Howdy All!
Oct 23, last year a fantastic garden enthusiast set up a plant swap at a park here in College Station. It was fabulous meeting with other eclectic gardeners. He used Gardenweb to advertize it. Sadly this year he is too busy to manage it. I would love to have a small garden swap spring and fall in my area, but before I jump up and try to organize one, I am curious just how much work I might be getting into. I am also curious how many people from Dave's would be interested. I am thinking about April 9th for a simple swap meet, no special planning, just a gathering of who ever shows up with neat stuff they got too much of.
-Bob
P.S. I also put this under the roundup heading so as to get advice from all over.
College Station Texas Plant Swap
You might consider a fall swap, say in Oct. So many of our plants do better when planted then, to get established for the next year. There's plenty of time to plan for that.
Maybe next year we could try to have some kind of get-together around this time at the Antique Rose Emporium or something. It would be fun to meet everyone in the area and get to see the wildflowers, too.
I have to agree that would be superb, if they don't wan't to do it, there are parks very near that it could be held and then we could go to the Antique Rose Emporium as well.
-Bob
Goody...count me in!.....I am nearby Hilltop Lakes and work in CS.....so I am available to assist you if you need any help.....I am new but willing to learn and do what I can to aid you.....Pokie
Throneofyord: I'd be willing to help. I'm also in aggieland, but we must take them to Martha's Bloomers too! Where in College Station are you?
I live in Hilltop Lakes...but work for FedEx in College Station....ooooooh I love Martha's Bloomers...I was just there and scored a rangoon creeper and some outstanding varigated ginger and other tasty items...don't they do lunches at Martha's or something brunchlike?.....I spend all my time there wandering around outside...so the ammenities fly right over my head....I would love to be involved in a plant swap...I always find out after the fact and boy do I want everyones else's stuff....I am just so plant hungry all the time...not needy just hungry!
We should pick a park near Navasota if we want to do Martha's Bloomers, or see if they are freindly to a plant swap. Could go either way, I started to photograph their clock (They have a real nice big classic clock.) and they approached me like I was a industrial spy. I have also seen them behaving quite generously.
I was talking to Donna (dstarz) not too long ago about doing a Nursery Date or something that would include maybe the botanical gardens in College Station, and Martha's Bloomers. Have you been to the botanical gardens? Is it nice?
I also think that the Rose Emporium would be great in the spring. They have picnic tables there so we could bring our own lunches. Also, there is a lavendar farm between the Rose Emporium and Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill could be a neat place to go.
Martha's Bloomers also has seminars (free!) most saturdays. They usually post them about 2 months in advance. We could go to a seminar if wanted, or their tea room. I would imagine that they might be a little weary of a plant swap, there are several parks in College Station that are really great. I'm unsure of Navasota parks, but between Martha's and the Antique Rose emporium is Washington on the Brazos State Park. They have nice facilities there if you would like to stop between venues.
The botanical gardens are great. A good example of what will thrive in our location in a raised bed. I didn't know about the lavendar farm but that sounds fun.
This message was edited Aug 18, 2005 1:33 PM
Shall we just declare a small swap a couple of weeks from now and see who comes?
I think it would be great for you guys to get together, with whatever excuse you can find! :-)
Let me know if you decide to do it, and I'll add it to the Calendar of Events thread. I know I won't be able to make it, have the Dallas Plant Swap already committed, and the Houston Nursery Date, both in Sept.
If it's only the three of us we could always meet at someone's house instead of a park. I wouldn't mind doing a swap at mine before any "field trips", but ya'll can't make fun of my garden. ;)
It's still quite a work in progress!
This message was edited Aug 18, 2005 3:34 PM
I would never make fun of your garden or yard...I have my own to laugh at!....and you know both the Rose emporium and Martha"s are very possible in the same day...I'M a FedEx courier and one thing I do know is how to get from point to point in this area...it is just a matter of going one way and returning the other and I love them both!.... but I am willing to do and go anywhere....I am going to LA for the next 2 weeks and won't be back till after Labor Day...please ,please don't do it till after then.....I can never find anyone who will spend the day doing this with me.....not everyone feels the way about plants and plant activities the way we all do!....oh my gosh ...was I whineing?...again?.....I have never been to a swap an really want to get in on one.I mostly just do mostly Datura and brugmansia as the pesky deer don't eat them.. vcanna giners and the like....and would be delighted to cut up several Brugs and pass them out.....I feel like everyone should have these babies and have about 20 differents ones...oooooo though I want to get other stuff that is doing well for others around here!
At seeing the words Brugs, my ears perked up. I have a few cuttings I could share. Have you set a date?
How about Saturday Sept 10, the weekend after Labor Day?
Pokiethepickle expressed a desire for us to hold it till then and this gives us time to pot up some cuttings and the like.
Here is a short list of things I got:
Shallots that thrive in our area in a pot. Plant one, get about 20 over a year. They are hot, sweet and have an indescribable additional flavor almost like rose. The flowers are pretty white balls, and are delicious as a spike of onion seasoning.
Deviding onions that thrive in our area in a pot. It stays small and is quite prolific. Fabulous in stirfry.
Fresh parsnip seed from my garden. These seed have a shelf life of about 4 months, and this is about the time to plant them. They take about a month and a half to germinate, so I plant them with radishes.
Delicious purslaine. High in omega-3 fatty acids.
Okra seeds, selected from clemison spinless, these get about four feet tall, the plants are not at all prickly, and the fruit is great raw.
I also have creeping charley, iceplant, a large range of louisiana iris and spiderwort.
I live quite near Heirloom Gardens in College Station.
Oh goody ....the tenth is good for me...gotta to get working on those garlic chives....hmmm...so many descisions to make...brugs, daturas...plumeria...its like a party...can't wait...oh boy I've got a pineapple wanting a new home too......party party!
The 10th is fine for me as well. Are we going to go to a house or a park? Are we going to try to hit both Martha's and Antique Rose Emporium?
Anything you all decide is good with me...I am leaving for the left coast tomorrow and will gone till after the holiday so I guess I will find out the details then...duhhh....I can use my parents computer.....I am just so excited about to to LA and gathering...plants and cuttings.....I up for any or all!
I'm going to try to make it, but the Houston 'Nursery Date' is the following weekend. I also have the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens's Fall Plant Sale http://ccbotanicalgardens.org/site/specialevents.html on the 22nd to get ready for.
I'm hoping to sell several hundres of the hardy hibiscus plants I have potted up in my backyard, plus all the plants in my hoop house I had planned to sell this last spring. (I went to Louisiana on a job instead....)
Ooo, Donna! Sounds like you'll have quite a sale!
I'll put this event on the calendar and link to this thread, unless you folks want to start a new thread about this meet. Let me know if you do.
Donna, will you post more information on the Botanical Garden's Plant Sale. Where in Corpus? Directions?
Veronica,
The link above will take you to their website. Here's a map from LaGrange to the Gardens http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?newaddr=&taddr=8545+S+Staples+St%2C&csz=La+Grange%2C+TX&country=us&tcsz=Corpus+Christi%2C+TX+78413&tcountry=us .
If you decide to come down for it would you let me know in advance, please? I'd love to get together with you!!!
I have a question about the logistics of this plant swap.
The swap is easy, we can just park our cars and trucks nearby and then swap plants out of our cars and trucks.
The real problem I see, is that after I have gathered a few new treasured green friends, I'm not going to want them to spend all day in the back of my truck or in the cab. If we did the actual swap in College Station, I would prefer to swing by my place to drop off plants before heading on to the rest of the tour.
My ideal trip would include The TAMU Horticultural Gardens, Martha's Bloomers and the Antique Rose Emporium. Probably in that order. I think we should keep this caravan informal but planning doesn't hurt even the most chaotic gatherings. If there was one of these that was going to be left off I would prefer it be the Horticultural Gardens because I will DEFINITLY be there at the plant sale on Oct. 8. The plant sales there are, in my opinion, not to be missed. Time to meet, rough amounts of time to travel and food plans are all good to consider. Meeting in one place at one time and then figuring out logistics works as well. Travelling in seperate cars could be reduced by making this a full circle, but for some, if the last place we visited was closest to their home, they might want to just head on instead of closing the loop. I would be glad to take a passenger in my truck, and to haul plants around during the tour. With a tarp over the back of the truck there is not a lot of clearance for tall plants, but a few bags of Ice will keep the air cool and moist.
http://hortgardens.tamu.edu/ open Dawn to Dusk
http://www.marthasbloomers.com/ open 9-6
http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ open 9-5:30
We could do the swap at TAMU hort gardens; there won't be any problems in their more than large parking lot. I can also drive and haul in my Explorer. Could we do lunch then at Martha's? They have a "tea" room that has much more than tea room sizes and foods.
I have mostly vines to trade. Any particular type anyone looking for (I probably have it)?
Throneofyord I also live near Heirloom (off Graham road).
Nifty, If you specialize in climbing, do you want some climbing spinach? I have a bit I could spare. It seems to do well in shade here. I also have some tomato growing into the trees I could spare some seed on.
Donna,
By that time in October, Café, the calf, should be weaned and Winston will be off his medication so I don't have to worry about leaving them for a short time.
Im trying to talk my husband into leaving Friday afternoon and spending the night in Corpus Christi so I don't have to get up so early Saturday morning for the garden sale. I would love to get together with you. I really enjoyed seeing you in San Antonio. Lets plan on getting together.
Veronica
The thread has been pretty dead lately. Are we still on for the tour/swap?
I am!
I am using my Mom's computer...dial up!...so slow!...I am on for whatever you guys decise....with all the disaster and gass increases..I am willing to drive my Elantra...which gets over 30 mpg...and has a huge trunk....a little on the smallish side but seats 4 very comfortabley...and less on gas means more for plants!....I am so pleased to have scored a huge varigated brugmansia and will have many cuttngs of it available for swap...as surgery is required just to get it in the car...its in a 5 gallon pot and 5 feet tall...I suspect a white bloom..as it was untagged..the otheres that were blooming where white...also they threw in a broken Nebels rainbow plumeria that had been snapped off by the garden cart...the garden dude stuck it in my pot and said ...a little gift from LA to remember us by....a very nice piece about 9 inches long...hoooweee...all in all a very nice trip!...I am not looking forward to the long drive back to Texas...ughhh...will be stopping in Terlingua at my brothers and hope to dig up many fine barrell cacti and possible some ocatillo...busy busy......
We are getting close to time, to do this thing, When should we meet?
The TAMU hort gardens open at dawn, so I would be happy to meet up from anywere from 7:00 am to 10:00 am. Early is cooler, but some folk are further away, so getting here crack of dawn may be rough. Does anyone have any preference?
If someone wants to skip the first location and join us at Martha's Bloomers, let us know and we can set a time for Martha's Bloomers and keep back a few trades for you. Otherwise we can mill around when we get to the Horticultural Gardens and decide when we are ready to move on to the next location.
I'm good for anytime after 7 am. I agree the earlier the better, but our non-local visitors need to chime in to what time is doable for them. I volunteer to drive as well: I have an explorer with plenty of room for plants.
Pokiethepickle, throneofyord, anyone else? It's the day before the event, so we probably should settle the meeting time down. I say 8 am at the TAMU hort gardens in Hensel Park, since no one else has set a time. If someone else wants to meet earlier or later please speak up.
Can we get a headcount together? I know at least throneofyord and I are coming, is anyone else going to join us?
I'm good for 8 am as well, we can linger and enjoy the park so showing up a bit late will be fine. My truck is a old green ford ranger, with a smashed in front, so It will be easy to Identify. I will leave a note identifying me under a windshield wiper, so we can be found easily. I will check this email again about 10 PM tonite and about 7:30 AM so I can keep up with any updates. Look forward to seeing you all.