What I'm Taking to the Plant Swap Tomorrow

I have more than 100 plants to take to the Central Indiana Plant Swap tomorrow at Holiday Park at 2pm. 

Sun plants:
coreopsis
hardy geranium-Max Frei
salvia-May night
clematis-sweet autumn
heliopsis
daylilies-happy returns, Chicago apache, apple core, ruby spider, velvet beads
monarda-Jacob Klein
reblooming short purple iris
black eyed susan
lamb's ear

Shade plants:

hostas-patriot, ghost spirit, sagae

astilbe

sweet woodruff

ferns

tomatoes: Sweet Tangerine, Black from Tula, Russo's Sicilian Togetta, Chocolate Stripes, Japanese Trifele, Patano Romanesco, Azoychka, Red Alert, Mr. Stipey, Islea, Amish Paste, Early Chatham, Rutgers


basil: magic Michael, genovese, oriental breeze


rosemary

2011 Central Indiana Plant Swap

We're having another Central Indiana Plant Swap on May 15th! Please come and bring your gardening friends and family.  Information about the event is posted below.  I also have several posts from last year about how I prepared for the event, what kinds of plants that I took (to give you some ideas of what I might take this year), and what the event was like.

One of last year's participants organizing her 'loot'

Posted on the Gardenweb Get-Together Forum:
Central Indiana Spring Plant Swap 2011 
Sunday, May 15, 2011, 2:00 pm 
Holliday Park, 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260 

PLEASE tell all your gardening friends, family, and colleagues! We're having the Central Indiana Fall Plant Swap on May 15th. We are encouraging all gardeners to participate! We typically have perennials, annuals, bulbs, tubers, herbs, vegetables, and shrubs. There's no cost to participate. Just bring in your divisions, leftovers, and extra plants! 
Directions inside the park: Once you enter the park take an immediate left. Then pull into the first parking lot on the right. We will be under the giant sycamore tree. You can bring tables, chairs and plants to share.

MINUMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANT SWAP:
- You must bring at least one dozen (12) plants - some people bring more than 50. (I usually bring 100+)
- At least two (2) varieties of plants - try to bring one plant that is extra special.
- All plants need to be clearly identified with plant name and care --
(Examples: HOSTA: Halcyon, Shade. * DAYLILY: Happy Returns, Sun)
- For best results plants should NOT be dug up and divided that day. Allow a week or two of special care, to make sure the potted plants are not stressed from being dug up.

TRADING MATERIALS
Perennials well rooted cuttings potted up, bulbs, shrubs, happy seedlings, garden ornaments, extra gardening implements, gardening magazines and books, etc.
You can also print out pictures of the mature plants during peak bloom times. You can go to an online nursery that sells the plants and paste the care instructions into a document.
It is also helpful if you post here what you might bring. That way, we can get an idea of what will be at the swap and people can research a particular plant to see if they want to choose it during the swap.

HOW IT WORKS
We will do the swap in the ROUND ROBIN Format - it works well for this group, and is a lot of fun:
*Round One - pick one plant *Next Round - pick one plant *Next Round - pick two plants *Next Round - pick two plants *Next Round - pick three plants *Next Round - pick four plants *And so on . . . This way everyone gets a chance to get some of the plants they really have on eye on. This works well and other swaps have had great success with it in the past. Everyone should be able to take home as many plants as they bring.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, HAVE FUN, MEET FELLOW GARDENERS
* Post what you are planning to swap, and/or update your plant list.
* Bring a box or container labeled with your name to put your new plants.
* We plan to meet even if it rains - bring those rain coats, umbrellas, etc.
*E-mail me if you wish to be put on the plant-swap e-mail list.

Central Indiana Plant Swap 2010

I haven't written much for the past week. I was out of town on business. When I returned, I had to prepare for the plant swap. I had most of my plants dug up and ready to go but I still had a few to finish at the last minute. I finished the potting on Saturday and Sunday morning, and then I labelled the plants with popsicle sticks marked with the plant names. I ended up taking about 180 plants. I had several in gallon pots, but most were in 4" pots. I managed to fill my trunk, back seat, and front seat. It was a tight squeeze, but I got all the plants into my car. 

There were about 30 traders at the swap.  The picture above was taken near the end of the swap because I was too excited to remember to take photos for most of the swap. We had everything from Jack Frost brunnera and daylilies to birdhouses and old gardening magazines.

I stopped getting plants after several rounds because I already had or didn't want what was left. I have many different perennials in my garden, so I don't need a lot of new plants. However, I chose some lovely plants.  I choose coral bells, shasta daisies, dwarf yellow reblooming iris, pink asters, lavender bearded iris, pink anemone, scented geranium, and lady's mantle.  I also snagged a dozen or so English gardening magazines, a birdhouse, and a garden-themed tote bag. I'm pleased with my haul.

My sister brought home red monarda, sweet william, daylilies, obedient plant (I warned her, but she won't listen to me....), and columbine, among others plants that I can't recall right now.  She also stopped after a couple of rounds because she had gotten all that she wanted.

Some gardeners who needed more plants, were able to take more plants home:

A guy named Russ is organizing a fall plant swap.  If you want to find out more information about the Central Indiana Fall Plant Swap, go to the 'get togethers' forum at the www.gardenweb.com plant forums later in the summer.  He shall have posted details by August.

Plant Swap Plants-Update

I've been potting up more plants for the Central Indiana Plant Swap on May 16th.  Here's the updated list of the plants that I will bring:


Perennials

• 6 Siberian or Japanese iris (purple)
• 4 moonbeam coreopsis
• 3 lamium (either pink pewter or purple dragon)
• 6 sweet woodruff
• 3 hellebores/Lenten Rose (either pink or cream)
• 6 monarda/bee balm (Jacob Klein-red)
• 3 purple coneflower
• 1 salvia (May Night-purple)
• 6 short bearded reblooming iris (yellow, purple, or light blue---probably purple)
• 3 hardy geranium (dark pink) (Max Frei)
• 1  lily (stargazer)
• 1 daylily-probably blacked eyed stella, but I'm not certain
• 1 snowball viburnum
• 8 Stella d'Oro daylilies
• 3 ruby red stella daylilies
• 3 rosy returns daylilies
• 5 pink or red hardy hibiscus
• 3 drumstick allium
• 3 lamb's ear, Helen Von Stein (large leaves, clumping rather than spreading)
• 5 black eyed susans
• 6 heliopsis 
• 3 unknown small variegated hostas
• 3 unknown solid small green hostas
• 3 sweet autumn clematis
• 1 fern
• 3 light pink hardy geranium

Unknown small variegated hosta

Unknown small solid hosta

Basil

• 3 sweet
• 3 lime
• 3 lemon 
• 3 thai

8 red or yellow raspberries

Tomatoes

• 3 Fred Limbaugh
• 3 Henderson Wins All
• 3 Bloody Butcher
• 3 Japanese Trifele
• 3 Chocolate Stripes
• 3 1884
• 3 Supersweet 100
• 3 Orange Russian
• 3 Roma
• 3 Black Krim
• 5 Brandywine
• 10 Black cherry

Hardy light pink geranium

Plant Swap Plants-Totals So Far

On May 16th, 2010 there will be a plant swap at 2pm at Holiday Park in Indianapolis.  For more details about the plant swap or ideas on how to organize your own plant swap, click here.  So far, I have potted up the following plants for the swap:

Ruby Red Stella Daylilies

Rosy Returns Daylilies (pink)

Pink Hardy Hibiscus

Moonbeam Coreopsis

Perennials

• 6 Siberian or Japanese iris (purple)
• 4 moonbeam coreopsis
• 3 lamium (either pink pewter or purple dragon)
• 6 sweet woodruff
• 3 hellebores/Lenten Rose (either pink or cream)
• 6 monarda/bee balm (Jacob Klein-red)
• 2 purple coneflower
• 1 salvia (May Night-purple)
• 6 short bearded reblooming iris (yellow, purple, or light blue---probably purple)
• 3 hardy geranium (pink)
• 1 stargazer lily
• 1 daylily-probably blacked eyed stella, but I'm not certain
• 1 snowball viburnum
• 8 Stella d'Oro daylilies
• 3 ruby red stella daylilies
• 3 rosy returns daylilies
• 1 pink hardy hibiscus

Basil

• 3 sweet
• 3 lime
• 3 lemon 
• 3 thai

8 red or yellow raspberries

Tomatoes

• 3 1884
• 3 Supersweet 100
• 3 Orange Russian
• 3 Roma
• 3 Black Krim
• 5 Brandywine
• 10 Black cherry

Potting Up Plants for the Plant Swap

Earlier, I wrote a post about the Central Indiana Plant Swap, which is an opportunity for gardeners who live around Indianapolis to come together to give away their extra plants and receive new plants.  There is no charge for this event.  This year it will be at Holiday Park in Indianapolis on May 16th at 2pm.  For more information, click here.  Please join us.  The more people that come, the better the plant selection will be!

As I'm cleaning up my yard this spring, I am potting up divisions for the swap.

I just load up my wheel barrow with potting supplies

and dig up stray and overgrown perennials as I encounter them.

Since my garden is maturing, some of my plants are 

growing in to each other.  Here you can see my hardy 

geranium and a viburnum sucker spreading into my iris.

I'm taking the geranium and viburnum sucker to 

to the plant swap.

So far, I have potted up
3 lamium (either pink pewter or purple dragon)
6 sweet woodruff
3 hellebores/Lenten Rose (either pink or cream)
6 monarda/bee balm (Jacob Klein-red)
2 purple coneflower
1 salvia (May Night-purple)
6 short bearded reblooming iris (yellow, purple, or light blue---probably purple)
3 hardy geranium (pink)
1 stargazer lily
1 daylily-probably blacked eyed stella, but I'm not certain
1 snowball viburnum

I'll post a list of the plants that I dig up for the swap and maybe some photos of them in their summer glory after I dig them up, so check back over the next month to see what new additions I will bring to the swap.  I still have my back yard perennials to pot up and I'll have some extra vegetable seedlings.

Here's what I have for the swap so far.  These plants are 

from my front yard.  I haven't started on the back, yet.

Marci reminded me to water the plant swap plants.

Here are photos some of the plants that I will take to the plant swap:

These iris are about 18" tall and bloom 

in both the spring and fall in Indiana.

You can see the red monarda that I'm bringing to the

swap in this photo.  I haven't seen how the other plants

are growing yet, because some of them are just starting to 

emerge, but I will likely also bring some liatris (bottom 

left), some Helen Von Stein lamb's ear (bottom right), and 

heliopsis (top right).

Purple coneflower
I'm not sure which variety the cone flower is,
because something, probably a bird, sowed
several of them in my yard.  They were a
wonderful gift, but enough is enough :)

Sweet woodruff (on the left)

Hardy geranium

Plant Swaps!!!!

For the past couple of years, I have participated in the Central Indiana Plant Swap. Recently, I have begun to coordinate this event. This event has been a terrific free source of plants. Every spring, I save my plant divisions and extra seedlings to trade at the plant swap. I post a notice of the event on the 'get togethers' forum at gardenweb.com and on Craig's List.

These events occur in other states.  If you can't find a local plant swap, you might want to consider planning a plant swap for your area, too.  They're a lot of fun and a great way to give and receive plant divisions and seedlings.

Here is a copy of what I post:

Central Indiana Plant Swap 2010 PLEASE tell all your friends, family, and colleagues! We’re having the annual Central Indiana Plant Swap on May 16th. Over the past few years, the numbers have started to grow. I got some terrific plants the last couple of years and got rid of a bunch of extras. I have a ton of stuff this year to share, and I’m sure that many of you do, too. If you don’t have many plants to share, come anyway. The people I have met at this event in the past have had very generous spirits. Most of us would be delighted to help out a new gardener with some of our extras. THE DETAILS Date: Sunday, May 16, 2010 Time: 2:00 P.M. Location: Holliday Park, 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260 Directions inside the park: Once you enter the park take an immediate left. Then pull into the first parking lot on the right. We will be under the giant sycamore tree. Bring yourself, plants & trades, family, friends, tables, chairs, beverages and snacks to share. I’ll bring some lemonade and cookies. It would be nice, but not necessary, if others would brings some treats. TRADING MATERIALS plants, well rooted cuttings potted up, bulbs, shrubs, happy seedlings, garden ornaments, extra gardening implements, gardening magazines, etc. PLEASE MARK ALL PLANT MATERIALS WITH THE PLANT NAME AND CARE REQUIRED!!! Also, mark any plants as invasive or poisonous, if known. I just go to an online nursery that sells the plants that I’m giving away and cut and paste the care instructions into a document. I print out the directions and staple them to the plant, a piece of window blind, or container. Since it worked fairly well last year, we're trying the Round Robin swap again: Round One - pick one plant Next Round - pick one plant Next Round - pick two plants Next Round - pick two plants Next Round - pick three plants Next Round - pick four plants And so on, and so on.... This way everyone gets a chance to get some of the plants they really have on eye on. This works well and other swaps have had great success with it in the past. Everyone should be able to take home as many plants as they bring. For folks who only bring a few plants, many of the folks who have LOTS of extra plants can usually be convinced to part with some of their extras AFTER the official Round Robin is finished. Our Swap's motto is KEEP IT SIMPLE, HAVE FUN, MEET FRIENDS. Some tips for the day: Bring a box or container labeled with your name to put your new plants in after swapping. If you have room in the car...bring an extra table to arrange your plants on. Print out pictures of your plants in bloom, so folks will know what they look like in all their glory! If it looks like rain, bring those rain coats, umbrellas, etc. We plan to meet even if it rains. **Post here if you are attending so that we can all see who is coming and can check trade lists. Or email me, so we can get an approximate head count for the swap. E-mail me if you wish to be put on the plant-swap e-mail list or if you have any questions. I can't wait to see you all there! Hopefully we will have a great crowd with all the new gardening friends you may bring along! Katie

Feel free to adapt this notice to inform others of a plant swap that you will host.

Every year, I usually take daylilies, hostas, tomatoes, basil, and a variety of perennial flowers.  In return, I get nice perennials and scented geraniums. Last year, I received some moonbeam coreopsis, daisies, marmalade coral bells, lady's mantle, and valerian.