I think we're going to need at least 2 threads, including one for what people are bringing or looking for. If nobody objects, though, can we keep both on the 'discussion' side, and not bother with the 'exchange' side? There's really no advantage to using the exchanges for an event like this, it's meant for individuals to post plants they're going to share as individuals. Our posts about what we're planning to bring will be more of a discussion, like any other discussion, with the occasional summary that someone or another may spontaneously write up.

Hi, I have been thinking about this thread. I think it was the spring swap that got confusing because we had about 5 threads going at the same time about it and you had to check all of them to figure out what information was posted where. I also noticed that the NH swap tried switching to the Exchange and only had about 3 posts to that thread since opening it and people kept posting to the Discussions thread. None of the other swap threads have 90+ threads, so they can continue to use the Discussion threads to talk about who is bringing what and what time it is and how to get there etc. and leave the exchange thread just for wants and haves. I don't have the patience either to copy/paste all the relevant information to a new post. So since I started the thread, I will open a new thread, on the Discussion list this morning. It will simply say Eastern MA Fall Swap 2005 Continued. If people want to continue to post everything to this thread that is fine, if someone would prefer seperating out the wants/haves to an Exchange thread feel free to start a thread there. At least we will then have only two threads going basically. Ready, set, go.. :-)

Thanks for giving me an important detail to check. But that led to a bit more confusion. What would six or seven stamen mean? First red flowered shrub in my other recent thread: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3918053/shrub-with-red-flowers-in-may-in-eastern-massachusetts?n=4 That has 11 tiny stalks in the typical blossom. The (usually) longest one is clearly different (I assume style) and slightly longer than most. The other ten randomly vary in length. In some blossoms the longest stamen is longer than the style. Next, the white one top of this thread. Most blossoms have 7 such things: Longest is (always) style, then five stamen equal in length to each other and slightly shorter than the style, then one more thing that looks just like a stamen but much shorter (is it some other flower part?). Then a few blossoms have eight total: Style longest, four stamen slightly shorter than the style, plus 3 more things that look like stamen but much shorter. 3rd, the see through white in my second picture of this thread. It flowered earlier and most flowers are damaged by now. But each undamaged flower clearly has ten stamen of exactly equal length plus one style over twice as long as the stamen, So you are saying the red flowered "azalea" from my other thread isn't an azalea, nor is the transparent white flowered "azalea" (that I found a perfect match for being sold online by a nursery named a "pleasant white azalea"). You sound like you know what you're talking about. Does the clustering mean much, or just health and/or maturity of the shrub? The giant bushes that I'm confident are rhododendron (with purple or white flowers) haven't flowered yet, but I can see (and recall) they have tight clusters of many small blossoms, such that what I recall as their "flower" was not a blossom but a cluster. The one at top of this thread has looser clusters of up to six blossoms, so I was seeing each blossom as a flower. The ones with red and clear white flowers have mostly single blossom flowers and some small clustering. BTW, all three have five petals per blossom. I ought to remember which of these are evergreen, but on smaller shrubs I tend not to notice. Looking through some old photos: The shrub foreground left in this photo is a giant old rhododendron, purple flowers, definitely evergreen (though you can't tell from this photo.) The shrub foreground right in this photo is the one discussed above with red flowers. Can't recall if it is evergreen.

I love my 'heirloom' mock orange (I don't know the name b/c it was here when we bought the house 20 years ago). No scent (I'm in a Boston suburb), but otherwise a glorious shrub. Mine is 12' high x 8' wide. Was planted decades ago, and has never failed me in 20 years - even when I had to cut alot off it mid-summer due to poison ivy wrapped around it bloomed the next spring (June for me) and always has alot of healthy green stems (canes?). Provides privacy screen from neighbors' driveway and the street.