Looking forward to another year with the yanardöner

After many weeks of sharing ideas, making plans, getting expert advice, adjusting our plans, and talking the project up to just about everybody, we have succeeded in making TED's yanardöner wildflower population more permanent and secure.  To get some of the background, see posts (here and here) at this blog's previous address.
We now have officially desginated about 35 sq. meters on the campus for sustainable seed production for aesthetic, experimental and conservation purposes and - just as important - it looks like we have all the key stakeholders on campus buying into the common goal of protecting and enjoying this beautiful and  endangered wildflower in the most sustainable way possible. To see the source of our inspiration, check out my photo set of yanardöner and peygamber çiçeği in their natural habitat on Flickr.
The photos are of our seed planting ceremony on 26 Oct 2005, with special honored guests Mr. Süha Günel, our General Director, and Mrs. Melike Toklucu, our High School Principal. The seeds we planted were collected last summer from flowers growing on campus, and our expanded flower bed incorporates smaller plots where the flowers have already begun to naturalize.
We learned that the seeds need to spend the winter under snow for the best germination, which is why we're planting the seeds now instead of in the spring. I'll keep everyone posted on our progress.