I am going to send you an email!

Great description Bejoy! I would add ... label plants with whatever you have around such as popsicle sticks or cut up plastic containers. Easy to dig up the larger plants, slip into plastic bags & write on the bag with sharpie marker. It's also courteous to warn the person if you are sharing a thug plant. Some locations can handle thugs if you know ahead of time. These swaps have beautified our gardens with fabulous plants adapted to PNW. I've only had a few plants weren't what claimed to be & identified before they were established. We created mounded lasagna beds expanding and connecting the front garden to a side garden all along the length of the mobile home where we live at a camp. The planting holes were amended with cured homemade compost and soil. The only casualty was a white lilac sucker from a 2 gallon container, which I must not have liked our very wet spring, rich lasagna layers, & compost/lime in the hole. Clay soil & rocks because something easier to work with using the lasagna method. I moved some of our existing plant material planting closely and know we're going to move plants out come fall. Here are some pics of some of the new beds along the path. Plants already in place before the redo: fruit trees, snowball bushes, shasta daisy, forget me not, serbian bellflower, salal, and serviceberry. Thank you to gardeners who have shared with us at GE & Oly swaps :o) We have 4 more improved garden areas, but not pics this time. 1. view from driveway down path toward trail in woods with 2 dry wells dug to control the water flow since this area is the lowest in the yard/driveway From 2010 flower garden 2. view from middle of path toward driveway From 2010 flower garden 3. view from mid grass toward driveway with veggie garden along driveway length in background From 2010 flower garden 4. closer shot toward driveway to include Darlow's Enigma rose bush hubby dug out from Craigslist (Owner used a chain saw to cut it back in order to dig out & when we were transplanting it here it broke into 4 rooted parts, so we planted all 4 of them successfully.) From 2010 flower garden

You are certainly welcome to come and get free plants - and advice and the company of really nice people. If you feel awkward about showing up empty-handed (no reason to), you can bring bakery treats, crafts items, foodstuffs, garden gadgets, etc. One guy used to bring honey. Another used to bring worm tea. Lots of people bring empty plant pots. One lady brought garden magazines 2 trades in a row, which were very popular. If you have used window blinds, people cut those up to use as labels. Just show up at the appointed time on the appointed date, and dive right in! I have a free pile, and that is a guilt-free zone. Take what you want, but want what you take. Please spread the word to all your friends, coworkers, customers, complete strangers, etc.

Teresa, you were missed. Hope you're feeling better. We'll bring your plants to the Green Elephant. Please tell LaDonna that we have her pampas grass, but I thought it was yours, so I didn't pass it along to her. We'll bring that to the GE, too. Rachel, thanks for coming. I have a trade every September. I used to have one in April, too, but I think last spring's was the last one I'm having, because it's too much trouble to haul the plants. Barb and Don Engel have one in Kelso every spring, so we decided to divide the labor. They usually post on GardenWeb, so be on the lookout beginning in April. See you at the Green Elephant, and if I need help hauling plants, I'll give you a holler. Barb and Don, hope you're enjoying your family time. Most of your plants were given away, with the exception of the Kerria, but it'll be very popular at the March Green Elephant. Drive safely home, and see you in November. Tammy/bejoy2