I would be interested!

Ginger

Sure. If you can organize it somewhere closer to South Charlotte. There are many from over the line in SC who have wanted to participate and several in Monroe area.

I'd be interested. Please email me. I'm in Monroe myself.

OK Lets do it!
Give me some names of parks and I will scout them out for good sites (parking near covered picnic areas). I live near Uptown and am only familiar with Independence, Freedom and Veterans Parks - also I still get lost everytime I go out of my small comfort zone - but if you give me some names, I will check them out. Also, I will see if I can't scrounge up some door prizes. What is our organization name? "Charlotte area Gardenwebbers"?

Lets set a date. We should probably avoid Easter and dates already set for other swaps. Is March 31st too early? I will be bringing seedlings mostly - There wasn't much of interest in this yard when we moved in. Next year I should have a lot more.

Forgive me if I'm a pit presumptious, but I kind of expect this to be a 2-3 hour event concluding in a potluck picnic and doorprizes. Is that how it works here? Please let me know if I'm way off base. I have done this kind of thing in other areas, but I don't want anyone dissapointed if the custom here is more elaborate.

hotroses , you sound like the one with experience doing swaps.
I was thinking maybe McAlpine Greenway Park on Monroe Rd.
The entrance is right there at a train overpass so good for directions. Monroe Rd. leads up as does 74 from Union Cty/Monroe. 485 has a Matthews exit on Monroe Rd. for those coming from SC/77

Don't know if you need a permit to hold a gathering. Maybe if you check the Meck county parks and recreation website for more details.

I am totally new here (forum and NC) What are the swap rules? Can you buy at swaps? Otherwise I can bring a few bags of pine needles - oops - "Pine Straw" LOL!!!
I doubt that would get me much...

:>) I live in the Sandhills of NC.

These are the rules as far as my experience goes - (I have done this in the Pacific NW and in Houston TX so let me know if there are customs here I don't know about)

1) No money changes hands - but everyone is aware of the relative value of the plants they bring to swap. No one is under any obligation to swap a prime specimen for something ordinary. But - no one really wants to bring all those pots home either. So someone coming to a swap with nothing good to trade may not go home with the best of the swap, but they won't go home empty handed.

2) One persons "Something Ordinary" is another persons treasure. So if you are in doubt about bringing something - bring it. This goes for pine straw, pots, seedlings, cuttings, seeds, small divisions, large divisions, left over fertizers, pesticides (in the original containers) any gardening goodie.

3) Plants should be labeled with as much detail as possible. When I know exactly where I purchased the mother plant, I cut out the description out of the catalog show the prospective new owner. If I don't know much about the plant, I at least take a picture of it in bloom and am able to describe the requirements and habit. This dosn't have to be fancy - but labeled plants are much better swapping material than unlabeled plants.

3) Try not to include any aggressive/invasive stowaways in your pots. (don't even get me stated about bindweed!)

4. If you have used any heavy duty pesticides, it is only fair to disclose this.

5) Very Important - Stay for the potluck and doorprizes.

So, Bring your pine straw and something yummy for lunch.

Any comments about the date? March 31st? Any additions, comments, or customs that I'm unaware of?

I'll take a look at the park early next week - it is really important that there is parking close to picnic tables. (otherwise you have to haul heavy pots a long way) I'll see about reserving a spot or needing a permit, but I bet we don't need to do that. Lets get a firm date and a head count first.

I've been to local garden club swaps and what I bring, I bring to give away. I don't care if I come home with an empty car just so my 'babies' get new homes.

Hi, My name is Deborah and I'm in Pineville, NC. Been lurking for a few months now and thought I'd finally come out and say hello. I have learned so much here.

I would be interested in joining a swap. I'm going to be starting some annuals and perenials from seed around mid-Feb so hope to have some I can share.

As of now March 31 is OK for me for a swap.

I surely wish I had known about swaps in CT! All the garden clubs there were richer than God and SOLD cuttings from their gardens - probably why they were rich! LOL!!

I always ended up leaving many perfectly good pots and seedling starters at the recycle center since we used to get so many annuals from my hubby's uncle's greenhouse in NYS,would have been more than happy to swap the pots for a few perennials! I tried to return them to a green house in CT, but they were afraid of disease and wouldn't take them, but at least, some were scooped up at the recycle center and were not wasted.
Keep posts coming re any possible swap..
S

I agree with you Dottie - I don't want to take my babies home either - I love to give them away to get other people started. Some people have a hard time with this though. I'm starting a bunch of seed flats this week - lets hope my DH will keep things going for a couple of weeks while I'm away on business. He has done it before so it should be ok. If all those seeds I bought come up grow, I should have enough for several swaps! (got kind of carried away with the clicker back in December)

I just moved here in November so I don't have any thing plantwise to trade. Can I trade seeds at all if I came? I'd love to meet charlotte area gardeners. --also--where do you get your pinestraw?? Mary

I get my straw from my yard and the undeveloped land behind us - no lawn just sand and pinestraw. It's funny around here - pinestraw is either something people hate, rake up and put out for the garbage collection or pay services to come and vacuum/sweep it up or love it and let it lay on the ground and forget about lawn mowers. I have to find out what Pinehurst does with all those brown paper bags of straw I see being picked up. We are of the "been there, done that, never need to again, lawn set."
:>)