From My Garden to Yours 2019

Happy 2019, folks! Now that the early-winter festivities are behind us, it’s time to think about the upcoming growing season. One of my own favorite parts of the yearly gardening cycle is the “distillation” process: turning this…

…into this…

…into this…

…into this.

Those tiny packets represent a lot of hours, and a lot of love, and a lot of hope for their future–whether it’s to beautify a border, brighten a bouquet, provide a tasty harvest, or simply make some other gardener smile. To that end, I’m delighted that it’s once again time to share some of my garden’s bounty with those of you who have been loyal readers over the last decade. I think there’s something for everyone: annuals, perennials, herbs, edibles, grasses, vines, colored foliage, and more–some old favorites and some new things too.

This year, I’m trying something new, in the hope of simplifying the giveaway process for both you and me. We’ll see if it works! There are two ways you can request free seeds: by placing an order through my Etsy shop or by sending me a self-addressed stamped envelope. Either way, I hope to keep this offer open from January 15 through January 31, 2019. I may have to cut off the requests sooner if my supply of giveaway seeds runs out, though, so I suggest that you get your request in quickly. Also, please do not post this offer on any other site.

Requesting through My Seed Shop

If you place any order through my shop, Hayefield on Etsy–even just one packet of seed, plus shipping–you can request one free packet of any of the 200 or so seeds I currently have available there, or one from the “Special List for Hayefield Readers” near the bottom of this post. The single shipping cost of $3.15 covers the postage and a padded envelope to protect the seeds you order. Please note that I ship Etsy orders only within the U.S..

Put the name of your request (along with one alternate, please, just in case your first choice gets sold out), in the “Note to Seller” section on the checkout page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through Etsy or directly at nan@hayefield.com before placing your order. I normally fill orders the same day they’re placed, but I may get a little behind if I get a lot of orders at once, so I hope you’ll be patient with me.

Requesting through Hayefield

If you prefer not to place an order through my shop, or if you live outside of the U.S., that’s fine too; I’d still be honored to share some of my garden with you. The list below includes an eclectic collection of over 50 seeds I’ve picked out from my complete list: many of my own top favorites, along with some oddities, “test” varieties, and Hayefield exclusives. Some of you may recognize seeds that you have shared with me in the past in this list.

Please choose one you’d like to try, along with one alternate just in case your first choice isn’t available, and let me know in a comment on this post, in an email (nan@hayefield.com), or in the contact form at the very end of this post. I will respond by email to confirm your request and give you my mailing address so you can send me a self-addressed stamped envelope (or to get your address if you live outside the U.S.). If you do not hear back from me within 24 hours of making your request, either I didn’t get your request or my response went astray, so please try again with a different method.

If you want more information on any of these before making your choice, most of the names are linked to their respective page in my Etsy shop, where you’ll find a photo, description, and germination information. The few that aren’t linked are from my “Special List for Hayefield Readers” at the bottom of this post.

Abelmoschus manihot (Sunset Hibiscus)
Agastache foeniculum ‘Golden Jubilee’ (Anise Hyssop)
Amaranthus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ (Amaranth)
Amsonia rigida (Stiff Bluestar)
Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Golden Fleece’ (Cow Parsley)
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)
Baptisia alba (White False Indigo)
Baptisia ex ‘Purple Smoke’ next to ‘Carolina Moonlight’ (False Indigo)
Bean ‘Gialet’ (Pole Bean)
Bean ‘Merveille de Venise’ (Pole Bean)
Bean ‘Riga d’Oro’ (Pole Bean)
Bean ‘Tiger Eye’ (Bush Bean)
Bupleurum rotundifolium (Thorough-Wax)
Collomia grandiflora (Large-Flowered Collomia)
Cosmos sulphureus (Sulfur Cosmos)
Deschampsia cespitosa (Tufted Hair Grass)
Digitalis ferruginea (Rusty Foxglove)
Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master)
Fagopyrum ‘Rose Red Soba’ (Pink-Flowered Buckwheat)
Helianthus annuus ex ‘Sun-Fill Green’ (Sunflower)
Helleborus x hybridus (Hybrid Lenten Rose)
Ipomoea hybrid ‘Fuji no Murasaki’ (Morning Glory)
Ipomoea purpurea ‘Carnevale di Venezia’ (Morning Glory)
Iris x robusta ex ‘Gerald Darby’ (Iris)
Kitaibelia vitifolia (Chalice Flower)
Lathyrus tingitanus (Tangier Pea)
Lilium formosanum (Formosa Lily)
Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion)
Nicotiana sylvestris (Woodland Tobacco)
Nigella damascena ‘Cramers’ Plum’ (Love-in-a-Mist)
Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll’ (Love-in-a-Mist)
Orlaya grandiflora (White Lace Flower)
Panicum amarum (Bitter Panic Grass)
Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’ (Annual Poppy)
Patrinia scabiosifolia (Golden Lace)
Pea ‘Sugar Magnolia’ (Purple-Podded Snap Pea)
Phytolacca americana ‘Variegata’/’Silberstein’ (Pokeweed)
Plantago major ‘Atropurpurea’ (Purple-Leaved Plantain)
Popcorn ‘Indian Berries’ (Zea mays)
Popcorn ‘Mini Blue’ (Zea mays)
Ptelea trifoliata ‘Aurea’ (Golden Hop Tree)
Scabiosa ochroleuca (Yellow Pincushion Flower)
Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly)
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)
Symphyotrichum pilosum ‘Hayefield Variegated’ (Variegated Frost Aster)
Tagetes minuta (Mexican Marigold)
Thermopsis villosa (Carolina Lupine)
Tinantia erecta (Widow’s Tears)
Tomato ‘Variegata’ (Variegated Tomato)
Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort)
Triticum dicoccon ‘Black Winter Emmer’ (Emmer Wheat)
Verbesina alternifolia (Yellow Ironweed)
Vigna unguiculata ‘Pretzel Bean’ (Pretzel Bean)
Zea mays ‘Old Gold’ (Variegated Corn)

Special List for Hayefield Readers

• Baptisia ex ‘Purple Smoke’ next to ‘Carolina Moonlight’ (False Indigo): What the name says! I have no idea what flower colors these seeds will produce, but if you have space to fill in your garden, it could be interesting to grow out these potential hybrids and see what you get. [20 seeds per packet]
• Helianthus annuus ex ‘Sun-Fill Green’ (Sunflower): As the flowerheads developed on the parent plants in 2018, they looked very much like large green flowers–at least until they produced a small ring of yellow ray flowers along the outer edge. ‘Sun-Fill Green’ is a hybrid, though, so I don’t know what these seedlings are likely to do. But if you love sunflowers, this might be a fun experiment for you. [20 seeds per packet]
• Fagopyrum ‘Rose Red Soba’ (Pink-Flowered Buckwheat): This was a new one for me in 2018; seeds were from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It behaved rather differently from regular buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum): ‘Rose Red Soba’ grew and flowered all through the summer, with pink flowers instead of the usual white. It produced very few seeds, but I managed to get small amount to pass along. [10 seeds per packet]
• Ipomoea hybrid ‘Fuji no Murasaki’ (Morning Glory): Wow, what a beauty this one was in 2018; see the photo below. It was growing on the same arbor as Ipomoea purpurea ‘Carnevale di Venezia’, though, so there’s some chance that they crossed. You may get flowers that look like the photo, or you may get something different but interesting. [6 seeds per packet]
• Iris x robusta ex ‘Gerald Darby’: If you’ve been reading here for a while, you may have noticed that I really like ‘Gerald Darby’ iris, for its purplish spring foliage, dark stems, and beautiful blooms, among other traits. I was thrilled that my plants finally started to produce seeds a few years ago. Last winter, I sowed some from the 2017 season, and I got a half-dozen seedlings last summer. It’ll probably take another year or two until I know how they’ll turn out. But I did collect a small amount of viable-looking seeds again in 2018, and I’d love to share them with someone who’s open to giving them a try–and, ideally, reporting back with their results. [8 seeds per packet]
• Pea ‘Sugar Magnolia’ (Purple-Podded Snap Pea): 2018 was my second year for this strain, and I plan to keep growing it. Besides producing loads of tendrils, giving the plant a very lacy appearance, it also yields beautiful, dusky purple pods. You can eat them whole if you catch them young–they’re really yummy–or let them mature a bit and shell the green peas. Be aware that a few off-type plants may appear, with green pods. [6 seeds per packet]
• Tomato ‘Variegata’ (Variegated Tomato): Also known as ‘Splash of Cream’, this heirloom seed strain produces plants with irregularly cream-splashed leaves. The variegation can carry up the stem and into the ripening fruits, which eventually mature to solid red. It can’t match a ‘Brandywine’ for flavor, but it’s pretty good to eat, and very pretty to look at as well. [8 seeds per packet]