Hi Joann, I don't know much about SC but I live in zone 7 in NM. Some of the plants that do well here and come up faithfully every year are: canna, iris, four o'clocks, roses, sedums. I'm sure there are a lot more, but I have personal experience with these. I have mixed yellow & pink four o'clocks and some semi-dwarf (3-4ft) canna with a yellow bloom sprinkled with red that I'd be willing to trade if you're interested. I'm interested in liriope, angels trumpet, or even a small palm. I have a greenhouse so I can over-winter them there if I need to. Thanks, Denise/plantlady35

Adam, Thanks for your response and interest in acquiring some of these plants. I will bring a flat of 18 along and you can take what you want if no one else shows any interest in them. I will bring more if I get more responses to this thread. I will "hold" at least six of the best for you at the exchange for a while to give you a chance to find them - let me know if you would like more than that. I am not expecting one-for-one trades for these plants because folks should be growing multiple strawberry plants - who wants to have only one or two ripe strawberries at a time to pick and eat? That's barely enough for using in a single bowl of cereal! I am not looking for any plants in particular to acquire in trade, and to avoid confusion or mistakes on my end I want to avoid making "side agreements" to the exchange. I am certain I will find plants of interest to me - I always have at past exchanges I have attended. If you do not have anything that interests me, you can have the strawberry plants anyway. I would rather not have to haul 'em back home. :) -Tom

Same problem here, Cindi! My cats seem particularly fond of Dracaena, Dieffenbachia, and Pothos. Oh, and the spider plant you gave me Skybird : ) So all of those are either in my bedroom, which is off limits to the cats, due to the fact that I'm allergic to them, or up high where they can't reach them. I have Pothos starts too, that I can bring to the swap. One has been in a cup of water for months I think. I have a Jade plant sitting next to me on the desk here, and the cats don't seem interested in it, other than to knock it over when they are racing through the house chasing each other. They also don't seem interested in the herbs I've been growing all winter in the kitchen windowsill, but I have been hesitant to grow catmint for them to nibble on. I'm afraid if I grow something for them to eat, they will think that ALL of the houseplants are there for their eating pleasure! Bonnie

Roses grow best in a soil that has been well amended with organic matter that is evenly moist but well drained. Organic matter is compost and other vegetative waste and if you have clay that organic matter will open up the clay so water can flow easier and the plant roots can also move through the soil easier and get the nutrients the plan needs to grow easier. If you have sand that organic matter will fill in the pore spaces between the sand particles so moisture and nutrients can be held in the soil so the plant will have access to that. Your local office of your Ohio State University USDA Cooperative Extension Service can help you with a good, reliable soil test and in addition these simple soil tests could be of some help, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. Here is a link that might be useful: OSUCES