Has anyone done a gardening project with children?

I have a Brownie troop and we'll be doing a buttefly/hummingbird garden project either to take home to their own yards, or in a public space if we can find one. Maybe home this year and a public space next year if they like gardening. Hopefully the church where we meet will let us tuck the flats under the bushes so the girls can keep an eye on them.

The plants should be native (preferably), reasonbly deer-resistant, low-maintenance, reliably perennial or self-sowing, fairly tidy. If we do a courtyard garden at the nursing home, the plants will definitely have to be on the tidy side, but not deer-resistant.

We don't want to make it difficult for 7 and 8 year olds - no pricking out seedlings, no spindly crumbling rootballs to transplant, just sturdy plants to pop in the ground. So: what soil mixes and (biodegradeable) containers do you suggest - budgetting is an issue here. What plants are fastest-developing? What's your short list? Any grasses or shrubs?

I've saved seeds for coneflower, swamp milkweed, cardinal flower, Salvia coccinea, four o'clocks. Larkspur and verbena bonariensis easier to direct sow. Maybe the cardinal flower too - tiny seedlings there. Monarda and sedum will be easy to do from cuttings.

If anyone has seeds for orange butterfly weed adapted to heavy soil could I send you a SASE?



Lisa
Central NJ/ z6b
Heat zone 5/6

Lisa
The plastic milk jugs works well. You could use the half gallon jusgs if the gallon size is too big for the girls. I like using the clear produce containers with a hinged lid like the kind used for Grape or cherry tomatoes, strawberries or blueberries. If the slits are too big in the base you can put a coffee filter in the bottom of the container before adding the soil. I used just regular potting mix

How about A few native plants like our easterm columbine. If you sowed those now they may bloom the first year. Silene virginica is a good plant for winter sowing also as it is recommended that it have cold stratification. I am going to be starting my seeds pretty soon for that one. I grew my Lobelia cardinalis from seed but the seedlings are sooooo tiny it might be a bit tricky for the girls to do without close supervision.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Lisa,
I will have plenty of orange butterfly weed seeds in a week or two.
If you email me, I'll give you my postal address...

Emily
Western MA

Thanks, Emily. Will do.

Lisa
Central NJ/ z6b
Heat zone 5/6

Lisa,

My one half hearted attempt at Winter sowing was a complete bust. But I remember there were a few threads about the subject....If you are looking for any seeds, email me and I'm sure I have some to donate to your girls.

I only tried a few of the seeds I posted on this thread, but I read they were able to winter sow in our zone.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/439743/thread/1200593775/Winter+sowing+2008

http://www.network54.com/Forum/439743/thread/1172601876/Winter+Sowing

http://www.network54.com/Forum/439743/thread/1204426007/WinterSowing+Question

Also there is a whole Forum devoted to the subject...
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/wtrsow/


Geez, I'm getting an itch just thinking about it. If it weren't for all the lights in th basement....but than again, solar is definitely the way to go! Now where did I stow those plastic jugs???


Pam NJ 6B