Charlie was right, 2019 is going to be a good year!!! I hope you all are having a good start to your new year, I know I am!!!!

Apologies for being MIA this year with thank-yous. I am still unpacking from my move from Virginia to central Florida and have been extremely busy with trying to get enrolled into Florida tech (missed the deadline for Spring semester), clearing out land from the years of 10+ years of invasive plants, getting the land ready for goats, modifying my greenhouse (a gift for Christmas) and of course dealing with the void of my husband not being around. This is the 2nd holiday season without him.

Each and EVERY card and pack of seeds has distracted me from the sadness and helped make it through the day. I wish I would have taken a picture of the card display I formed into a tree. It was fun to do.

I enjoy the different types of cards. I keep them every year. I know I am still waiting on mail from a friend in Va. I am not used to the mail taking forever down here, but my brother says that's the norm. A few of the cars I received arrived in a postal bag due to the machine ripping the card/seeds open. I hope I was able to match the seeds up with their right senders. Either way, I am grateful for the cards and seeds. If I missed anyone, let me know and i will investigate :)

Thanks to the following for the cards and seeds:

Dan (I loved your homemade card. To be honest, I thought it was from a box set) :)

Primrose sent me Horehound, Coriander, wild strawberry, skull cap, lovage and Mustard seeds

Michelle Reynolds sent me Zinnia seeds

Jas_il sent me dwarf sunflower and coneflower

Nottougly sent me coneflowers and cosmos

Susieqsie sent me St. Vincent Lilac, Blanket flower, Dill, Sunflowers, zinnias, amaranthus, cosmos and firebush seeds

Pinkiris sent me lots of coneflowers

Patrob sent me lemon thyme, red hot poker, carrots, basil lime

Micrey sent me zinnias

Christmas isn't over yet, until I thank some more Santas.

Thank you mcc371 for the lovely traditional poinsettia card and the birdhouse gourd early jalapenos, and butternut squash. The prospect of a potential harvest is exciting.

Thank you raneegrow for the festive Christmas tree card and the cactus zinnia seeds. It is about time to plant these now here. I hope they will make my garden pretty.

Thank you lexiegurl for the cute sparkly Santa card and the exceptionally well packed bounty of seeds. Wow, so many I've never heard of before. I must go look up the Black Mountain Pink tomato, Tuscan cantaloupe, Purple Queen bush beans, Planters Jumbo cantaloupe, Valencia tomato, Piggott family cowpea, Hendersons Pink tomato, Porter tomato, Polish linguisa tomato, Crimson Sweet watermelon, Tennessee, Green Pod bush bean, Missippi Purple Brown crowder, cowpea, and Rutger's tomato. I need to get more farmland :)

Thanks again to everyone who sent me seeds and everyone else who shared in this positive Christmas experience. Happy New Year and Happy Growing!

I have another secret santa to thank, SUSIEQ I received a torn and tattered card from you yesterday. The card appears to have gone to the north pole and back.lol I love all the seeds you sent but I have to say that I'm most excited to try out the white hibiscus and the butterfly pea blue sails! Thank you so much for sharing a piece of your garden with me.

I only see a few people that posted for cards I sent. I'm hoping that they forgot to post that they recieved.

It was a rough December here for me so I didnt send out as many cards as usual but I think there are still 5 out there that havent been acknowledged...I'll be playing with seeds in the next few weeks and will likely send out more.....watch your mailboxes kids!

This year most of my cards seem to have landed and were acknowledged. Last year many seemed to go astray. If I missed you this year I'll try to make it up next time.

I have not seen posts where these three were received, but maybe they are still out there.

Appalachian Sasquatch

Lisa in Tennessee

The Store

Thanks Kym. Your swap has become a traditional feature of the season.

Tammy (mcc371) - Thank you for the Cardinal Christmas card and the Cardinal climber seeds.

Megan - Thank you for the Snowman Christmas card along with the Slow Bolt Cilantro & Nasturtium Dwarf seeds.

Patricia (patrob) - Thank you for the Ho Ho Ho Santa Christmas card along with Red Hot Poker Mix, Cilantro Long-standing, Basil Red Boza & the Standing Cypress seeds!

Ranegrow aka Iris - Thank you for the lovely Christmas tree card along with the Cactus Zinnia seeds!

Kym - Thank you so much for putting on such a successful Secret Santa Swap!!

I loved everything! Some of the seeds my mom is eyeballing, so I will be sharing some with her. I am so looking forward to growing these. I'll have to look some of them up to find out when it's a good time to plant them. Thank you!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!

Megan - thank you for the card and ADORABLE snowman ornament - I love it!

Planning garden now! Cannot SLEEP! Much thanks to everyone! Dirtdaddy!

Hello Everyone! I'm late letting you know I did receive more cards!

Patrob - Thank you very much! The card came to me in a plastic bag about the damage it received. Luckily the only damage was just the envelope! Everything is fine! I got Columbine "Eastern Red" , French Marigold "Double Dwarf Mix", Rosemary, & Plox Twinkles Dwarf Mix. Thank you for the card and seeds!

Mcc371 - Thank you for the card and seeds. I got Orange Marigold! I was short on marigold seeds this year! Thank you very much.

Elena - Thank you for the card and seeds. That is an interesting card - A New York Christmas! I got Anagallis Linifolia, Allium Canadense, Gaillardia Aristata "Goblin", Aster "Milady Mix", Papaver Alpinum, Browallia Americana, "Snowwhite" Schizanthos, Jinkerbell Mix"

I hope you all had a great Christmas and a New Year! I was hoping it would snow on Christmas day or at least be some snow out there, but not lucky this time. Was lucky couple years ago!

I'm thankful for the cards and seeds and I really hope to get to planting to make the outside look better this year! The mixes of different seeds I received will defiantly make the place vibrant.

I was low on seeds this year and could only give what I had left. I hope this year I can gather some seeds together to share for the next SSSS.

Thanks for letting me know about the torn envelope, intelkid. I"ll definitely use better quality envelopes next year. Glad the seeds arrived okay. Happy gardening!

I wasn't signed up for the swap this year, but when I returned from time away over the holidays there was a surprise for me...a card and seeds from pinkiris. Thanks! I'll enjoy growing the Mesa Red Gailardia.

Dan,

Thank you SO much for the package that arrived in the mail yesterday. What a pleasant surprise to come home to after work! You are TOO kind - can't wait to grow these!! :D

Hoping this year is a great growing year with perfect weather for all! Wouldn't that be nice!!

Lol, well, you did say they were to die for, and I kind of like having you around, so I thought I'd surprise you and save a life at the same time! Enjoy them, and we can compare how they do in our gardens if you wish.

Dan would love to "compare notes"!!!!! This will give me something to live for! :D

Does anyone have some cuttings of pothos or philodendron they'd care to share for postage? I'd like to put some in my sewing room.

Dan, send me a message. I have a phil that needs a haircut.

Missed signing up for the swap. I wont let it slip by next christmas

Sorry I'm late on acknowledging 3 cards and saying thank you for some lovely seeds! January was a bit hectic for me but now I'm looking forward to planning my 2019 garden!

Patrob- thank you for the lemon thyme, cosmic purple carrot, Pac Choy, and black seeded simpson lettuce. I'm excited for all of them!

Tammy (mcc371)- thank you for the oriental greens and crystal apple cucumber! Excellent choices!

DirtDaddy- thank you for the great selection of lettuce, red varieties are a particular favorite of mine, and French Sorrel!

I'm glad to know the seeds arrived, mperria. I hope you have a wonderful garden this year.

Hows everyone? I plant chile pepper and tomatoe seeds in 72 hrs! PEACE! Dirtdaddy.