Thanks to the dedicated volunteers & staff, as well as the wonderful gardeners who visited, 904 plants were exchanged at Deep Cut Gardens today. What a beautiful day!

It was so soaking wet this Spring right into Summer I didn't even think of planting things or trying to swap anything until June. It shows in gardens. Containers have housed more successful plants this year.

Will you post when the Fall swap is scheduled?

I've got Nepeta Walkers Low that's just too large for my small sun spaces. Two Salvia greggii Heatwave 'Flare" are rated Zone 6 but most woody stems didn't make last year's winter even though heeled into garden soil and covered with burlap. Sent up new green shoots and greened up about 1/4 way of surviving old woody stems. Didn't know when I bought them that they're not really suitable for "our" Zone 6, if you know what I mean.

All still in original containers and having a hard time keeping them healthy until I can find somewhere to hold them. If I move Nepeta Walkers Low to larger container as I did with one it blows up like a new sponge just wet...LOL.

Anyway, don't know if they'll be healthy enough for Fall swap but someone might be able to nurse them. Nepeta is pretty hardy. Parts of Highlands coast are rated Zone 7 and this particular Salvia greggii might overwinter well there without extraordinary protection.

Thanks in advance if you can post Fall plant swap.

We'll be hosting a fall garden visit/plant swap/potluck in Burlington County-date to be posted soon.

Newbie_in_nj (and any others interested), the Fall Perennial Swap at Deep Cut Gardens is scheduled for Sat., Sept. 26, 10am-2pm; it is a free program. Houseplants are also exchanged at the fall swap. Deep Cut Gardens, the horticultural park of the Monmouth County Park System, is located at 152 Red Hill Road, in Middletown, NJ, just 1.7 miles from Garden State Parkway Exit 114. 732-671-6050 if you need more info.

FYI, other programs coming up in September are:
9/12 10-12 Vegetable Gardening 101, Session # 4
9/12 1-3pm Fairy Houses in the Gardens
9/13 1-3pm Seed Collecting and Saving
9/19 12:30-3:30 Jersey Shore Rose Society 38th Annual Rose Show (free program)
9/20 12-4pm Bonsai Day (free program)
9/27 1-3pm Birds in the Winter Garden
More information about these programs can be found on the web site www.monmouthcountyparks.com, or call the park at 732-671-6050.

Don't feel bad, Newbie, the quirky weather this year made for some interesting, and sometimes downright disappointing, results in the garden.

I had to look up your salvia greggii 'Flare'; what a lovely plant! If it didn't fare well this winter, it might do better in a protected location, such as against a south-facing wall. This past winter was not an easy one, either, with the sudden temperature fluctuations. (Most of my hydrangeas had to be cut back to about 12-18" above the ground, first time that has happened in the 20+ years they've been growing here.) If you do decide to put it up for adoption, I'm sure someone will take it home and try to nurse it back to health. All of coastal Monmouth County is rated as zone 7, so there should be plenty of potential suitable homes.

Steve_nj - ONE of these days, I WILL make it to your plant swap! Things at the park just keep me so busy ... of course, I have no one but myself to blame, since I'm the one who plans and schedules the programs. Thank you for posting pictures - it's great to at least see those! Wishing you a great fall swap again this year.

Diane