Hedy -- is the elecampane (inula orientalis) the same thing as inula helenium? I think I got a pot of that from you last year, which I promptly planted at the butterfly garden at Flanders. I just heard an herb person speaking about inula today, and am thinking I want one for ME this time, so would love it if you have some. Tina - I would love the butterfly bush. I was so sad to lose my Dark Knight this year. No idea what happened. Just suddenly dead! I think one cannot have too many butterfly bushes! ;) I have alpine strawberries (the really little, intensely flavored ones) if anyone wants those. Unlimited quantities. :) Also a ton of monarda Jacob Cline (I think ... ), garlic chives, obedient plant, tovara.. in the fall, I will have astilbes (they are new this spring and I don't know the colors until they bloom as they were a gift (all 27 of them!) from a friend. Everything is looking SOOOO good right now! Amazing what a little rain will do!

I don't know, it sounds like later in May is a problem for a lot of people, not to mention the parks. What about the weekend of May 10/11th or even the 3rd/4th? Then, if it's rainy, no fee issue with a pavilion, and either way we should have park space, whichever park we end up at. Just as an aside, the closer we can park to where we gather, the easier it is on all of us, I think, since we won't have to carry the plants as far, which can really add up when we make multiple trips with heavy containers. (I admit it, I'm a wimp about it- but in my defense I have two discs out in my neck.) BTW- I have about 10-2 year old regular sage plants, if anyone is looking for some. I tried planting them with my tomatoes but it didn't work out- the sage is overtaking the beds and has got to come out. I'll talk to Kathy and see if she can join us, too.

I second the kudos to Lucia (or her mom, or both!) for such a nice post. It's inspired me to take particular note (via photos) of those things that came from swaps, to share later. In my experience, many of those swap goodies fare far better than nursery stock (must be the extra TLC since I doubt it's the long drive in a hot car that makes the difference! ;) And Lucia's lily adventure prompts me to finally post a picture of a daylily that I got at the first CT swap I attended (spring or fall of 2005, can't recall which). I have NO clue who gave it to me -- or whether I just grabbed it off a table -- but does anyone recognize it? I'd love to know who/what it is! It's a lovely pink-peach, with lovely large blooms. Just wondered if any of you CT swappers recognize it from your gardens and can put a name to it?

Yes, I was just looking for that thread so I don't have to wade through this one for gory details :-) I just potted up some liriope, pink mums, and a couple of iris tectorum alba. The crocosmia will travel in paper bags. Since the sell them as dry corms, it should be fine. The Korean mum thingy from NYBG is just too small for fall division. I'll do something about it in the spring. Since I haven't made a swap in about two years (ooooh, has it really been that long?(: ), what is the mapquest address for the park? If it goes in a different information thread, that is fine. I'm OK as far as I-84 east into Connecticut, but after that, it's fairly vague.