I always prefer a Saturday swap - anyone up for that? Or does Karen work on Saturday?
We do have family coming in the weekend of the 6th, so the next weekend (13th/14th) would be better for me. The potluck might make for a long day but it's such a great part of it that I don't know how to vote on that! However, the fall swap is usually a lot smaller than the spring one so time might not be so much of an issue.
I'm waffling.... :)

amester - yes, Karen specified having it on a Sunday since she has that whole day off and would then be able to attend. Saturdays she works 2 shifts, so that day is out for her.

Oh, also if anyone can't make it to the work time, that's ok - you could come to the swap portion afterwards. I know it may be hard for some people to get there in the morning due to due drive time and/or other commitments.

Marj

Cast my vote for Sunday October 7th. That's our average first frost date and we don't want to get caught by a freeze, either with our swapping plants or not getting Karen's gardens finished before the cold moves in.

I don't have much to swap, will probably bring tulip bulbs.

I'm torn about the pot luck. I enjoy it, but it will make for a long day.

Barb

I could only make it later on 14 Oct, from 1-3pm. If you decide to do the potluck I will join you after, if not I'll certainly make the spring swap.

I'm up for it, no matter when. My early October weekend schedule is still relatively open.

I won't have a ton of things to share, but I can post what I have if people are interested. You might need to do the rooting of various starts, though.

I would like to join the swap to learn what can be propagated. I'm new to gardening and don't know what can be multiplied yet. Since I can't swap, I would be happy to buy stuff. We got rid of our yard this summer and had planned on planting a few things in the fall but I broke my hand. I might be able to manage planting in a few weeks if it's not too late. I can help with some things in the garden but will be a little slow.

Also, if I can join, I don't know who catlady is or where she is located.

Lesuko,

No need to purchase or bring anything except food to share, if you want to. Our group brings extra plants, cuttings, bulbs, pots, seeds, etc. to swap and there's usually plenty to go around whether you have gardening stuff to share or not. You are welcome to join us. I think one of the posts on the forum has Karen's (Catlady) address. It'll get posted again in this thread once we've chosen a date.

Barb

LizinElizabeth- I know you said the 14th would be better, but now that you can't make it to work in Karen's garden this week, would you be able to do the 7th afterall by chance? Also, amester - any chance you could swing some time to come on the 7th? Your family/friends are welcome to come as well ;^)

As far as the pot luck, I was thinking since we plan on working in the garden first, we could just do a casual eat-as-you-work kind of thing instead of having the pot luck at noon. We could all bring items that don't require heating or refrigeration and just help ourselves as we are working. We'll be able to chat as we work as well!

With that idea in mind, how about we make the time 10-11:30 for the garden work, then swap plants form 11:30 - noon. Or, if Elizabeth can't make it till afternoon, we could start at 12:30 and end 2:30.

I'll need to check in with Karen as to which day/time works best for her, of course, but throwing these options out there to the group as well.

I don't have a lot to swap either - have some hens & chicks for sure, not sure what/if anything else. But, as always, no one has to bring anything! Especially with such a small group attending. It's just nice to get together :)

More later,
Marj

Spoke with Karen and she said either day - 7th or 14th - will work fine with her. She is also open to the time of day.

So let me know Barb, Elizabeth, amester, polygonum, and Lesuko what works best for all of you! And Kim - if you are reading this thread, would you be able to make it one of those days? I know you said you'd be out of the country, I believe, for a good part of Oct. but would love to have you there if you are around since you were the one that started the great idea to help out at cat lady's garden :)

Marj

Hi all,

Finally finding time to post! Whichever date it is, I'll be there! Time wise, I'll probably plan to get there around 11:00, will work a little first depending on the final plans, and then I'll be glad to stay for as long as Karen would like to help with the daylilies after the food and swap!

I have a suggestion for the food! Since this is all being planned on pretty short notice, and since there will probably not be that many of us there, how about we each bring our own "sack lunch"--sandwich, salad, chicken leg, whatever! Then we all bring some sort of a dessert/sweet item to share with everyone? That will simplify it but will still have the "essence" of a pot luck! Everybody bring their own fork in case it's needed for any of the dessert-type things and that eliminates the need for somebody to bring plasticware! I'll bring more of my endless pile of napkins, and some of the square styrofoam trays/plates I have to use for the dessert things! Sweet things don't usually need any sort of refrigeration (or heat!), so that simplifies that issue! What does everybody think?

Plant-wise, I have plenty of stuff to bring, but this time it will almost all be bare root or cuttings! There's no point in putting things in pots when there's no way they're going to have time to root into soil before the swap--and most of them are succulents that are incredibly easy to just plant directly into the ground, whether they have roots or not!

I was out checking, and I have several sedums that I need to cut back! I'll divide them into individual bags for people to take and will bring some of my sedum rooting info sheets for anyone who doesn't know what to do with them. I'll have cuttings for AT LEAST 2 or 3 people of each of these--and there will be a lot of cuttings in the bags!

Sedum 'Angelina' - the yellow one!
Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' - the blue one!!!
Sedum spurium 'Tricolor'
Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'
Sedum pachyclados
Sedum kamtschaticum 'Variegatum' - This one is deciduous!
Sedum album - this is the "dangerous" one - if even a TINY piece falls off when you carry it across the yard, it'll root--and you'll have it growing here, there, and EVERYWHERE!

I may have a few cuttings for yellow iceplant, Delosperma nubigenum, if anybody wants a start!

My patch of 'White Nugget' iceplant, Delosperma basuticum, has finally gotten big enough that I can dig out several small rooted starts--will bring at least 3 or 4, and more if more people sign up to come!

I'll also have unrooted starts for 8 or 9 of my different hen & chicks! The bad news is that they won't be in pots, rooted! The good news is that when I give chicks away unrooted, I put more in the bag than I do when I'm starting them in pots! So each bag will have AT LEAST a half a dozen chicks--probably more, and each bag will have some bigger chicks than I usually use when I start them in pots! [I'll probably do the hen & chicks like this at all future swaps! Since they're SO easy to start directly in the ground, and they're MUCH easier to handle like this it'll make it easier for me to give them away!] I'll also bring some of my how to root semps sheets for anybody who may need one!

I'll link to my 2009 Hen & Chicks thread below so you can see pics of some of them--in all their spring/early summer splendor! Most of you know I don't know the "official" variety names for most of mine so I've assigned letters to them to keep track of the different ones! The pics on that thread should still link to WebAlbums if you click on them, where you can see which ones they are, but just in case they don't link anymore for some reason, here are the letter designations for the ones I'm able to bring this time--from the top pic down!

Third one down - K
Sixth one down- G
Eighth one down - H
Tenth one down - E
Eleventh one down - I'll have all three, left to right - H - C - I (H & C get BIG!)

Most likely will not have the other ones pictured on this thread this time! But you can at least see from the pics in that thread how really, really cool these things can be!!!

But I WILL have some 'Icicle'--which is the "pink" one pictured in the jclepine post of 06.22.09!

Will also have some A, which is plain green in summer but turns a pretty nice pink over winter--and can get quite large with enough space! I think highalttransplant's middle pic on her 06.04.09 post are A--not positive!

I'm not gonna do Official Dibs this time, but with the hen & chicks I would like to know WHO WANTS WHICH! I don't want to pull a lot of them off if I won't have anybody to give them to! So anyone who wants some semps, let me know which ones you want!

Egyptian onions/walking onions! My little patch has some very nice little bulblets on the top and they're extremely easy to start by just loosening the soil a bit, "throwing them on the ground," and putting a little bit of soil over them! I'll bring them along!

I was tugging on my Turkish Veronica, Veronica liwanensis, and I believe I can get 2 or 3 small rooted starts for that!

And then there are all my Ajugas! These always need "controlling," so I can bring some (quite a few!) rooted starts for: 'Chocolate Chip', 'Royalty', and 'Arboretum Giant', and I MAY be able to get a couple rooted starts for 'Black Scallop' this time! If anybody wants a LOT of one or more of the first three, let me know! 'Black Scallop' is still pretty limited!

I'll also be bringing a few things that are already rooted in "pots" that I potted over summer when I had cuttings of some things.

I'll also be bringing a few rooted starts for the unique Sansevieria I have! It's somewhat similar to a spider plant because when it gets big enough the individual plants start to hang over the side of the pot a little bit! These are small starts in my usual "styrofoam cup pots!" These are strictly house plants!

MAY have a couple (very) small rooted Kalanchoes! Can't remember right now it they're the pink or the yellow ones! I've been having a terrible time with powdery mildew on these things, and I'll need to check them out to decide if they're worth bringing or not! Also strictly house plants if I bring them!

And I just cut one of my variegated pothos back today and have a whole bunch of cuttings in water! They should be somewhat starting to root by swap time, so if somebody would like some (6-8) half-rooted cuttings to start one for themselves, let me know. You'll just need to keep them in water for a few more weeks till they're rooted well enough and then stick them in a pot! Houseplant!

That's all I found when I was looking around--but might come up with a few more things! On the other hand, if there's only gonna be less than a dozen people there, maybe I should rein myself in this time! Lets see who else decides to come!

Is there anybody else who can come? To work and to swap--or just to swap?

For Swap Newbies around here, as TreeBarb said, you don't need to have any plants to swap to come! That's been our rule since the first swap and it WAY still stands! And whether you're able to bring plants or not, you still most definitely do get to go home with some!

When I got home from vacation and didn't see anything about a swap, I thought I was gonna be stuck taking care of the things I have in pots all winter!

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Hen & Chicks Pics!

Skybird - there you are! I was wondering what you've been up to, and hoping you'd be able to make the swap!! You're post is amazing - I'll read through it later but wanted to just chime in here quickly (just got back from Carter Lake. My 21 year old daughter caught her first fish - actually 2. And one was 24" and 5lbs!!).

I love your idea about brown bagging it, and bringing sweet treat to share. I'm open to either date, but think I'm kind of leaning toward the 7th. But majority rules, so will wait to hear from the others.

More later,
Marj

Thanks everyone. I can make either day and am looking forward to helping in the garden and learning about the plants.

Skybird- since I have a yard to fill, I would love anything. I am mostly interested in plants that are good for pollinators, have multiple seasonal appeal- some gardens look so drab in the fall/winter I really want to avoid that, so pink, red, black, yellow would be cool (of course I don't know what plants), and then other things that are just interesting or pretty.

So- yes to hens and chicks, ajuga, iceplants, and sedum. I would be excited about walking onions. I don't know what the other plants are. Ajuga seems interesting as does the black scallop. How come I haven't heard about it in the garden shops? I have been searching for interesting ground cover.

I'll be very appreciative to receive anything but may have to ask how to plant or care for it. I am learning though.

I have some strawberry runners I could cut and bring- if you can do that. Do they need to be attached while rooting?

Leslie

What I can bring plant wise is:

Hens and chicks, varieties unknown (but believe I got both of these from Skybird several swaps ago!). I have a few chicks that I potted up several weeks ago in anticipation for a swap. Here are pics of the mama hens:

Also, have Lambs Ear that I'm sure I can pull up some with roots, and can bring chocolate mint (probably cuttings, but it is very easy to root in water). Oh, can also bring a few peppers that you can eat and then save the seeds! Have Alma paprika, Spanish Hot Pepper, and Jalapeno.

Skybird - would love to have a few of your dragons blood, tricolor and pachyclados sedums, and also some of your yellow and pink iceplants if you have enough.

Hoping all respond today so we can be sure which day and time for the work day and swap!

Marj

Would anyone happen to have any ramp bulbs that you need to thin? I've been wanting to try growing some but I can never get seeds started. Plus, I don't know if they can even grow here in this dry climate.

Marj,

Either day works for me. I'd love an alma paprika pepper. Cingrats on your daughter's first fish!

Dee, yes to a white iceplant.

I'll be bringing Queen of Night tulips, very deep purple, looks black and Angelique, a very pale pink. I'll probably be bringing 6 of each to swap.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'll look around the yard and see what else might be swap worthy.

Barb

Skybird, I'll have to see which of your hens and chicks I already have, because I'd love to add to my collection!

mstywoods, I'd love a start of the second sempervivum pictured. I'll take another of the first if you have a lot of them, since my little planted section of those isn't looking so hot, but I'll give others first crack at it.

Yes to any peppers, too!

treebarb, I'd be happy to take any quantity of tulips off your hands, though others should get a share of them, too.

If anyone has those cute sweet potato vines as part of your planting of annuals this year, may I have a cutting? I'd like to try overwintering them indoors. I have a purple one, very common, that I'm going to try (I can share a piece or two if others want to play along).

I have a very large and healthy plant of Skybird's yellow iceplant, if anyone wants unrooted cuttings. This plant has been quite vigorous this summer, so I probably have plenty for everyone who wants a few sprigs.

I can probably bring cuttings of a few other iceplants, all acquired from previous swaps. I'm not sure the tags have survived, but I can give you 50/50 odds on what they are... My White Nugget isn't thrilled with life, but everything else is reasonably happy. I have a Table Mountain (aka John Profitt) ice plant that isn't happy where it is. I do plan to move it, but I'd be happy to share some small pieces of it to add to our collective ice plant collection.

If anyone has other ice plants to share, I'd love to get cuttings or starts.

My Royalty ajuga, from skybird, is extremely happy if anyone wants unrooted cuttings. The Chocolate Chip is modestly happy, enough for cuttings.

I should have some of skybird's easier-to-grow sedums, but I know she always has lots and lots!

I'm sure skybird's plants are happier than mine, but I am more than willing to be a back-up if the group needs more than she has available to share.

I have common white garden yarrow, acquired from amester, if anyone wants a start of that. It should be a rooted division. It is easy to grow and spreads quickly.

I can bring some tomato seeds collected from this year's plants. I am lazy and squeeze the seeds out on paper towels to dry, but they seem to germinate just fine. I have Stupice, Siberian, Yellow Pear, Chocolate Drop Cherry, Sweet 100, Costoluto Fiorentino (I also have old commercial seed of this that still has good germination), Sun Cherry, and Debaro Russian Plum. Let me know what you want and I can bring it. If you have tomato seeds from varieties that perform well here, let's trade. And ditto for other veggies and flowers.

My magenta 4-o-clock has been blooming, and I can collect a few seeds if anyone wants any. It is a very common type of 4-o-clock, though, nothing special.

I planted a gaura last year. It finally bloomed a few weeks ago, one wimpy little flower stalk. I can dig it up and give it away if someone wants it. No guarantees, though, and there are weeds growing in with it.

I can bring some common houseplant cuttings if anyone needs something specific.

I'll look around my yard and see what else I can find, both plants and seeds.

My wants of course are vast and varied. I am greedy, sorry! So if you have enough of something to share, please do consider posting about it or bringing it. Feel free to send me a private message if that's easier.

I am hoping that many of my plants will be big enough to divide next year and/or will drop seeds and give me babies to share with everyone. Everyone has been so generous with me. I do hope that I can return the generosity as new gardeners join our swaps.

Has the date been set?

Marj- is your alma paprika for drying? I thought I bought a paprika to dry for spices, but they don't look like paprikas and a gardener friend said they are too big and meaty to be one.

I would love any plants. It's hard not to be greedy when you have an almost blank planting area- so feel free to set me straight. I hope I can return the favor in the future.

Let me know if I should cut some strawberry daughters now, or save them for spring? I wish I had more to share.

Skybird - got you pm :) The pink iceplant I referred to was actually "'Icicle'--which is the "pink" one pictured in the jclepine post of 06.22.09" you mentioned in your post - maybe that's not iceplant?

Polygonum - I'll set aside some of my sempervivum and peppers for you! I'd be interested in some of your Table Mountain iceplant.

Letsuko - I dried some of the Alma last year and ground it up. If it had been a finer grind, it would have been better, but I used it in cooking and thought it added good flavor. I'll bring you a couple for you to try!

If anyone has any ornamental grass that survives the winters out here, I'd love to have some.

See you Sunday!
Marj

treebarb - I'll bring you some Alma's as well! And I'd love some of your tulips :)

Marj

Hi all,

Finally finding time to get back here to post!

MISTY -- I can't be sure because of the wide color variation, but I believe your first hen & chicks pic is of 'Icicle', and the second pic looks like the one I call C to me. I'm fairly sure on both of them, but would need to see "spring" pics to be positive! I have you down for the things you asked for, and let me know for sure about the 'Icicle', but if yours usually looks like the pics I'm gonna post below in late spring, you already have 'Icicle'.

BARB -- you're covered on the 'White Nugget'!

POLYGONUM -- could you possibly snip a handful of yellow iceplant cuttings off of yours for Misty and Lesuko? Most of mine suddenly died off last year--as I've warned folks can happen!--and while I could get "some" cuttings off of mine, they're really "wimpy" looking right now, and it sounds like yours is doing really well and would provide better cuttings! If that doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll bring some of my wimpy ones! Let me know if you had time to check out your semps! A couple of them I only got one "batch" of, so they're already spoken for, but I still have A, E, G, H, K, and 'Icicle'. Gonna post some pics of 4 of them below!

LESUKO -- I have you down for one of everything I posted above--with the yellow iceplant from either Polygonum or me! I have LOTS of cuttings for most of the sedums, so, except for a couple of them, I'll have a really nice bagful of each for you--along with the directions for what to do with them! Will also bring a nice big bunch of the bare root Ajuga for each of the first three, and will have at least a couple starts for the 'Black Scallop'. Also the hen & chicks--with directions, the 'White Nugget' iceplant, and I haven't done them yet, but probably a start for the Turkish Veronica. Virtually everything I have this time is ground covers, so it won't really get anything going on in your yard vertically, but it will help to fill up some of the bare soil, and you can always dig them up later and give them away to somebody else when you get around to planting other things! With your strawberry runners, no, they don't need to be attached for them to root, so snip some off and bring them along! All you need to do is "tuck" the bottom of the offshoot into the soil and let it root so they don't really don't really need the "runners" attached, but if there's some runner left on it, it can be used to help "anchor" it into the soil until it roots, so you might want to snip them with some of the runner still attached. Don't know how many you have, but you might want to make up a/a few "little batches" of them for "picking."

I also have 11 "perennial" things in pots, like I mentioned above, and while some of them are just rooted pots of the sedums I posted above, there are a couple things I didn't post--and I'm gonna keep them secret till the swap--but I know folks are gonna want them! :-)

And I also dug/pulled some bare root "something else" today that I'll have three "batches" of--and I'm not gonna tell you what it is! They're currently residing in the vegetable drawer in my fridge--since they're bare root!

Oh! And also got a really good batch of seeds from one of my perennials this year that I seldom have enough to give away--is that an illiterate sentence or what?--so I made up some seed packets to bring of "that," and one other thing that folks are usually interested in!

And that's probably it for this time! I'm not a big fan of Cold Hands Gardening, so I probably won't be poking around out there looking for things anymore--gonna try to get the Ajuga dug/pulled tomorrow, hopefully before the front moves in!

And, since it's gonna be cold out by Thursday, I collected the hen & chick starts today and I was able to get more of some of them than I thought I would! Since only one person has expressed any interest so far, and since there are probably only gonna be about 6 folks at the swap, I'm gonna post a few more pics of the ones I have more than one "batch" of, so even if you don't ask for them in advance you can look to see if there are any you'd like to get on the day of the swap. As you can see from these pics, the color varies GREATLY depending on the time of the year and the winter temps in any particular year! I'm just posting the small version of the pics, but they should all be clickable to see the bigger versions!

A - I have 4 batches that aren't spoken for

E - I have 5 batches that aren't spoken for

K - I have 4 batches that aren't spoken for - winter color - summer is all "blue spruce" color!

'Icicle' - I have 5 batches that aren't spoken for

A few more pics! I really do have a lot of most of the sedum cuttings!

Sedum 'Tricolor' in summer and winter color on the right side of the second pic

Sedum 'Angelina' summer and winter colors

Sedum album - the Dangerous One! Plain green in summer, this is winter!

Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' - same in summer & winter!

Sedum pachyclados - same color summer & winter!

Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' - Plain green in summer - this is where the name comes from! (Don't have a whole lot of this one!)

And two of the Ajugas!

'Royalty'

'Chocolate Chip'

Don't have a good pic of 'Arboretum Giant' but it's pretty much plain green leaves that are about twice as big as the 'Royalty'!

And not gonna post a pic of the 'Black Scallop' or everybody will want some--and I don't have a whole lot--yet!

Not gonna bring a lot of the Ajugas unless I know somebody wants them! Will bring a couple "bunches" in addition to the one of each that's already promised, so if you want more, let me know!

Skybird

P.S.!!! Almost forgot this one!

Delosperma basuticum 'White Nugget'

I can bring plenty of yellow ice plant sprigs. I'm trying to get another patch going in my driveway strip just in case I get a sudden die-off. The plant is doing so well, though, that I definitely want to share the wealth while I can. You never know -- I might be back here begging for a new start in a year or two!

Someone shared Fire Spinner ice plant this spring. I'm pretty sure I know which clump that one is (all the markers have either faded or disappeared, because I am an idiot), and I can bring one or two small clippings if others want to add it to their collection.

Semps -- I am always up for more sempervivums even if I already have them! So please bag me up one or two of anything you have spares of. I'm pretty sure that I have decent patches of A and E and maybe Icicle. But they are so cute, that I wouldn't mind having more, especially of E. K looks new to me, so I definitely would like one of those. I don't think I have G or H yet, so yes, please, on those.

I bought a pot of sempervivums from one of the community plant sales this summer. I will see if I can take photos and maybe bring one or two small babies to add to our community collection. One or two of them bloomed, though, so I'll need to see what's left.

I have a wish list of perennials... But I have benefited so much from the generosity of others that I will try not to be too greedy. I'm sure that will last all of 5 seconds on Sunday.