Leftover seeds: Q and Idea

Paige Woodward paige@hillkeep.ca
Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:01:03 PST


On 2013-01-11, at 5:59 AM, Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org> wrote:

> Greetings Pacific Bulb Society member,
> 
> Extra seed from the Pacific Bulb Society Bulb and Seed Exchange (BX) 
> is available now for a reduced price. 

I have since ordered from the Sale list, but I have a question and an idea.

QUESTION: What happens to seeds that are not ordered? Are they fed to local birds and rodents? Eaten for breakast? Composted? Distributed to plant groups or privately to allies?

IDEA: If we could store contributed seeds well, we could devote them to science: germination and propagation experiments, molecular and other analysis, forms of examination I can't, and maybe you can't, imagine. I am really only interested in the results, but I can see how propagation of rare and desirable plants might be parlayed into something like what the RHS does with its trials, generating instead for PBS money and respect that cannot be bought. Our PBS difference that we would focus on wild taxa, not "good garden plants". If they're good in some garden somewhere, fine; but they are most interesting, surely, as fellow creatures surviving into the future. If PBS correspondence is any measure, PBS members rejoice in difficulty.

Paige Woodward



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