Yeah, this is a tough call, as all kinds of people participate. If you look at who's joined up with a particular swap, and you recognize names from other trading/swaps, you have a lot of "vets". If the names are all new, you probably have a lot of "newbies". Some of the bigger swaps have been going on a few years, and usually draw a lot of both.

Rare and unusual plants, often those whose seeds are quite pricey to buy, are always popular, of course. Native plants are also often popular, as they may get sent around to an area that doesn't typically have them, thus offering a new choice to someone. Less common varieties of common plants - e.g., Zinnia "Candy Stripe" - are also popular. Strikingly beautiful plants (yes, I know that's subjective) are also popular. Where the swap is open to all types of plants, trees, shrubs, and heirloom vegetables work, too.
Avoid invasive plants, or, if you know a particular plant is invasive, but you think it is worth growing anyway, clearly mark it as an invasive so the recipient knows what they're getting - I once planted Canada thistle I had received in a trade and sorely rued the day. Of course, the real burden for research was on my end, but it would have been kind if the trader had let me know how invasive they could be!

As a sometime swap host, I know you can't please everyone, but most folks will be pleased most of the time. Even vets who "have everything", like me, will typically get a few good new varieties out of a swap. Also, I think I can speak for at least a few vets when I say we like the "common" stuff, too - I've often been more pleased with the marigolds I've received from traders than those I've paid good money for.

I hope that helps - I wouldn't worry too much; the bottom line with these things is having fun - it has to be treated like the lottery - a game - if you take it too seriously, you'll probably be disappointed.

My news years resolution is to actually look up the names of plants that people say they're bringing. Before the swap. You had some really kewl stuff and I didnt realize until after I got home and looked them up. Im thrilled with the plants I brought home from the swap!

:)

I have been to a couple of plant swaps, and one thing we did was start a thread on our regional GW forum, in my case, the Rocky Mountain Gardening forum, and everyone listed what they thought they were going to bring and how many of each thing, and also a wishlist. Then people could post if they were interested in something off of someone else's list, or if they could fill a wish off of someone's list. At the actual swap, things that are spoken for ahead of time are set aside, and everything else is put in a separate area. We then draw numbers, and each person gets to pick whatever they want. We usually run through twice, and then it's a free for all, people grabbing anything they're interested in.

As far as what people are interested in, I think the vegetables, and fruits, and annual flowers tend to be more popular at the spring swaps, and perennials tend to go over more at the fall swaps.

I've got a dozen daylilies on my porch from our fall swap which was about three weeks ago. I wasn't able to make the drive this time (I'm on the other side of the state from most of the folks on the forum), but someone that went was coming this way on their vacation, and stopped by to visit and bring them to me, which was really cool!

Even more than the plants, I like getting to know the people that I chat with on GW all of the time, and having faces to put with names.

Bonnie

So,would people be interested in a very wide range of hosta?I have a gazilliuon of them***no other plants*YET*but i am working on that.cAROL

I have swapped for most anything, common or unusual to me.
Sometimes I need some of the plant that "everyone has" as those plants do not always survive my care. Or someone may have a different variety that I would like to try. I went to a swap last fall and brought back lots of different iris varieties for an iris display bed. This fall I divided a couple of fairly common irises and they were taken quickly.

Yes, I would be interested in a wide range of hosta as I have just started adding new ones to the one or two varieties that were left by the previous owners. Was fortunate to get several mini hostas at our spring swap.
The ones at the fall swap went quickly.

My trees have grown increasing my shaded areas so even common shade plants are welcome.

With winter sowing I usually have a few unusual plants to share or different varieties than what is available in the area. I took seedlings of two different clematis to swaps this year and may take clematis (waiting to see if one blooms pink--from your stans/speciosa seed mix, Ellen. Got two blue out of five and the other three haven't yet bloomed) again next year.

Perennials that I see as popular are astilbe, columbine, daylilies, dianthus, echinacea, ferns, grasses, herbs, heuchera, hosta, iris, phlox, roses, rudbeckias, salvia, shrubs, most any perennial that isn't invasive.

Annuals: coleus, dahlias, impatiens, marigolds, morning glory, nasturtiums, petunias, rudbeckia, salvia, sunflowers, zinnias,

Vegetables: tomatoes, peppers

I didn't see many annuals or vegetables at the swaps that I have attended.

Oops, sorry - my verbose response pertains to seed swaps - the kind you participate in on the Round Robin Exchange - not plant swaps.

My bad! :)

Lindalana,,

What people will be interested in really depends on those that are attending the swap. It becomes as varied as the number of plants that any one person has to bring.

Fall swaps are usually for perennial plants, unless you live in a zone that can support plants growing outside year round.

The best way to find out what will be of interest to those that are attending is this.

First make a list of the perennials that you have that you can dig up and divide, perennials that you want to give away, and of course seeds for next year.

Then post that list you made up for those attending to see. Offer these plants and ask if anyone is interested in them and explain that you will dig them up, dig them and and divide them only if someone attending wants them.
If you are planning to dig up and divide some of your perennials, then you can divide those and just bring them along with you to the swap.

Odds are there will be at least one person that will want any and all of the perennials that you have to offer, especially those that are new to gardening, starting new beds or just moved into a new home.

I host a spring plant swap every year, with tons of WS seedlings along with divisions of tons of plants.
All plants go at the end of the swap, and yes, hostas of all kinds are wanted by lots and lots of people.

tree seedlings and sapplings are always wanted as well.

Fran

Each year I produce dozens and dozens of pots of plant divisions which I take to a charity sale--while this is not the same as a plant swap (and those I have attended) I can tell you what was snatched up immediately.

I agree with above about hostas--any will be wanted, and if it's got a particularly pretty leaf then they'll be gone immediately. People hosting the event may come for them during set-up. Native wildflowers are loved, especially for part shade. Any plant for part or full shade will be snatched up.

I always bring year-old cork-bark Japanese Maples, some people wnat them and some people don't. Height is a question with any tree or shrub--I don't say this or that amount of feet, I say, roof height, shoulder height, etc. because that's easy to visualize and imagine.

Virtually every pot of digitalis is snatched up.

Daylilies go quick too. You don't need to know the name, just a good description--a photo is really helpful. Do NOT bring tawny daylily plants, you'll go home with them because every already has some from their Grandmother's garden.

Unusual sedums go quick too.

Habitat plants are very popular. Bring literature on the plants and what critters/butterflies/birds the plants will benefit.

Hope this helps,

Trudi

When I bought my house 26 years ago, I planted indiscriminately. I just chose plants from pictures in catalogs and from what I had seen in people's gardens.
But for the past 10 years, I have been slowly replacing them with natives. :-) Right now I am looking for shade plants with bold forms. :-D

I was not very good at planning, Doris. Next time I'll post what I plan to bring. So far I have potted up rooted Red Twig Dogwood, Clematis 'Etoile Violette', Eragrostis spectabilis, Calamogrostis brachytricha - Korean Feather Reed Grass (Ellie, that's the grass that you saw in my garden and liked).
I plan to bury those pots somewhere in the garden where I can find an empty spot. I might sneak them in my neighbor's flower bed. Tee hee hee.

Here is my theory of What People at Plant Swaps Want:
1. Something blooming right now (just as you said)
2. stuff they know they want--they have astilbe on the list
3. Stuff they already have, which works, and they see another one, or a different colored one--"ooh, look, a PINK astilbe, I'll put it next to my white one"
4. Stuff you can convince them to want :) "Hey, what's astilbe?" And you either tell them all about it in person, or perhaps have an info sheet right there, taped to the table. A color picture of it blooming would help a lot.

I make up sheets like that for my plant sale, and I was thinking maybe I should bring them to your swap, it would help convince people to take the agastache! Folks were pretty interested in it at the fall swap, because it was blooming. I keep meaning to laminate them so they'll last more than one sale, maybe I'll get to that this winter.

(I think maybe just copying the plantfiles page may be fast and easy)

Something else to think about, not just varieties of plants common or unusual but how they're presented.

It seemed like the larger plants seemed to get snapped up much quicker then the little tiny guys. Also, the potted and labelled plants also went first before the cuttings and plants stashed in plastic and wet newspaper.

For the small plants, I know they'll get bigger, hence at the first swap I wasn't too concerned that all the bigger stuff got picked over first. I personally like the challenge of starting with a small dixie cup of something and getting a full size plant within a season or so - depending on if it is an annual or not. That's how I found the much coveted 'Bill MacKenzie' clematis and a stash of primulas. I liked Ellen's method of easy labelling with the cut up pieces of blinds with the names stenciled on them.

I also got this little bitty double blooming morning glory, I think it was Annette that handed it to me, and it has covered my arched trellis along with clematis.

I loved all the heirloom tomatoes and peppers - but again the larger ones went first.

Eragrostis spectabilis,
Calamogrostis brachytricha

see, both of these I would have to look up, those names dont mean anything to me cuz Im not so well versed in the latin names. Id probably not take those plants cuz Ive got no idea what they are. Id look them up later and be sorry I didnt snap them right up!