I just got home from the swap and had a fantastic time. It was like we had known each other already. All were friendly and eager to show off and share their plants they had brought.
The food was scrumptious!! The carrot cake was to die for and the tuna noodle salad was a big hit also! The hot dogs were grilled to perfection! We also had yummy veggie platters with Ranch dressing as dip. There was so much I didnt get to try each thing!
I came home with lots of new plants! No one there left empty handed without new plants that Im aware of.
I for one look forward to the Fall Meet/Swap!! Hope to see ya'll there who didnt make it to this one!,,,,Debbie

Oh what a great time we had, y'all!

I also want to thank everyone who participated in the swap. It was a wonderful experience to be able to meet so many friendly, caring, giving people!

It was great to be able to meet "Internet friends" face to face, and I truly felt like we knew each other well even before we met and could attach a face to a name. It was also wonderful to get to exchange plants, seeds, stories, advice, etc., and the food was yummy too! Meeting the spouses, children and a brother/brother-in-law was just the icing on the cake! And, speaking of cake, we had a yummy one or two!

To all of you who came and shared so freely of your plants, seeds, knowledge, talents and abilities: thank you so much!

To all of you who weren't able to make it this time: we missed you and hope you can join us in the fall.

And, to those of you who thought I needed some MORE tomato plants....(hee hee hee) Thanks! I'll add the 10 or 12 new ones I brought home to the 100 or so already in the ground! I'm also excited about planting all the new herbs, peppers, flowers, vines, ornamental grasses and house plants I brought home from the swap. And I have a lovely new decorated gourd birdhouse.

It was a lovely, lovely day and I want to emphasize again that it was THE PEOPLE who made it such a great day. The plants and food were just a bonus!

Hats off to Mrs. Frodo, Windsurf Girl, Hot Pepper Dad and all the many others who participated in the planning and encouraged us all to get involved and come to the swap! I'm so glad I didn't miss it.

I can't wait until the fall so we can do it again!

Dawn

It was fun. I got my tall phlox shasta dasies and lots of other goodies thanks.

It was fun. You all are nice people.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swap pics

Terrance,

Thanks for sharing the photos! It was great meeting you and Lori. Hope to see y'all at the fall swap too!

Dawn

Sounds & looks like I missed a good time.

Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

Dawn, you're absolutely right--everyone IS friendly, caring, and giving. When I look at the plants I came home wtih, (some of which I've already put in the ground,) I'll be thinking of the people who nurtured the plants along and then brought them to share.

PlanterMunn, thanks for the great photos.

Going to bed now with lovely memories of the day; thanks again, everyone!

sara

Hopefully, I will have some seeds to give out in the fall swap. I collected 6-7 varieties of tomatoes, making sure I had at least 2 of each type for proper hand-pollinating.
It was also such a great time for the kids who were there, too. Hopefully, this fall, we will see even more people show up.

Sounds like I missed a superb time. Maybe the next time I can make it. :-)
~Heidi

How does one join the swap? I feel sad that I didn't get to take part. I'm a newish gardener who doesn't have that much to share, but it would still be fun to meet everyone and learn about what plants do well in our state.

To join? Just show up. Bring some extra seeds and plants you may have to share.

Mariposa:

Just watch for future postings about the fall swap, which will probably be held in the October time frame, since September weather is still pretty hot.

It doesn't matter if you are a "newish" gardener, of if you've been doing it for 50 or 60 years. It doesn't matter if you have lots of plants and seeds to share, or none at all. What does matter is that you just COME to the next swap!

I guarantee you that no one will let you go home empty-handed. Yesterday we all brought far too much stuff to swap or give away! If you had been there, we would have loaded you down with stuff to take home and try.

Every single one of us was "newish" once, and had someone--a neighbor, a friend, a family member...someone who shared with us and encouraged us to try new plants. GardenWeb and the swap just enables us to meet one another and share ideas, experience, plants and seeds.

Maybe you won't have anything, or much of anything to bring to your first swap, but it won't matter. No one counts or keeps score on who brings what! I promise you that. And, after a few years of gardening/landscaping/growing things, you will be one of the "oldish" gardeners who is sharing stuff and encouraging "newish" gardeners. That's how it works, and it is great!

I really hope that you know we really want for YOU, and everyone else who reads this, to come to the next swap and spend a few hours with your Garden Web friends from the Oklahoma Forum. It is just fun, fun, fun, and along with all the great fellowship, there is a great meal and lots of goodies to take home. You don't want to miss it!

See you in September or October at the next swap!!!!!

Dawn

Every time I read one of Dawn's postings I want to give her a hug! Well said, Dawn.

sara

Sara,

What a sweet thing to say! Consider yourself hugged right back!

Dawn

Can I get in on this hug too???

Thanks to everyone who attended the swap. It was nice to see old friends and meet new ones. I took home lots of great plants I can't wait to try. Even though I did not need any more tomatoes I ended up taking more home! I now have a Nebraska Wedding sitting smack dab in the middle of my beet patch. I had no where else to plant it! What fun!

I got some good pictures of Hotpepperdad grilling and everyone gathered round the table to eat. I also got a picture of the beautiful cake with real flowers on it. I will try to get them posted this week for everyone to see.

Thanks again mrsfrodo for all your hard work in planning.

WindsurfGirl
Lynn

Yes, Lynn, you're definitely in on this hug!

I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.

I put the bronze fennel in the herb bed yesterday, I think it grew overnight!

Hugs, sara

Lynn,

Consider yourself in the middle of a great big group hug!

It was great meeting everyone, but I have been too tired to plant anything yet as we spent the whole day in OKC, doing other things both before and after the swap. Then it was a really long drive home. I'm not complaining, though. I loved every minute of it. Tomorrow I'll work on planting my goodies.

I'm not sure where I'll put it all, but will make room for everything. As I plant each plant, I'll be thinking of the person who gave it to me and their kindness in sharing!

Can't wait to see your pictures of our Grillmaster, HPD, and of the cake with the gorgeous real flowers. I'm just hoping the pictures of all of us stuffing our faces are not too embarassing! :)

Mrs.frodo deserves a hundred hugs!

Happy Planting to all!

Dawn

Dawn, what a lovely post. Thank you for welcoming me to the swap. I must say that I never thought I'd try my hand at gardening but after reading some of your posts Dawn I find myself feeling like I can do it! Thank you again.

Where do you all meet, and who plans this event? Do we all chip in for the food? It does sound exciting. Have to tell you all that yesterday I took my list of shade shrubs and groundcover that was recommended to me by members here, and I told the HD guy where I got the info from. He wasn't impressed. He said that I needed to pay attention to what they sell because the suppliers are the ones with the EXPERIENCE and the EXPERTISE. I couldn't believe it! Don't worry, I didn't pay much attention to him. He was supposed to the the 'gardening expert' for HD. I'm rolling my eyes thinking about this.

Yes, a hundred hugs to mrsfrodo! Mrfrodo too! And everyone!

Mariposa, hope to meet you at the next swap. You're very wise not to take those HD folks too seriously.

Here's a link to a short list of OK Proven selections, a couple are listed that are good for shade.

sara

Here is a link that might be useful: OK Proven selections list

Mariposa,

1. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Don't you know that every single one of us started out with just a wing and a prayer and the idea that we wanted to grow something "pretty" or plant something that would shade our yard or house....or maybe grow our own tomatoes. I guarantee you that no one starts out knowing how to do it, you just learn as you go!

2. PLANNING A SWAP: To find out details about the fall swap, just watch for a thread on this forum. Someone will surely mention it, and will usually direct folks to switch to the "Exchanges" section of this forum to get the details. The planning is a mutual sort of thing, with folks posting a message saying "I can bring...". A list is made and that is how the planning/coordination evolve.

3. THIS SPRING'S SWAP: I don't know where previous swaps were held, but yesterday's was at Will Rogers Park in OKC. It was easy to find and we had a great location at a rented covered pavillion with picnic tables, restrooms, a grill, etc.

Mrsfrodo (Andria), Windsurf Girl (Lynn) and Hot Pepper Dad seemed to take the lead on this one. They began the postings, got folks to start listing what they could bring (both plants and food), found and reserved a location for us to meet, encouraged participation, etc.

Then they got the word out to all of us through posts on both the OK Forum's Discussion side and Exchanges side so we could start making our own plans to attend.

Everyone brought what they had to share or exchange--plants or seeds or both. Newbies were encouraged to bring themselves even if they had nothing to trade!

HPD volunteered to cook hot dogs and the meal snowballed from there. Some people brought food or drinks. Others brought supplies like paper plates, napkins, table cloths, name tags, etc. It worked out really well.

Some folks donated door prizes. A few arrived early to help set everything up. We all worked together to clean up.
It was amazingly fun. We had a collection box to raise money to pay for the rental of a facility for the fall swap.

4. The HOME DEPOT GUY: Well, of course he wants you to buy whatever he has to sell! That's his job. I tell you, 9 times out of 10, the person at a Lowe's or Home Depot in the gardening dept. knows less about gardening than you do! (Every now and then you will luck out and run into one who is either a Master Gardener or an experienced home gardener. But not often enough!)

If you want to read some mostly HILARIOUS posts on what Garden Web folks have experienced with the garden dept. employees at Lowe's and Home Depots across the south, go to the Southern forum and read the thread on Page 1 entitled Lowe's Knows? You'll be rolling on the floor. You will laugh until you cry. And you will never trust those store employees again!

I can tell you from experience that I do not listen to what those retail folks have to say unless I personally know them well and have faith in them. Most of the ones at the big box stores will say anything to sell you what they have. (Owners of small, independent nurseries and the folks they hire are a whole different breed and are, for the most part, completely reliable.) There is nothing the garden dept. employees hate more than a gardener who knows what he/she does and doesn't want! They often sell plants that can't handle our soil, our heat, our cold, etc., etc. etc. Their stock is sometimes mislabeled. Oh, don't get me started!!!!

Sara's link to the list of Oklahoma Proven Selections is one great starting point. So are the plants entitled Proven Winners or All-American Selections. And, believe me, the best advice comes from real gardeners, not store employees!

Dawn

So sad I missed this. My old car decided I wasn't going anywhere this weekend. Maybe I'll have a new one in time for the fall swap.

Yes, I'm sad I had to miss the swap too. I attended the first two Oklahoma swaps, and they were so much fun. I recognized a few familiar faces in the pictures. :-) Would love to see more pics from the swap!
Dawna

The swap was a lot of FUN! Check out the exchanges forum for discussion on the date of the next swap. The key has to be returned by Weds. I figured that is a great time to reserve the pavillion for a fall swap.

OKPrairie & Wolflover,

We really did miss y'all. I was so hoping you'd be there too!

Dawn

It was so nice to see Sara, Andria and Lynn again this year and meet others whom I didn't last year. I was so looking forward to seeing Wolflover (Dawna), wasn't it you that told me last year about how to make the ponds?

The food was great! Especially the salad and the no bake cookies a long with everything else!

I was sorry I had to leave early. I hadn't expected to have to babysit my granddaughter. Next year I will just have to bring her.

Cheryl

The swap was a lot of fun. I'm ready for the next one, so I started a thread on the exchanges forum about the date.

Still trying to get all the plants in the ground- Is it suppose to rain in OKC all week? Oh well.

Thanks to everyone who overwhelmed me with plants--- I guess I shouldn't give me husband the impression that I will return with less than I took.