Happygardener,
I have some fruit trees like gooseberry, custard apple, pomegranate, lemon and others. I can take some containers. 15 gallon or others would be great. I sent you an email too.

Thanks

Perfect. I will bring some lavender and larger containers for sure. Will there be a reserved holding area as in years past?

I also have some rooted elderberry cuttings as well as some volunteer white bleeding heart baby seedlings that I could pot up if anybody wants some. I'm sure that I also have Centaurea Montana that I could dig up and bring. That always reseeds with a vengeance.

happygardener23 I would love to have a white bleeding heart plant if you have any to spare.

gonativegal I would also like to get a start of your orange coneflower if possible. I have some baby lilac bushes to dig if anyone is interested.

Thanks

Hi, I have to review all the requests. I know several people looking for orange coneflower, will pot up and tag accordingly, plus another asking for some Purple Allium and Strawberry, the Pennisetums and for Rolrod the last Blue Angel Hosta.

Nana - If you still have one left could I get one of your Redhead Coleus

Jas - Maybe a couple of the fruit trees - the Custard Apple sounds intriguing and maybe a currant.

Ellen - If I haven't asked already could I get a some of the eggplant

FYI - I may be able to stay late and help clean up, have to check with DH first.

Will probably be bringing an assortment of gardening equipment (have to check garage tomorrow first), maybe a book or two.

nana8- I will gladly pot up some of the bleeding heart babies for you, but they will need some coddling as they are just teeny seedlings not real plants at this point.

Annette, I would love some rosemary if you have any left.

Jas, I would love to know what you do with pomegranates in our zone. I'd be thrilled if I could grow them!

Thank you!

Oh, I forgot to add that if anyone has an elusive Jack in the Pulpit to share, I've been trying to snag one at the swap with no success for years! Maybe this will be my lucky year ;o)

Gonativegal - Do you still have some of the orange coneflower? I couldn't tell from your message if you had reserved one for me.

Thanks!
Rolando

Ellen - sent you an email.

I can stay to help with clean-up.

Gosh, haven't dug much up yet. It's so wet now! Hope no one minds if the lilies (and a few other things) are in grocery bags! Some are pretty good size already.

There will be a holding area but I don't know if there will be shelves.

I have plenty of rosemary, so I'll mark one or even two pots each for Jas and Happy.

Jas, I've killed it over the winter most times too. My mom has a plant that's 8 years old or so, and she roots cuttings for me to try again :) . Last year was my first successful winter, where I had both:
1. a VERY sunny spot for the plant and
2. I grew it in a good-sized plastic pot for the size of the plant and watered it frequently. I did not treat it like a low-water-needs plant.

The previous winter it was in a terracotta pot and dried out while we were away a few days (the only plant casualty of that period)

I will be bringing tomato plants...Paul Robeson, Momotaro, Nicholejvna (no clue - seeds from trade in the Ukraine), Jap Black Trf, Emerald Green, Black Russian (if any left),
I would love to have another Clematis, Coneflower(no white or pink), and still a sucker for Sweet Autumn Clematis even though I keep pulling some from Ann!
Bound & determined to fill the wide of my house with them along the chain link.
Mickey

luv2garden,
If I could have an Emerald Green and a Nicholejvna plant I would be most delighted. I'm ashamed to say that I've had my worst WS tomato year ever this season (not sure if it's me or the crazy weather) but my 95%+ germination rate for tomatoes dropped to about 60% this year AND I lost a number of seedlings to the wet wet wet weather.

I may have a couple tiny Orange Minsk tomato plants to share should anyone want, but all of the others that I planted multiples of have not grown-boo!

returned home to most decimating wind drying my tomatoes, whisked them into the house and misted but will probably loose quite a bit, not sure if I have some kind of wind turbulence near the house as they were on shelves but under the bushes... anyway
there is no electricity outside but church bathrooms will be avail. We are planning to have some snack table, maybe some juice, water, box of coffee, cookies etc
Am thinking we can transport couple shelves via the car and yes we will figure out holding area somehow to separate.
Nana8, Mone has been asking for white bleeding heart seedlings and mine got decimated after the winter so those will be most welcome and if you leave seedling with me, Mone will get it after she returns from the trip am sure.
I will go over the list tomorrow morning and put names to all requests I can fill, happygardener I will look for Jack, I have colony going but not sure how many left not killed by fence installation this year.

oh yeah and if someone has some nicer irises to share one of our regular peeps looking for them.

Mickey, the sweet autumn clematis is in something close to unlimited supply here. If I don't manage to dig enough little seedlings out by tomorrow, you can come by and I'll probably be able to find and dig you a whopper.

I know I'll have ferns, smilacina (false solomon's seal), a little biokovo geranium and random assorted other things, probably some tovara 'painter's palette,' tomatoes, etc. I'd love to foist a decent-sized forsythia on someone, but I don't know that I'll manage to dig it out by tomorrow. Maybe a smaller one...

jas--I'd love a bit of blackie if you have any to spare!

Oh, no! For the second year in a row, IâÂÂll be out of town! IâÂÂm sad. I have been accumulating things for a while, too. The lambâÂÂs ear I was growing on for somebody is moving too fast! Montana bluet too. I was just out in the yard yesterday, enjoying the lovely plants I received in past years, seeing what might have popped up that I could recognize. Some columbines are blooming that were just seedling babies 2 years ago.

Ellen, IâÂÂm so sorry about Esther. Please accept my condolences.

Ellen, it's me who is bringing the white bleeding heart seedlings to Nana8 and I will happily bring some to you (they are from the plant that I received from you in the swap several years back so it's poetic for them to come full circle).

I also should have expressed earlier my condolences for the loss of Esther. Thank you for continuing to share your passion for gardening with us. May her memory be a blessing.

Serena, I do not have current but have one year old gooseberry plant (pixwell). It is of current family and is self polinating so you don't need another plant. If you like I can bring it for you. It is hardy in our zone. My bigger plant which is on ground is loaded with fruits now. It makes delecious jelly. I got seeds of custard apple from gw 3 years back. Only one plant survived and it is doing good. It is very easy plant and doesn't need much attention. I bring it in for winter. Let me see if I can get some seeds then I will pass it on in future.

happygardener, I grew this pomegranate from seed and it is doing good. It is 3 year old. I bring it in for winter and put it in bathroom window and it does good. It looks it need moisture to survive. Every other day shower with lukewarm water also works. Not sure if it will bear any fruits. Doing some experiments with different fruit trees.

Annette, thanks for the tip. I will try to overwinter this year and see how it goes.

dirtdiver, I will put your name on sweet potato vine.

Clematis question for those in the know....I just figured out that I have sweet autumn clematis (ordered it several years back and had forgotten which variety it was until I just googled it). Anyway, I've been attempting to train it up and over our pergola with mixed success....it keeps sliding down one of the posts and I'm not sure how to best secure it so that it will make it up to the top of the pergola and have something to hold onto. I'd also love to hear how/what you do to prune/maintain it year to year.

As an aside, I have some hellebore seedlings (some this year's and some older). They are hybrids so flower color will be a surprise. Will pot up a few if anyone wants dibs on any.

Happygardener23, As with most of my trailing and aggressive vines like Sweet Autum Clematis, I just tie fishing line to the top of the post and then back to a stick in the ground near the plant and let them ramble up. As the fishing line is invisable, you can use several places without being noticable. Fishing line is my friend. Marge

Hey Happygardener 23 I'll put your name on Emerald Green, and Dirt Diver - the blackies.

IF any one has any pink or white Bleeding Hearts, mine didn't make it through last winter - I think the dogs over ran it!

See y'all later -
Mickey

Mickey-
Thanks for the Emerald Green. If the Nicholejvna is still up for grabs, I'd love to try that one too. I have white bleeding heart baby seedlings and I can set some aside for you.

Nana8-thanks for the clematis tip. I'll have to try that. It trained well up 2 posts, but it keeps just stubbornly falling off the third.

Annette-I just dug a bunch of flowers out this morning to make more room for my herb garden. If you have a thyme left, I'd love to add it.

For all,
So for I've potted up the following. If you want me to set anything aside for you, please let me know asap:

white bleeding heart for Nana8. Mone, and Mickey (and extras)
lavender for Rolando
large containers for jas (not finding 15 gal. but have several 10 gal set aside for you)
scads of strawberries (bundled in groups of five)
elderberry
hellebores
lots of mature centaurea montana
non-rooted culinary sage (pruning my plant. cuttings may root or just eat it ;o)
some form of lamium, I think
plastic pots for container gardening-most between 7-10 gallons

I'll also bring some snacks/beverages
Excited to see everyone!

oooh, sage. I forgot about sage. I'll take some and try to root it.

Anyone have lemon balm? or lemon grass? citronella plant? I'm trying to grow those scented plants that stave off mosquitoes. I guess i can just buy lemon grass at the store and root it. =)

Happyg thyme yes
Rolrod lemonbalm yes

Folks be sure to find your stuff from me in the holding area!

Thank you everyone, youôve made it happen this year again! So so good to see everyone new to the swap and old timers/ friends! Seems like we did not worn out our welcome with UCE so mark your calendars next year same place same time!
As a reference here is the list of tomatoes I was growing, in case misspelled names or you find mislabeled and need to ID,
Truffles
http://www.rareseeds.com/japanese-black-trifele-t/?F_All=Y
Purple Russian
http://www.rareseeds.com/purple-russian-tomato/?F_All=Y
Paul Robeson
http://www.rareseeds.com/paul-robeson-tomato/?F_All=Y
Gypsy
http://www.rareseeds.com/gypsy-tomato/?F_All=Y
Amazon Chocolate
http://www.rareseeds.com/amazon-chocolate-tomato/?F_All=Y
Black vernissage
http://www.rareseeds.com/black-vernissage-tomato/?F_All=Y
Missouri pink love apple
http://www.rareseeds.com/missouri-pink-love-apple/
Pink Honey
http://www.rareseeds.com/pink-honey-tomato/
Big Rainbow
http://www.rareseeds.com/big-rainbow-tomato/
Tigerella
http://www.rareseeds.com/tigerella-tomato/
Nature RIddle
http://www.rareseeds.com/natures-riddle-tomato/
Riesentraube
http://www.rareseeds.com/riesentraube-tomato/
Taste of Italy' Cuore Di Bue
http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Pomodoro_Tomato_Cuore_di_Bue/Taste_of_Italy
San Marzano
http://www.rareseeds.com/san-marzano-lungo-no-2-tomato/?F_All=Y
Azoychka
http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_azoychka.html
Roman Candle
http://www.rareseeds.com/roman-candle/
HHHS
http://www.rareseeds.com/hssiao-his-hung-shih-tomato/
Sungold
http://tomatolover.com/review-of-sungold/
Blue p20
http://www.amazon.com/OSU-Blue-Tomato-Plants-Worlds/dp/B004LH33BQ
Ildi
http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?pID=00369&c=54&p=Ildi+Tomato
Isis
http://www.localharvest.org/isis-candy-heirloom-cherry-tomato-plant-C15990
Gardeners Delight
http://store.tomatofest.com/Gardener_s_Delight_Tomato_Seeds_p/tf-0183.htm
Black Russian
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds/tomato-black-russian-heritage/319TM
Black Krim
http://store.tomatofest.com/Black_Krim_p/tf-0063.htm
Marianne Peace
http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/09/mariannas-peace-hannas-tomato-tastings.html
Lemon wonder
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Wonder_Light
Banana legs
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/BANANA-LEGS/productinfo/5200/
Peach
http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_garden-peach.html
Giant yellow belgium
http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?pID=00836&c=40
Hungarian heart
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/HUNGARIAN-HEART/productinfo/5836/
Tarasenko ubileyniy
http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_yubileyny-tarasenko.html
Green zebra cherry
http://heritagetomatoseed.com/heirloom-and-op-tomato-seeds/green-zebra-cherry/

Ellen - Thank you so much for hosting again! It was a great swap. Great location too. Although I missed seeing your garden. Next year maybe the church can have an area chosen for us to plant some stuff for the rain garden.

And thank you for all those tomatoes and your list above! I did bring home Lemon Wonder, Tigerella (I'm a sucker for anything with a cat name), and Blue. It was easy to look them up from your list.

Wow. Can't believe how much I brought home. I shouldn't have, but I did! Everything was planted in my nursery beds on Saturday since rain was predicted for the next few days.

Here's just a few (I know I am forgetting some) of what I swapped for:
tomatoes - thank you Ellen and Dirtdvr
rosemary - thank you stagerat
siberian iris - thank you gonativegal
wild sunflower
oriental poppies
centaurea montana
forget-me-not
ivy
nodding onions

I brought my cousin, who before the swap was not a gardener. But she may be a convert now. She really enjoyed the swap. Her son is a chef so I forced her to take him some tomatoes and some mint.

Oh, by the way, if anyone took home some milkweed I brought, I am pretty sure I mislabeled it. I labeled it as Gay Butterflies. But, it's looking more like the native - the 8' tall type. So sorry about that! I've never been able to grow the native from seed, but I think this time I have success. I'm not sure how it will transplant either! (Raised my first monarchs last year.)

Happygardener123 -
Saw your post just today - hope you found the T. plants I left. I do have a n. Giant left, I can save for you - let me know and I can mail/drop off/pick up.
Ellen said she had a bleeding heart left - so I will pick it up from her house.
' DrtDvr - did you find your toms?

Let me know, people - still have some left before I bring them to office - up for grabs : )

Thanks.
Mickey

Belated thank you to all, especially to Ellen for hosting once again. I got most of my plants in the ground over the weekend, and was even inspired to head over to my community garden plots and till them and get the fence posts up in preparation to plant my summer veggies (including peppers and tomatoes that I picked up at the swap-thank you).

It was great fun to look around my maturing garden over the weekend as I planted and see all of the beautiful and treasured plants that I have acquired via the swap over the years (trillium, hydrangeas, prairie smoke, lilac, hostas, false indigo, celadine poppy, primroses, bleeding hearts, ornamental grasses, daffodils, bee balm, etc.) and to think about the generous gardeners who shared them with me. My home and garden has been ever changed because of this swap and I look forward to it every year.

Mickey, I did get the Emerald Giant tomato. Thank you. Annette, I received the herbs. Thank you. Serena, I know you handed me the orange coneflowers directly, but I wanted to let you know that they have found a happy home in the ground.

Thanks again everyone. Looking forward to seeing the garden bloom this summer and to seeing everyone again next spring!

I know how you feel, happygardener! This morning I was walking around the yard, and seeing how many things are flourishing that I obtained in past years. The lovely true geraniums are starting to bloom. I finally have several anemones that are looking vigorous, after trying for years. Beautiful columbines. And more whose names escape me at the moment. I spent the weekend NOT selling at an art fair, when I could have been swapping and planting! Next year I swear I will not miss it!

Ellen, thanks for hosting another wonderful swap. I have planted most of the plants. Thanks for the eggplant, tomatoes and pepper plants.

Happygardener, thank you so much for the pots I got. They are so good and can't wait to plant in them. Petunia and sweet potato vines would also look very good in them.

Annette, thank you so much for the rosemary plants.

Rolrod, thank you so much for the mums. Can't wait to see the blooms.

Serena, thank you so much for the grasses, cornflower, alium bulbs. Those grasses are so pretty. I had planted them in the garden.

I have one more pretty grass miscanthus 'morning light' from the previous swap. Love it.

October 17, Thanks for the Asiatic lily and Hosta. Love Asiatic lily and can't wait to see the bloom color.

nana8, thank you so much for the nice red coleus. It looks pretty healthy and good.
.
I got two acrylic terrarium domes too. They are so pretty.

Thanks

I am a little late but thank you to everyone to for all the goodies and especially Ellen for finding us this great new hosting place, met a lot of new gardeners and saw old gardening pals too.

To Ellen thank you for tomatoes, I planted all of mine, and gave some of the extras I couldn't fit into the garden away too. On a little side note, I gave one of Azoychka tomatoes to a homesick Ukranian girl, she was so excited to have one from her home country since she hasn't been able to see her family in a couple years.

Jas (Sheela) Thank you so much for basil seed and raspberries

October - thank you for lily, I am really looking forward to it blooming

Nana - thank you for Red Head Coleus, it is already brightening up my shade garden in several spots.

Happy (Corrie) Thank you for the lovely heirloom tomatoes and as always your extensive knowledge on all things tomato, looking especially forward to seeing 'Pink Honey' do her thing summer.

If I have forgotten anyone, thank you for any plants provided.

Just a thought, I wish we could do a late summer swap like we did one September a couple years ago, that was really fun.

Thank everyone for sharing the great plants. It was a wonderfull adventure and well worth the drive. Just for everyone's information that got one of the RED HEAD Coleus, it is a SUN coleus and will start to loose it's color if not kept in the sun. I raised the parent plant in the full sun , in a large pot all last Summer and it was three feet tall at the end of the summer, ergo.. the cuttings. Thanks again, Marge

Thank everyone for sharing the great plants. It was a wonderfull adventure and well worth the drive. Just for everyone's information that got one of the RED HEAD Coleus, it is a SUN coleus and will start to loose it's color if not kept in the sun. I raised the parent plant in the full sun , in a large pot all last Summer and it was three feet tall at the end of the summer, ergo.. the cuttings. Thanks again, Marge

Oh, I missed this one! :(

If I saw this earlier, I will share plants too.

Ellen, the 4ft Pagoda Dogwood you gave to me 2 or 3 years ago is now 6-7 ft tall. :) It's blooming!

If I saw this earlier, I will share plants too.

Ellen, the 4ft Pagoda Dogwood you gave to me 2 or 3 years ago is now 6-7 ft tall. :) It's blooming!

Sorry I'm so rude. Thank you all for the wonderful gifts! Everything made it into the yard that evening or the following morning and is doing wonderfully.

The strawberries are producing fruit, which I thought might not happen since transplants tend to focus on spreading. However, maybe putting them in the container curbed their desire to do so this summer.

The hostas look WONDERFUL in the yard. I can't wait until later this year when they're more full (or next year when they take off).

The Coleus are a great addition to my flower beds...just a hint of color where all else is green.

Of course, i'm excited about the toms this year. Lots of new varieties I've never tried.

Mostly, I really enjoyed seeing some of the regular friendly faces. Next year i'll make an effort to stay longer (I had other plans that evening).

Mone - i still owe you those cannas, i haven't forgotten.

Also, i don't remember to whom I spoke about the tomatoes (Anne? Mickey?) but hit me up with some more info. I'm interested!

Thanks all!

Rolando

Rolando- I picked up a couple of the canna rhizomes at the swap and had a few questions. First, how big do they get so I know where to put them. Second, when do you dig them up for the season? Lastly, how do you store them over winter?

Thank you again!
-Corrie

I saw a few canna rhizomes out there, but this is likely accurate for the other ones too. Mine grow from 6 - 8ft tall, depending on the year. Two summers ago they were easily 8ft tall, but last year they were only 6ft tall (I think because i planted them in June and not May, but i don't know).

I usually check the weather in October. If we get too many nights in the 40s in temperatures, I pull them out. Sometimes this doesn't happen until November. They can take a couple one-night freezes, but i don't like chancing it beyond that.

When it's time, and I can shoot you an email when i do it, i chop down the stalks to between 6" - 8", shake some of the dirt off the bulbs, and throw them in plastic tubs. My dad, who gave them all to me one year, used to put them in black trash bags. I then just move them to the basement and forget about them until Spring, which is what my dad did before he got tired of taking them out every year and gave me them. =)

Except for pulling them out every Fall, they're super easy.

-Rolando

P.S. a squirrel got the first strawberry! grrr...

So happy for pagoda dogwood, it was Esther's, am sure she loves to know that wherever she is.
Corrie, if the cannas were dark leaved / would be red flowers/ I think I know person who brought them and he said that it grows about 6 feet tall and he digs them in the fall and puts into paper bags in the basement for storage.
hmm, maybe we need special site to be able to post/share all our beauties. I was just admiring my valerian yesterday I got from swap couple years ago, it is magificent right now in bloom and such cool addition to my garden!

Mine might be the same kind. I looked them up and I think they're either Australia or Red King Humbert.

My valerian is blooming too. I love it too. But not as much as the bees and the butterflies!

Ellen - were you able to ID that plant I brought? I still haven't found it in any of my books. Did the one you brought home survive?

I just love my Black Snake Root. I took home from the swap - three years ago, I think. It is about 8' tall with several flowers getting ready to open.

Ellen - that plant that I had brought but had no ID, it does have yellow flowers on it now. Do you know what it is?

Mine is not blooming as I kept it in shade, do you think you could post pic or send me a link? I keep thinking it is euphorbia but the genus has like 2000 varieties...

IâÂÂm trying to ID this plant.
Though I have not been to the swap in the last two years, due to conflicts on that date, IâÂÂm wondering if past participants can ID something for me. Therefore if someone brought this plant, if would have been from 2011. It may just be a weed. ItâÂÂs very tall now, because I remembered planting something from the swap in that area, so I let it go though I did not recognize it. Maybe 5 feet, and still getting taller. Growing tips are always bent over. Getting a lot of sidegrowth and branching now. The white fluffy things are just the flowers of the persicaria plant showing behind it. Thanks for your help!

Does it bloom?

Does it bloom?

No flowers seen yet. It's so big and lush (second biggest thing after the 6' plus persicaria polymorpha) that if and when it does, I will jump out of the way!

Sometimes a wimpy tiny flower, but billions of them, is my first tip off that a plant is a weed.

Does anyone remember bringing a goldenrod? Someone on another forum thinks it might be one. It would make sense considering it is planted where a tall plant would be a backdrop.

Hey everyone! I was just curious as I have been looking for swaps for awhile now if there is one in the fall or late summer this year? :) thanks

Hi Delrey,
Nope, sorry, we can only handle a swap a year. But if you would like perennial divisions, you can come by my garden this fall. I have tons of plants to thin out/pull out. I live in the NW side in Portage Park just South of Jefferson Park, around Austin/Irving/Central/Montrose. Let me know if you are interested.
Late September to late October is a perfect time to plant perennials.