Mark the Date - Green Elephant Plant Swap

Sorry I kinda kept out of this tread, cause I can't go. But thank you Kathy for remembering me, which if you didn't would not be a problem, If I have it and don't want at least they went to a good home, just like Pix's told me that's why my greenhouse is full. I have at this point nothing to trade. Maybe next spring.
And I have not been able to to take inventory yet, all I did was potted them up and make them happy. And I know I will be happy, I saw so many ideas at Dragonfly farms will keep me busy all winter in planing what I want to do.
I would like to have the dog wood.
And thank Pixs and Kathy

Grrrrn - thanks for the info. You're right - I'm looking for the one my grandmother grew. Now I'll be able to look more specifically for it.

Rachie - thanks for the seeds. even more special to get some from someone I know.

Tilly - the exchange is not just for exchanging. I saw Firevicar (Jim) earlier this week and he has tons of stuff ready to go, much that he's planning on giving away. He really wants to give new gardeners starter stuff if they don't have anything. He asked that I look for people who didn't seem like they knew what to do and to draw them in to the excitement of the gardening community. But, if you can't come, I can drive up your trees to Lynnwood no problem. I'm saving them for you!!

I'll try to be there but I doubt it. see what I can do. I work Saturdays.

Wish firevicar would reply to the thread he started over on the 'other' garden website. He has some stuff I'm interested in and vice versa, but if I don't hear from him I'm not going to dig up bog plants on the off chance that he hasn't found them somewhere else. I also volunteered to help but no response. Maybe he has enough helpers already.

Rachel, how big is your truck? I know I've seen it, but I can't remember. Is it big enough to haul two 5 foot wide rhodies plus all our other stuff on the way back?

It's a full size Chevy Crew Cab. Plenty big.

Pixy, Jim is a really busy guy and I know he doesn't get to check the boards as often as he'd like. In the last week before the trade is when things really get going and I'm sure he'll notice it when that thread gets bumped back up to the top then.

Tilly I hope you can make it.

- Tom

Tom
I read in your want list that you are looking for Poppy's, which one I have been digging some of mine up and sharing them with Katie59 and murmur.
I am interested in the White Delphinium. I have a "Blue butterfly" and a "Black knight" I think the white would look good with them, they are still babies.
The poppy's I have are Pink/salmon color and are 2 to 3 years old and I started them from seed. I over did it when I got my greenhouse built. and now they are over populating.
I can bring alot of 4" pots I just had one of my friends bring me a bunch and some gallon size, You think someone would like them at the swap.
I will work on trying to be there.
Mary

Sure Mary, I'll bring you a white one.
You know how poppies in little pots look like weeds this time of year? You could print off of picture of your variety and staple it to a stick to make them a little more desireable at the trade. I've done that with other weedy or dormant plants and it works good. :)

This would not be in a little pot, I will have to scrounge for a big one. and they are still blooming now. and I only have 1 or 2 left. I have seen the sillys things bloom in the snow.

Call me slow, but I just saw the link to the twirling girl. She does change directions. I think it's just a matter of staring long enough, but I jumped when she started going clockwise.
I am almost completely right brained. I fear that as I get older the left side of my head is going to begin to atrophy.

I posted my trade list on Oct 6. If you haven't checked it out, please do if you have a chance. I'm not sure what I'm going to bring that people don't already have dibs on so if you want something, shout it out.
Rachel I have a few things set aside for you.

Pixy - I have Firevicar's e-mail address. Do you want me to send him a note and ask about the bog plants? With all this rain, it seems that I might develop some bogs, but as wet as my property is, it does dry out too much in the summer. Jim has a very cool swamp/bog area.

I visited him last week and got a few things from him, pre-traded. My very first brugmansia is in the garage over-wintering right now. My garage isn't insulated, so it'll get down to 45 in there. Is that going to be warm enough? Be prepared for a few questions next spring when I bring it out. Brugs are totally new to me, so I'm very excited.

Pixy, I did ask FireVicar if he wanted help for the trade, and he said that he thought he had enough help. I'll be that he is very busy - he had soooo many things potted up to trade/giveaway. He asked that I make sure to draw in anybody that looked like they were unsure or new to the whole thing, so he is focused on gardening newbies.

Rachie - make sure to save a little corner for your Forsythia, Hawthorne, and Dogwoods . . .

Thanks for offering, but I figure if Jim wants to trade he'll let me know. We've been aquainted for several years but only see each other occasionally at garden trading events. He used to live in this area.
There will be some brugmansia experts at the swap and one of them is planning to give a talk on brugmansias after the swap is over. I hope you can stay for that. He is very knowlegeable and wants to turn people on to brugs. He invited me to join a forum specific to brug fanciers, but I fear that my garage is simply not large enough!! (Nor do I really have the time for yet another plant addiction. I would have to give up one of the ones I already have.).
I believe your brug should be fine in your garage. That's where I store the ones I have. Just be sure not to give it too much water over the winter. It will be dormant at that temp and will drop its leaves. When you bring it out next year, do it gradually just as you would a seedling.
Jim is always entirely generous with his plants. I still have several things he gave me years ago, growing like crazy in the garden. I have a datura that returns from the roots every year and has enormous white blooms in the late summer. They are not supposed to be hardy here, but this one has been hardy here for the last 6 years.

Aw, c'mon Pixy. If you're gonna have plant addictions, shouldn't one of them be for one of the largest formal flowered plants that you can grow that also has the strongest (attractive) scent, with huge tropical leaves to boot? Just look at all these pictures and imagine a fragrance that can carry you away on a cloud: http://www.network54.com/Forum/450592/ :)
Katie 45 degrees is great, as long as it doesn't freeze. Roughly one cup of water a month. Just enough to keep them from drying out. You might want to pre-prune all the leaves when you bring it in, they'll all drop anyway like Pixy said.
Mary those are nice looking poppies. :)

This message was edited Oct 22, 2007 12:58 AM

Katie-
The backseat of the truck folds down, so there is plenty of room :0) Plus it's Mellissa's turn to carry the plants on her lap! You should have seen us after the trip to Dragonfly and several other nurseries, we had Mellissa's car so packed it looked like a jungle :0)

Okay, Grrrrnthumb, I was trying to protect your identity but I see now that you are willing shed the incognito!! Definitely brugs are one of the worthiest plant addictions I can imagine. So gorgeous and such glorious scent! The variegated one I had that died on me last year used to bloom just by the deck by the pond and the evening scent was divine. I used to pretend that it was actually warmer than it is and that I felt sultry and was drinking a mint julep. Imagination. It's so powerful! LOL! I had better be VERY careful around you. I can see now that it is a slippery slope!
By the way, are you interested in Aristolochia littoralis seeds? I have a package from Thompson and Morgan that I have not yet opened. Be glad to share them with you if you want.

My DH has volunteered to drive me to this event, so if all is still well with the back, I am planning on coming, can't wait to meet y'all! I do not know at this point what I will bring??? I do know that the salvia "hot lips" that I so fell in love with from Redtootsiepops picture, will root because I purchased several plants online and decided to stick a broken piece in water and to my surprise it has roots! Cuttings from that is one thing I surely could bring!

A slippery slope indeed, heh, heh, heh. %^)

Aristilochia are my new passion of month, so I'll take anything, but I think I already have that one. If I understand correctly it's a synonym for A. elegans which I have lots of. Want a little baby seedling?

- Tom

All right! Another Marysvillite. :) Cocoa If you need any extra room transporting stuff there or back, I'll have my super-big van with lots of extra room.
I see you like dahlias. Those are always a big hit at trades, especially if you have a picture of the blooms.
- Tom

Tom,
Wow thanks, I will offer you the same if you need it.... I will be in an explorer that the seats fold down and I have the room of a pickup bed back there. Speaking of Brugs....hmmmm I was talked into trying 2 this summer, I had absolutely no luck with any bloom? I guess I should throw the pots in the garage or greenhouse and try again next year??? not sure it is worth the effort....although they do look nice...
Carla

Don't throw them out! Bring them in before we get our first frost in a week or two. Pre-prune the leaves; all except the tiny ones at the top. One cup of water a month. Keep them cold but not freezing.
Patrick & I will show you at the trade how to make them look great and have dozens (some people get hundreds) of very fragrant blooms next year.

It's worth it. :)

I have always admired the gorgeous brugs at nurseries but I have never been brave enough to try them. I am very interested to hear what Tom and Patrick have to teach us :0) Rachel

Ok, I will set them in the garage and try again next year! The ones I have seen online are beautiful.

Ack! Never say "not sure it's worth the effort:" to a brug addict!! Them's words of fire!

Rats and darn that A. littoralis is the same as A. elegans. Should have googled that myself. Sure, I can take a seedling as long as it can thrive in a cool greenhouse over the winter. I have these seeds but haven't even tried them yet. I just brought my succulents inside and now the greenhouse is completely full.
I bought a hardy Aristolochia, the one that is native to the east coast, on the trip up to Dragonfly farms last weekend. Don't know what I was thinking because I'm going to have to place this plant extremely carefully. But I just love the cool shaped flowers.


Ooh, Cocoa could I have dibs on one of your rooted 'hotlips' cuttings? I Love the way that plant looks. A link to my trade list is above, posted around October 6. Check it out and see if we can work a deal. I have a million other things, too. What are you into?

grrrnthumb,
I will give them another year and hopefully will be a lover too! Oh no will this be another addition like my daylillies and dahlias?

Pixy of course you may have a cutting! I took this yesterday, it is still blooming!

Cocoa,
I would love one of your "hotlips" cuttings also. Here is a link to my trade list: http://www.gardenweb.com/members/exch/rachierabbit

Need some advice on how to do this? I've never, ever been to a plant swap and I'm trying to figure out how to get things ready. I'm running into a couple of problems. For one, I don't think I've got enough bigger pots, and a few things are in pots that I don't want to give away. Would people find it too awful if some things were "planted" in plastic grocery bags? (I'm cringing at even asking this....) Or would it be better to squish things into small pots? I'm thinking bulbs will be fine as-is, if I decide to bring any. Somewhere on the elephant site it said bare root was OK, so I think that might work for a few things.

Pixy, I'd really like some of your Annual purple poppy seeds, if you've got a few left. I don't know if I've got anything much you might want, though. (oh, the waterlily is so pathetic I'm going to toss it. :( ) I'm still deciding what I'll bring-some of it depends on whether I can get it there adequately....

Hi Rach,
Sure its done! I like Verbena, Crocosmia, Hollyhock, Foxglove...in that order.
Happy gardening, Carla

Susy-
I have no problem with grocery bags, besides you are recycling that way too! I can't imagine people being picky, since the plants are free!

Carla- I will put your name on one of each. Do you know yet what else you will be bringing? Rachel

Well, that's a relief. I looked at Firevicars' pictures, and lots were showing folks with gorgeous neat little rows of pots, etc. I'd hope people weren't picky, but, well, you just never know....

Rach,
I have not taken the time to go out and look, when our rains let up in the next few days I will let you know! The convergence zone has set up in this area today and boy it is coming down....What a difference a day makes...lol

But, I am going to try to root more of my sages this autumn/winter since I found the "hot lips" works. I have black and blue, sapphire blue, a couple of different gregii's, and purple one. I fell in love with salvia and agastache this year, so far I have only acquired three agastache, tutti fruiti, blue fortune and apricot sprite and I will also try rooting these.... I will try them in the kitchen window and the greenhouse. If interested I will let you know what works....

I'm always interested in agastache!

Picky, smicky! We live in the PNW, it's all about recycling and reusing!

Yeah, nobody will care Susy. I've gotten tons of plants there in bags, tons more were just bare rootballs sitting in the back of a truck.
If you want to be extra kind, it's always appreciated if you're able to label the plant somehow.

I've been thinking about how I'll do the labels, too. Pixy had a good idea with the plastic knives. But if it's bareroot I'm not sure how I'd get it to stay with the plant, so for bareroot I'm considering blue painters tape double folded so it only sticks to itself. I've also got one of the Brother Ptouch labellers, so things in pots can get labels stuck on to them pretty easily.

Susy - Were you thinking in terms of how you would transport them to the plant swap?

One way that works well, and incorporates recycling, is to bag the plants in plastic, and then into a box. This way, you will not damage any roots by forcing them into a too-small area. The main thing is to keep the roots moist (not wet) & intact. Sturdy boxes from Costco work well.
The bulbs can be bagged & boxed, too, with a label taped to the bag.



This message was edited Oct 24, 2007 6:32 PM

Ok, good tips Katye....Thanks!

Pixy,
I would love to try the Large Malva 'park allee' . How big of an area does this type of malva need?

Carla -

I'd love a hotlips cutting, if you'll have any left. I'll get my trade list up on gardenweb. I don't think I have much that's exotic, but I'm still rooting around . . . hahahah.

Kathy

1. Does anyone want/need 1 & 2 gallon nursery pots?
2. Has there been any thought given to meeting up once we're there?
3. Is Pixy bring Huckleberry scones, and if so will there be a Barista onsite?
=:0)