Trillium rivale (purple heart form)
photo by Louise Parsons
This method is most useful for mailing smaller seeds such as arisaema
and trillium, but even larger seeds could be sandwiched in between two layers
of foam board if care is taken to match-up the openings.
Here is a handy way to prepare lightweight and mail-proof packaging for a small quantity of fragile seeds. It is a bit of trouble, but the result is reusable. Foam core board is used for framing and model-building by artists, frame shops, and model-builders such as designers, engineers, and architects. It is expensive, but you may be able to use free scrap from any business or individual who uses it on a regular basis. if you have other uses for it, it is available from major art and engineering supply houses in bulk.
This is a great rainy-day project, although I made my first set in a hurry with pods of trillium seeds waiting. Incidentally foam-core board is wonderful material for school or other projects such as science-fair displays. many types of collections can be easily mounted and displayed on this versatile board. It can be re-used and dressed-up if needed by painting with acrylic paint with a roller or gluing fabric scraps over an old surface. Encourage children and youth to recycle it. A older child who can learn to use a mat cutter could take on this seed-mailer project as a nice way of gaining practice with the use of a mat-cutter and T-square. Be sure to always cut away from yourself and all body parts. When using a mat cutter, protect any vulnerable surface with heavy cardboard. Be sure to gently "test" the depth of the cutter as per the instructions
1. Cut the board to fit any sturdy kraft envelope
2. cut out a small square or several as desired. You do not need to bother with measuring or getting this square just right if you be sure to keep each "cutout" with its space. In fact it will be much easier to reinsert the piece if you make them a bit lopsided so that you can readily see the fit like the piece of a puzzle.
3. when you are ready to insert seeds, carefully peel back one of the
cardboard facings, dig a little "well" in the foamboard piece for the
seeds. (In the photo above the "well" and peeled back cover are
highlighted with a brush line.)The seeds can be wrapped in a bit of plastic
wrap or glassine. Place the seeds inside the well, close cover, and insert the
piece back into its foamboard "frame" as though you were inserting a
piece into a puzzle. You can then hold the piece in place and the cover down
with a bit of freezer tape. Freezer tape facilitates the re-use of the foam
board bceause it is easy to remove.
For extra protection, you can place this into a bubble pack, but I have never
had foam board crush in the mail.
Suggestions for improving on this procedure are always welcome. I would love to
hear folk's experiences with this method.