NancyLee, glad you found a rose you were looking for and carpooling is a good idea! Since Sacramento's open garden is in April (I think we need to work on a plan to go!) what about picking one garden for March and one for May? Hopefully the free Thursday for the Huntington, they are kind of pricey but I am sure in need of support so a donation I am sure would be accepted. We could decide to meet at a certain spot at a set time.

Hello ALL, I am so looking forward to meeting you all. I am not the best gardener in the world but I try. I have built a 44 foot diameter labyrinth in my back yard, a wooded lot but still half of it has good sun. I am trying to collect hostasfor the past couple of years to surround the perimeter, but I have a long way to go. So anyone with extra hostas, I can't collect enough of them for this project! I am also looking for day lillies, especially the yellow ones but any color will be helpful. I am also looking for the herbs: costmary, comfrey, Lady's mantle and sweet woodruff I have a very limited perenial garden so I am open to any extras that you might be able to share. What I have to share: the herb southernwood. It is a green feathery like plant. It is suppose to repel insects. I was told to take the greens and wood stems in early spring and put them around my echinecia plants to keep them from being attacked by bugs and it has worked for me! It is not evasive at all. It more or less stays right in the same place you plant it. I make snippings and root them for new plants. So if people are interested please let me know so I know how much to bring. Rose campion. It is has beautiful 18 inch silver grey stem with brilliant scarlet red small blooms. I have to say this plant is beautiful but it will spread seeds and within a few years you will have a lot. The plant isn't evasive per se it just seeds a lot. So I have given it, its own perenial garden so the garden just seeds itself and the wave of red blooms are stunning. I get so many compliments on it. It blooms in summer through fall. It is an old fashion cottage type perenial that would look great in any garden, but if you put it in with other flowers, just take note that you will have to cut the seed head before they are released or you will have to dig up the seedlings the following spring and put them where you want them. Again, if anyone is interested let me know. I don't want to dig up any more than people will take. Egyptian Onion. I love it. It comes out with the chives each spring, You can use it like thick chives or use the small shallot like onions that grow on the top. A pretty plant that is one of the first to welcome spring. I don't know what my spring soups would taste like with out my Eqyptian onions. Chives, I guess everyone knows about them Feverfew. A herb that is also an insect repellent. It grow aboyt 12 to 18 inches with a lot of greenery and beautiful small white Daisey like flowers. This does spread its seed through the yard but I would not call it evasive. When I do see a seedling growing in another part of the yard , I just dig it up and replant it with the rest of the feverfew. They are very beautiful in the summer and last quite a long time. Sun drops. Someone told me they were evening primrose sun drops. I don't know about evening primrose becasue they have bright yellow flowers that bloom during the day. They bloom the same time as the Rose campion and they compliment each other very well, color wise. Of the flowers that I have, I think these are the most evasive and WILL take over your garden if you don't give it its own spot. But they are very pretty. Echinecia. I have a few purple coneflowers that I could share, but I don't have too many of them. Cat Nip. My cats love it. I grow it by my kitchen door so I know where the cats are most o fteh time! Spearmint. Who can live without it! I am looking for pepermint if anyone has it. Purple Siberian Iris Lily of the Vally Red Dahlias I think that is about it I am cleaning out my bookshelves and will try to bring some gardening books. And I will try to get my husband to make apple knubby cake. You can e mail me directly at blaketaylore@yahoo.com if you want any of these plants or have any questions about them. Looking forward to the swap! Blake

Marlene, we missed you last year, hopefully we will see you this year. I do remember the talk about that plant and how you did get it. Glad to hear it is doing so well for you now. Leira, doing a good job with "the, one not so little now." Sounds like she will turn into a real little gardener and she needs her own special plant just for herself to water. Got it for you too, maybe even 2 little tiny plants for her to call her own. start her off now, save the seeds from them every year and she will have those plants for years to come. So you got to come and bring her along with you. wispfox, looking forward to seeing you again this year, did you every have that vine you thought might be a morning glory bloom and get it identified? s_angel0, so glad to see you posting to the thread and plan on coming to the swap this year. I had hoped to hear from you and see you at the swap. Don't worry about not having plants, we will fill you up to start off with, just bring along some goodies for us will be fine. In return, you get the plants and seedlings to take home with you. suzieque, Welcome and no, you are not to new to attend. No one is ever too new to attend, that's how you really learn about gardening. Talking to other gardeners and hearing what has and hasn't worked for someone else is the best learning experience. Nurseries can tell you some things, but they are working from the perfect environment to grow things. Gardeners, on the other hand, are doing things from experience in a "real garden" not perfection in growing environments. We live the real thing. Besides, you are an experienced gardeners dream come true, a novice that we can get hooked on "our love of gardening" and do it with fun, swap plants, give away seedlings and do it with good company from each other, good food and just plain relaxation and fun. Just come on and join us, we will load up your car with all kinds of good stuff for the garden, just be prepared to do lots of digging in your gardens. wish I could help you out, wisfox, but I don't have any of those plants. If any has some, would love a couple of divisions of Gaillardia Arizona Sun. Fran

SCPearson/Susan, You are more than welcome to join us at the swap. It is a lot of fun, a wonderful way to add to the plants you already have or are looking for, a great way to meet gardeners and have some "goodies" and lots of fun talk. wispfox/Suzanne You would have to dig up your main plants and divide the main plant into smaller plants, then pot up the smaller plants for the swap, and keep most of the main plant for yourself, (unless you didn't want to keep any for yourself.) Once you have divide up your main plant into the smaller pieces to bring to the swap, carefully replant your main plant and give it plenty of water and tender loving care. Take the small divisions that you made from the main plant, and pot those up in some soil in containers with good drainage. Keep those divisions well watered and in a sheltered, partly shaded area till the swap. hotzenplotz Welcome to you as well. Trust me when I say, you will have a car full of plant divisions and seedlings to start you on your way to beautiful gardens. And lots of us, including myself grow our own veggies, so you should be finding some veggies as well. And of course goodies are always welcome. fgirl21 Phlox taken if you don't want it. any idea what the color is? Heidi will be very happy to take it for her rock garden area. Lisa Still laughing over those "last famous words". You aren't going to take anything home this year? LOL, you must have forgotten all about those seeds you asked me to sow for you, while you sowed some for me. OK, I'll give you this. You aren't counting those that you where already planning on taking. It's all the others you aren't going to take home? Right? Yup, everyone just ignore Lisa and what she says about how much she will take home. It never works out that way and she knows it and we love you anyways, even though you keep trying and trying and trying and trying. You always find something that you weren't expecting and take it home. Just remember. wherever there is dirt, you can dig a hole and plant something in it. Fran