Hello threejaysmoom & grendle! I haven't had an actual garden in 3 years now, so sorry to say I don't have any seeds to trade this Spring... I grow mostly ornamental perennials: daylilies (my passion), Asiatic & Oriental lilies, TB iris, hostas & other shade plants, all in pots as we are living in our RV "between homes", as well as figs, berries, sedums & succulents. I'm with you, grendle! I think it would be a blast to have a get-together to trade plants, like they do so often up in Washington & Portland... Marea

We will actually be staying at the Oregon Garden one day. That is the northernmost point of our route in Oregon. We are also planning to visit Mount Pisgah Arboretum. We would primarily be looking for a place with knowledgeable salespeople and a variety of interesting stock items, with the goal of purchasing a single item or two, something that maybe is hard to find in our area, but has at least a reasonable chance of growing for us, kind of a "living souvenir" of our anniversary vacation. Compared to the Oregon valley area, I know that we are more arid, hotter in summer, and more alkaline soil-wise. However, we do have enough water from irrigation to grow pretty much anything, the nickname "City of Trees" does fit the Boise area well. I have been surprised at the wide variety of trees & shrubs that we have found successfully growing here.

Almost forgot; if it posts right, here is the basic core of the course outling: Session 1 Introduction to trees Explanation of genus, species and variety + ordering purchasing Fitting trees to a landscape design or property Basic tree identification (ID) characteristics Tree anatomy basics Relationship between trees and soil Selecting trees and transporting Installation / planting Tree support and protection Basic diagnosis (12 signs of hazard trees - #1 to #6) Session 2 Installation / planting Tree support and protection Basic diagnosis (12 signs of hazard trees - #7 to #12) pruning a. Reasons and benefits b. Tools c. Safety d. Guidelines e. Strategy Watering Mulching a. Benefits of mulch b. Conditioning / polysaccharides and soil structure Transplanting Sunburn Tree topping and resulting problems Crown reduction as an alternative to topping Session 3 Tree topping and resulting problems Crown reduction as an alternative to topping Effects of herbicides on trees Effects of herbicides on soils and the impact to trees Mycorrhizae Fertilizer Apparent tree problem (shedding foliage) Design and Trees  avoiding problems (dripping & cars, fruit & stains, etc.) Wound dressing effects Session 4 Deciduous Trees (Different genus & species and pros & cons) Evergreen Trees (Different genus & species and pros & cons) Deciduous Conifers  introduction Trees and energy conservation Attractive characteristics (bark, leaves, irregularities) Defensible home wildfire safety and trees. Roots (lawn, sidewalks, barriers, etc.)

Hello all - just checked in to see when the MTPS date is for this spring and saw the post on GARLIC - I have brought garlic to the swap the past two years. I have been growing it successfully for about 4 years. Mine is a hardneck, large cloved variety - don't know the specific name. I will bring more this year for those who want to try growing it. I grow all I need plus some for the year. The Hood River Garlic link from the above post is GREAT information on ways to use all that garlic - I am going to try making garlic powder right away! Thanks for posting it! I plant in the fall, and mine is sprouting now - does fine through the cold weather. I harvest around Sept. when the leaves start drying. I even let some go to flower, and dry the flowers for dried arrangements indoors. I'd love to try growing other varieties, so if anyone wants to bring some to trade at the swap this year, just let me know.