Wanted: seeds, plants, cuttings - school donation?

Hello - My name is Nick Patterson and I work at a public elementary school in Maine. I was wondering if anybody ever donates plants? We are fortunate to have both an art and a garden program. The students raise food that they also harvest and prepare for daily meals. We did our first empty bowl supper last year, where we made and sold bowls to raise funds for the local food pantry. I am the art teacher, and I am very much into sensory gardens. So I like gardens for color, and smells and tastes. I have always run on a zero budget. I have done shiitake logs with middle school students, and we did a wonderful seaweed project with younger grades - harvesting, eating, and printmaking. We also created outdoor classrooms in the woods by the stream.

The plants I am requesting are Kousa, Epimedium koreanum, Epimedium grandiflorum, sweetie star stevia, miyoga, sweet cicely, swamp saxifrage, red oca, potato onion, Babington leek, elephant garlic, damiana, red lake currant, orris, contorted mulberry, fig, primula vulgaris, zebra grass, hardy pecan, patchouli, white turtlehead, saffron, salad burnet, dwarf ginseng.

I have specific things that I would like to request, but I am looking for any suggestions you might have as well, that you think would work in this type of program. If you can send seed or plants, the below address is fine. I appreciate any assistance. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Nick Patterson
606 Springy Pond Road
Otis, Maine 04605

I wish I were near you, I would totally donate some plants. It sounds like a perfect mission for local facebook groups, I left the platform a while ago, but I wonder if there isn't a local group of gardeners you could ask.

This thread has been added to the New England forum, Nick, but since New England is a big place it might be worth your while to introduce yourself in that forum. A quick peek shows a good number of posts from people in Maine, and we planty folk are usually thrilled to share. Post a pic of what you're doing, and I bet you'll get a good response, and maybe someone there can help introduce you to other local forums. Might also be worth calling up your local cooperative extension and introducing yourself and your program, they might be able to put you in touch with people looking to do good, since school projects are usually great PR for everyone involved.

Is this an ok time of the year Nick.  I can share several things on your list as well as other things.

It would absolutely be a great time to ship plants- thank you! When should I expect them to arrive?

I'll get them off sometime this week.  Sending a PM to you to confirm what I should put in the box!  Thank you for the work you're doing Nick.

I have white turtlehead seeds I collected from a wild population. I can mail them to you.

AI believe they need to be cold-stratified, like other native wildflower seeds from northern climates. I do that by putting them in soil in a milk jug or reused food container of some kind, watering them, and just leaving that outdoors for the winter (starting no later than January). The soil should not be allowed to dry out, but as long as there is snow on it, no problem. Once spring comes, it should be watered if not getting enough rain. Once seedlings appear, they can be separated and transplanted.

Depending on how much space you have, what the growing conditions are like, and what your goals are, I may have other seeds you'd like. Do you want to attract pollinators? Add color? Want plants that can be dried for tea? I basically only have native wildflower seeds, nothing on your list besides the turtlehead.  

I will get those white turtlehead seeds in the mail to you this week. As I understand it, they germinate better being sown outdoors, rather than artificial cold stratification. Maybe they need the repeated freeze-thaw cycle, not sure. But when you get them, best to keep them cool and sow them as soon as you can.

Thank you! We will plant those white turtlehead seeds as soon as we get them. We would love plants for tea, color, pollinators, etc.
Thank you Marisa!

Thanks Marisa!

I want to say thank you to everybody who donated seeds and plants. I feel like we have made decent progress in both of my schools, as far as getting plants out there. I am working well on reviving the garden program at one school, and expanding the grade 3-4 outdoor classroom at another school. I am trying to think of the next step. I think working with bouquets, and making simple dishes will be achievable goals. If anybody has any recipes or project ideas to share I am all ears. Thanks again and happy new year!

Nick Patterson wrote: I am trying to think of the next step. I think working with bouquets, and making simple dishes will be achievable goals. If anybody has any recipes or project ideas to share I am all ears. Thanks again and happy new year!

I love what you are doing for the kids.

Have you checked out our cooking forum?

https://permies.com/f/17/cooking

It is under the category Kitchen which you might also find interesting:

https://permies.com/c/kitchen

Hi Nick,
It sounds very nice what you do. I am currently studying to be an art teacher in the Netherlands (@ Artez Arnhem).   I would love to hear more about what lessomd you do with the plants, and art.

There is als an amazing lady artist I recently heard about who grows plants for colors I can look up her name, and plants she uses if you like. Bibelina@gmail.com

Hello - I just wanted to thank you all again. Flowers have been the easiest to do. I am still working out what will grow in zone 5. Greek mtn Tea and Miyoga are doing well, along with shisandra. Still collecting types of alliums. I have a nice outdoor classroom next to the playground that I have duty. So in the next 8 weeks i might get a little gardening done, before summer break. I'm writing to ask if anyone know where to get Japanese quince plants or seed? In particular RASA. I think a small plant like that would do well and make nice pies.also looking for toona, chinquapin, bladdernut plants. Yang ru and skirret. Come to find out Maine is more like Scandinavia in terms of USDA zone. So far so good. As far as art lessons, I have looked at modern ikebana, which doesn't have to have any plants at all! Sometimes plants can be picked for close up pencil studies. I have pruned the old apple trees for that. And showed proper pruning at the same time. Thanks again!