April 19 (Sat.) from 10:00 am to noon 1st Annual 'Shovel Prune' Plant and Seed Swap Pleasant Valley Grade School (parking lot) 17625 SE Foster Road Gresham, OR 97080 contact---duane_werner@frontier.com ---503-784-4528 Rain or shine, gardeners gather to share and exchange plants and knowledge with all. The Shove Prune Plant Swap is hosted at Pleasant Valley Grade School. The site offers parking, small breezeway area, restrooms. Contact: Duane Werner, cell phone: 503-784-4528 duane_werner@frontier.com How it works: NO SALES, just exchanges and freebies, please. Tailgating Encouraged. The format for the trade is like a tailgate party. Traders exchange expert gardening information as well as plant materials. We have plenty of parking. Label your plants with botanical and common names, color, height, width, etc. if possible.. Pics are also great. Free Stuff. The things I don't trade I'll give them away at the end.. This is a good way to thin out some things you've put off. What if I have nothing to trade? Bring anything that might bribe a person to exchange with you. Rain or shine, gardeners gather to share and exchange plants and knowledge with all.

I know I'm getting this on late but here is most of what I am bringing in plants. I will be there first thing and am staying the whole time. Barb...I'll have "Little Sister dwarf Siberian iris for you if I haven't already given you starts. Hardy Geranium (not sure of species but smallish leaves and evergreen with pink flowers and short groundcover) Geranium phaeum (1) Japanese Forest Grass (variegated) Crandall black current (4) Blood sorrel (4 gallon and on smaller) Mini hosta (ground cover type only gets about 2" leaves on it) Borage seedlings Lovage seedlings Sweet Cicely (4) Mitcham's Black Peppermint (one of the best sweet peppermints) Sedum groundcovers (golden, blue/grey, pin type leaf types and rounder very cool green w/ blush of orange that trails nicely) Parsley (3 clumps of seedlings) Variegated Moor grass (2) Beauty Berry bush (2 yr old seedling) Bishop's Hat (2) Primrose - red with yellow eye (4) Hellebore seedlings (4) stinking hellebore SEEDS Cilantro Lolla Rossa lettuce Burplureum Red Amaranth Malabar Spinach Edible Chrysanthemum Mixed marigold Coral Salvia Red Salvia Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 'Elegans' Pink Jerusalem Hollyhock Night Watchman Hollyhock White Dame's Rocket Pink Lavender White Lavender Hidcote Lavender Pink Snaps (unusual species) Magenta Lychnis coronaria Angle's Blush Lychnis coronaria White Lychnis coronaria Smokey Fennel Mizuna Mustard Sugar Snap peas Oregon Sugar pod II peas Blood sorrel Fringed pinks Lemon Catnip Purple rockcress Cimmaron Lettuce Wine County Mix greens Bok Choy Barese Swiss Chard Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato Semi Dwarf Zinnia Astrantia major (white but may throw some pink to red flowers) Foxglove See you all tomorrow! =-)

On the morning after the tornadoes hit Atlanta, I drove over to East Atlanta with some neighbors for GGG's church plant sale, which had been cancelled. From there we went to her house to make sure she was ok. I've never seen such a frightening scene of devastation and destruction. In the midst of the chaos stood GGG's beautiful purple house, virtually untouched, but the implications were heartstopping. I would like to suggest that instead of our regular spring plant trade on April 19th, we volunteer to meet at GGG's house for a cleanup day of her backyard. Anyone who wants to bring plants to trade with each other could still do that, but I think it would be really great if we got together to pitch in and help with whatever is ready to be done in GGG's yard at that time. I would imagine that might be cutting up felled trees and branches, moving soil and rocks around, rebuilding garden beds, planting new trees and shrubs, for example. Those who are unable to do heavy work could offer moral support and carry glasses of sweet iced tea to the workers. I have not mentioned this to Glynis. But if she's agreable and thinks it would be helpful, what would everyone else think?

How did it go?