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May Dreams Gardens

Wildflower Wednesday: Win Seeds From Botanical Interests!

January 26, 2011 By Carol Michel 81 Comments

Updated 01/31/2011 — The lucky winner is Jenna Z. If you didn’t win and would like to try again, please visit Cold Climate Gardening where Kathy is also sponsoring a giveaway of seeds from Botanical Interests!

~~~~~~

How about some free seeds to start off a year of wildflowers in your garden?

And a calendar beautifully illustrated with botanical drawings to count down the days until spring?

And a mouse pad to keep your mouse moving smoothly as you click around the web reading Wildflower Wednesday posts and looking for seeds?

How about it, indeed!

Botanical Interests is sponsoring this giveaway which features a calendar, a mouse pad, and two seed mixes that will no doubt delight you with many blooms through summer and fall.

The first seed mix, “Save the Bees“, includes annual and perennial flowers and even some herbs chosen especially to attract bees and other pollinators.

The other seed mix, “Water-wise“, includes annual and perennial flowers that are drought-tolerant and by the way, they’ll attract bees and pollinators, too.

Using a seed mix is a great way start a wildflower garden, one that will provide enjoyment and surprises not only the first season of sowing, but for many seasons after that.

In addition to the two seed mixes offered in this giveaway,  Botanical Interests also offers several other seed mixes including the Songbird Mix, Bring Home the Butterflies Mix, Hummingbird Haven, and the very intriguing Fairy Meadow Mix. (Hmmm… a mix of flowers that attracts garden fairies? Very intriguing…)

It’s easy to enter this giveaway! Just leave a comment below telling us about your favorite wildflower. That’s it!

Enter by Monday, January 31st at 9 pm EST and maybe you’ll start February with two free seed mixes, a calendar and a mouse pad. 

(Giveaway open to U.S. and Canadian residents, 18 years and older, one entry per person. Please include your email address in your comment (disguised along the lines of “name AT gmail dot com”) or make sure your comment will lead me to a blog or website where I can find your email address.  Winner will be chosen by random drawing.)

(Wildflower Wednesdays is sponsored by Gail at Clay and Limestone. Visit her blog to find links to others who are joining in this once a month event promoting wildflowers in and out of the garden.)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: seeds, wildflower wednesday

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ARK says

    January 26, 2011 at 5:25 am

    poppies, poppies, poppies, poppies, poppies!!

    …if peonies were a wildflower they would win though…

    Reply
  2. Alison says

    January 26, 2011 at 5:36 am

    My favorite wildflower is pretty common, but then, so am I! It's Echinacea purpurea/purple coneflower. Birds love the seeds, butterflies love the flowers!

    Reply
  3. MOMFOREVERANDEVER says

    January 26, 2011 at 7:12 am

    poppies for sure and then sunflowers

    Reply
  4. K says

    January 26, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Favourite? The asters we call "Farewell summers" – nice purple-blue asters that bloom, along with goldenrod, at the end of the summer (obviously!). I love seeing that colour combination every fall 🙂

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 11:51 am

    Just one favorite, we can't have several? That is too hard! That Fairy Mix sounds perfect, I will look into that one, thanks Carol!
    Frances

    Reply
  6. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    January 26, 2011 at 11:52 am

    Like I could choose just one? Oh, all right then, I'll say Thalictrum/anemonella thalictroides. I can't even say why, they just charm me. Cute little denizens of the shade, bloom for a long time in spring, then often disappear. That's it. Not butterfly or hummingbird magnets, no imposing presence, no fancy foliage all season.

    Reply
  7. Gail says

    January 26, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    My favorite wildflower~That's easy it's Phlox pilosa~the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox~Glad you joined the celebration! gail

    Reply
  8. Grower Jim says

    January 26, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    ONE of my favorite spring wildflowers is Salvia lyrata (Lyre-leaf sage). I did a profile on this plant last spring (http://growerjim.blogspot.com/2010/04/salvia-lyrata-lyre-leaf-sage.html).
    jim.f at juno dot com.

    Reply
  9. Lynne says

    January 26, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    I love Chicory (Cichorium intybus). As a child I saw it on the roadside and a vacant lot next door. Beautiful blue blooms.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Oooooh, hepatica! The surprise mini bouquet of flowers emerging from a pile of dead leaves…and then the treasure hunt that ensues to find the green hearts underneath. Now I've got spring fever again!

    Reply
  11. Donna says

    January 26, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    boy that is a tough decision…I would say that if I look out over my wildflower meadow I really love all the rudbeckias with those bright yellow faces and the browns and oranges mixed in…they stay long and provide so much for all the pollinators and birds…and they self seed…

    Reply
  12. Unknown says

    January 26, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    I too have a hard time deciding on a favorite, but I'm going to go with purple coneflower – I just love that beautiful pop of color jumping out of my butterfly garden.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    I now live in Wisconsin and driving down the country roads I see alot of "Black Eyed Susans" I love them–they remind me of sunshine

    Reply
  14. bkand7js says

    January 26, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    Echinacea (Purple Cone FLower) is by far my favorite wild flower. Cora Reef, Bee Balm is a close second. I love the smell of it. I throw a handful of the flower in my truck to freshen it up. It sure beats the chemical sprays they use at the car wash.

    Reply
  15. Ramble on Rose says

    January 26, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    Canadian columbine, nodding wild onion, yellow pimpernel…geez I can't decide!

    Reply
  16. Kali says

    January 26, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I love the blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata)simply because I love the bright, vibrant color and the yellow tips on the petals make me happy. How can you not smile when you see one?

    Reply
  17. katzkids by Kathy D. says

    January 26, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    My favorite wildflower is the daisy.Thanks for the giveaway:)
    kats7960@gmail.com

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    I'm still seeing surprises from the wildflower seeds I planted three years ago including poppies.

    Reply
  19. KayGee says

    January 26, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    I think my favorite would be daisies.

    Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

    Reply
  20. Patsy Bell Hobson says

    January 26, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    I like those blue corn flowers and the little poppies

    Reply
  21. Unknown says

    January 26, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    We have beautiful Devil's Paintbrush around here in the Spring that I love, they are so bright

    Reply
  22. Jenna Z says

    January 26, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    One of my favorites is columbine. I have orange and purple varieties in my backyard!

    Reply
  23. Dirt Gently says

    January 26, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    My favourite wildflower? Tough choice! I think it's a tie between bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and rampion / harebell (Campanula rapunculus / rotundifolia).

    The campanula, I first spotted on a hike through a wild part of a city park. I am still not sure which species I saw, since both are so similarly described in my Googling. Anyone have a hint on telling the difference?

    And I've never seen a bloodroot in the wild, but from the pictures I've seen, I know that I must have them in my garden!

    Reply
  24. Dirt Gently says

    January 26, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    Oh yes, my email! It's Dirt.Gently over at Google's email service.

    Reply
  25. Mary C. says

    January 26, 2011 at 6:21 pm

    oh nice giveaway! thanks for the opportunity!

    My favorite wildflower is the sunflower 🙂 yes, it's a wildflower! I love it because of all the different varieties there are, especially the ones with multiple blooms on one plant. They just make me feel happy.

    Reply
  26. TexMike says

    January 26, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    Bluebonnets of course.

    Reply
  27. Nancy says

    January 26, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    I'm with TexMike.. Bluebonnets, of course!

    But I like the Indian Paitbrush as well, and passionflowers hold a special place in my heart.

    Reply
  28. greggo says

    January 26, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    Even though I don't live in Texas anymore, I'd have to agree with TexMike, Texas Bluebonnets (Lupine texensis) are spectacular. And a close second would be Rudebeckia "goldstrum".

    Reply
  29. booksandgardens says

    January 26, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    My favorite (currently) is Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica). It gets so tall and purplse and blooms fairly late so it provides a lot color and stature in my garden.
    Kristi

    Reply
  30. Donna says

    January 26, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    A flower I picked in my childhood on the farm; yellow buttercups. They grew in the ditches around the farm, bright and numerous for the pickin'. Flowers for birds, bees and butterflies are what I aim for!gischatusfamilydotnet.. Thanks Carol!

    Reply
  31. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    I always loved wild strawberry flowers- and the strawberry leaves are lovely too.
    writer61@yahoo.com

    Reply
  32. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    I always loved wild strawberry flowers- and the strawberry leaves are lovely too.
    writer61@yahoo.com

    Reply
  33. Jenn's Cooking Garden! says

    January 26, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    I love salvias, poppies and sunflowers! They are so pretty Together! 4bratz2luv@gmail.com

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    January 26, 2011 at 11:58 pm

    Trilliums. They're magical. You can never have too many of them. Every summer I look for seedlings to move to new parts of the garden. Last week I couldn't wait. I cut some chunks off the edges of my biggest clump and replanted then under the rhodies where anyone coming to the front door can see them.

    Deirdre-sillakim at aol dot com.

    Reply
  35. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2011 at 12:04 am

    Trientalis borealis, star flower, it's a sweet, dainty thing I remember growing in the woods when I grew up. I've discovered as an adult that it runs like crazy, but who cares?

    Froupd at aol dot com

    Reply
  36. Jean says

    January 27, 2011 at 3:11 am

    It's a tie between california poppies and nasturtiums.

    Reply
  37. Randy Emmitt says

    January 27, 2011 at 3:49 am

    Climbing nasturtiums for sure.

    Reply
  38. Theresa says

    January 27, 2011 at 4:05 am

    Sambucus/Elderberry, I love my elderberries for the great job they do at stabilizing my waterfront, for giving the robins a place to nest, for the pretty spring flowers, and the great jelly that I get to make with my nephews in the fall, and the winter shelter they give the wild birds when they come to my feeders in the winter.
    Thanks for the chance at more seeds!

    T in Coldwater

    Reply
  39. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2011 at 4:29 am

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    Reply
  40. Fishtail Cottage says

    January 27, 2011 at 4:33 am

    would love to have you link up to Cottage Flora Thursdays…I'm looking for others that have a love of gardening to share posts with. Hope to see you! xoox

    Reply
  41. Anjali says

    January 27, 2011 at 4:36 am

    Wild rose which is the provincial flower of Alberta. It has a lovely fragrance when it blooms in June.

    BTW, love your blog! I read it all the time but this is my first time commenting (email is anjalirehill at gmail dot com).

    Reply
  42. Sally says

    January 27, 2011 at 5:30 am

    Lady Slippers, so amazing and the state flower of MN!!

    Reply
  43. robbie says

    January 27, 2011 at 11:57 am

    Being a Kansas girl, definitely sunflowers. 🙂

    Reply
  44. Unknown says

    January 27, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    I'm from Texas. It has to be the bluebonnet of course,
    ! Miles and miles of them.

    Reply
  45. Ginny says

    January 27, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    I love Joe Pye Weed!

    Reply
  46. Karen says

    January 27, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    Wild forest violets are my favorite. I used to love to pick them as a little child and now they remind me of those first warm spring days.

    Reply
  47. Jenna Gayle says

    January 27, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    My favorite is the pink native azalea blooms! They bloom like mad in the pine fields around here!

    jenna_zeigler at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  48. Quecatwho says

    January 27, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    I love the Beebalm!! I have it planted strategically throughout my vegetable garden. It always brings in the most beautiful assortment of butterflies, bumblebees and hummingbirds.

    Reply
  49. Maggie says

    January 27, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    I love the flower bitterroot – it's not only beautiful, but it's helped so many Montanans throughout history.
    My favorite herb is lavender. 🙂

    My email: mtretter at hotmail dot com.

    P.S.
    My 7 year old would like to know if the Fairy Garden mix is good for zone 4. ? 🙂

    Reply
  50. Lori says

    January 27, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Trillium and Wood Violets! I also use the flowers of the violets to make jelly – it's a beautiful amethyst color and tastes like a very mild honey.

    Reply
  51. Prudence says

    January 27, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    Snowdrops (here in the northeast, they're just about the first ones to arrive). Thanks!

    Reply
  52. Tom M says

    January 27, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    Our favorite would be the Oxeye Daisy. Long lasting, and makes for a great cut flower. @SolakNC on Twitter

    Reply
  53. Elizabeth says

    January 27, 2011 at 10:44 pm

    Oh poppies and daisies – the happiest flowers! Love them….but then again I do love almost any flower (marigolds and geraniums are the exceptions) @Love2Sail (twitter)

    Reply
  54. Unknown says

    January 27, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    my pick is the old reliable Dandy Lion. Never fails to come back every year and it brings friends!Denise

    Reply
  55. Cathy O'Brien says

    January 28, 2011 at 12:16 am

    my favourite would definitely be buttercups or maybe daisies, those small white flowers with yellow middles that are so common in English lawns. It is one thing I miss since moving to Ohio, lawns here still have weeds but they aren't the pretty ones I am used too 🙂

    Reply
  56. Jen says

    January 28, 2011 at 1:39 am

    My fav is Gaillardia or Blanketflower. I garden in Nevada and it provides a lot of color and stands up to the hot, dry summers.
    jenfox79 at sbcglobal dot net.

    Reply
  57. katina says

    January 28, 2011 at 2:42 am

    Since I grew up in colorado, I gotta say that my favorite wildflower is the columbine.

    Gardeninginaustin.blogspot.com

    Katina underscore Butler at hotmail

    Reply
  58. SophieGale says

    January 28, 2011 at 3:13 am

    Yes, I know it is invasive, but cut-leaved teasel is so darned amazing! Colonies of plants six feet tall with showy white spikes of flowers that produce the prickly teasel–so tactile and dramatic in flower arrangements. One plant can produce as many as 2000 seeds, which can remain viable for two years. The seeds have a 30-80% germination rate. If you cut down teasel before it forms the flower spike, it just grows back. If you cut it after the flower appears, the seed can still ripen on the stalk.

    When the teasel dies back, it leaves a large, bare spot that provides a nursery for its seedlings (awwwwwww!). It grows well in disturbed ground and follows highways, which is how I spotted it. Mowing just spreads the seed, running water spreads the seed… Its tap root can be two feet long, so you have to burn it in the spring and then dig it out. Grow, teasel, grow!!!

    Reply
  59. Peggy says

    January 28, 2011 at 3:36 am

    I would have to say poppies….when I see them it always reminds me of our neighbor, Olga, that lived next door to us when my husband and I were first married. She had them throughout her garden as she let them free seed. The were beautifully chaotic!

    Reply
  60. Rose says

    January 28, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    No indecision here–the purple coneflower is my favorite hands down. But for something that truly grows wild around here, I'd pick the wild carrot or Queen Anne's Lace.

    Reply
  61. Amber says

    January 28, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Hard to pick just one but I guess I'll go with Edelweiss.

    Reply
  62. Jill-O says

    January 28, 2011 at 5:16 pm

    My favorites always vary from season to season, but currently my favorite is the jewelweed, in the impatiens family. It's also known as touch-me-not as the seed pod pops open and shoots the seeds out if you touch it.

    Reply
  63. Unknown says

    January 29, 2011 at 6:46 am

    My favorite flowers at this particular moment are the nasturtiums, edible flowers! We harvested seeds from last year and we planted in another area of our yard. Last years flowers planted seeds and are growing as I write this! Love the color, the crawling vine quality and of course the edibility!

    Reply
  64. Eva says

    January 29, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    Cosmos, bright orange, of course.

    Reply
  65. Anonymous says

    January 29, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    buttercups

    ladcraig at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  66. Crystal says

    January 30, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I love herbs so some of my favorite wildflowers are Mullein and Red Clover.

    cyclona66 at aol dot com

    Reply
  67. Rhonda says

    January 30, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    I love daisys. They make me feel happy.

    rhondastruthers atyahoo.ca

    Reply
  68. sweetsue says

    January 31, 2011 at 1:41 am

    Foxglove is my favorite. It's so pretty and helpful!
    smchester at gmail dot com

    Reply
  69. hyacinthb says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:04 am

    I've always liked Indian Blanket flowers

    Reply
  70. Susan in WNC says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:34 am

    crested dwarf iris–so pretty and dainty in the spring

    cinco_00 at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  71. Tipper says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:59 am

    I live in Texas and in the spring if we get enough rain, wooded areas can be filled with wine cups. They are my favorite wildflowers.

    sparkofutterance(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply
  72. Alana says

    January 31, 2011 at 6:26 am

    Honeysuckle is by far the best wildflower in the world far as I'm concerned.

    alanafunmail at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  73. Unknown says

    January 31, 2011 at 8:17 am

    Sunflowers are my favorite.. great giveaway..

    Reply
  74. Joy Wilson says

    January 31, 2011 at 8:26 am

    I like the Wild Purple Shooting Stars you can find here in Washington State.

    Reply
  75. lknott says

    January 31, 2011 at 8:38 am

    My favorite wildflower is Queen Anne's Lace. It is so light and elegant! We used to pick them and stem dye with colored water!!!
    What a fun win of seeds as the snow is following!!!!

    lknott@partnercom.net

    Reply
  76. ladyvon5845 says

    January 31, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    I don't know the name of the wildflowers here in Iowa, I just know that in the spring they are beautiful and give me hope for the new year. But I do love poppies, and in my small town people plant alot of daffadels(sp).

    Reply
  77. susansmoaks says

    January 31, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    i love black eyed susans
    susansmoaks at gmail dot com

    Reply
  78. Anonymous says

    January 31, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    My favorite wildflower is a daisy
    galyettina(ay)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  79. Anonymous says

    January 31, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    My favorite wildflower is the Lily of the valley
    devotus(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  80. Mahes says

    January 31, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    My favourites are purple cone flower, black eyed susan and sun flowers!
    sona.s2011(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  81. /Heather/ says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:36 am

    I just love sunflowers! There are so many different kinds, but the coolest are the huge ones. I accidentally grew some in my backyard when the birdfeeder overflowed. 🙂
    heatherpooh (hotmail)

    Reply

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