I am planning on bringing the following to the swap: dwarf red anthurium (1), orchid I am trying to id (1) stella d'oro (2), caryopteris (1 gallon), trycirtis formosana (1 or 2 plants) wholly thyme, star jasmine vine start (if interested let me know and I can bring boat loads, clematis vine (trying to id) any takers on liriope grass?, unknown mums Special trades: crossvine (good size) twin leaf (1) reed stem orchid starts Seedings: polemonium brandegei, amsonia tabernaemontana I am still trying to get a grip on my property, ie moisture, sun etc, but it I know I want lavendar, purple salvia, and other full sun perennials. ~Shari

I finally got my computer connected to the cable system today, so that I can add my thoughts re the Raleigh swap. I too was so busy carrying plants in, setting up and than carrying all the goodies back to the parking lot that I did not have time to talk to half of the people that I had wanted to. If it had not been for my wife's looking out for me, I would have missed most of the wonderful food, too. By the swap next spring, we should have completed our move from SC (we still have the house there, too) and I promise to be better organized. We left early than I wanted to this year because the UNC - NC State football game started at noon and I had to see at least the second half. I came away with so much good stuff that I know that I need to thank many more of you, but especially Brenda, Nancy, Phyllis and Fran. And whoever brought the strawberry plants - can you tell me what variety they are? I have so many plants that I am uncertain of the name and or hardiness of (going back to the spring swap as well as this fall's) that I plan to start a new topic entitled "What is this and what should I do with it?"

Get serious..When you post "Moving to NC,but where???" are we to presume you are retired,independently wealthy,empty-nesters with pristine credit(mtgs are stricter now) and are Baptists who have a wild taste for any kinds of foods. Most people have to find a job. Have kids and care about their schooling. They want to make the transition in moving as smooth as possible. Site yourself here in a little burg and prepare yourself to find none of the foods and brands you are accustomed to. The bigger cities have had nearly 30 years of people transferring in so that their stores stock other than Southern brands. Of course, anyone coming from NYC/Long Island will be accustomed to higher taxes than what NC/SC charge. Comparatively, the highest tax areas in NC are still way below what people pay in the North. Up north, those higher taxes are paying for older infrastructure,denser population/more crime, schools that pay a higher wage to teachers etc. If you situate yourself in an area close to where there are the most jobs for your skill sets then you will be happier. Even the biggest cities have outer ring towns and counties that are more affordable. Beach/mountain should be your last consideration if you need to find a job here and get your kids into a halfway decent school (don't get me started on that). If you really like gardening and like the ease of planting in the sandy loam of Long Island you're going to face a chore of amending most soils you get here unless you've bought the house of a gardener. It's a lot more complex a process when you seek to move to an entirely different region of the country. Granted, this is a great region. I'd sooner go from there to here than here to there but where you locate depends on a lot more than its proximity to the beach/mountains.

John, you crack me up! Nice explanation, but as you said, there's politics and corruption aplenty out there. I know some of the plant entries got skipped and someone had to go back and rejudge! I can't go into all of what i know, b/c some of it's confidential, but leave it at it's not all a bowl of cherries. Like you, i believe Erv is actively working to make it a fairer, better show, but it's a lot of muck and years of so called tradition to cut through. I try to have fun and not get discouraged. So far every year has gotten better in some ways, so that's encouragement enough for me. Rome wasn't built in a day. Ralph, that plect was indeed 'gold coin' and it's erv's personal plant, so it won't be for sale. I asked if i could get some cuttings for you and he was more than willing. So if you can stick around til 10 when i'm allowed in, i'll get you set up! If not, i can take them and get them to you later. That day is just a wee bit hurly- burley though, so it may be best if you can be there. Besides, you'll want to get some other stuff than mums, right? :) Here's a call out to everyone- at 10am on monday, some of the gardeners will start selling at least some of their plants from their plots. Expect to pay fair price or a little less- most of us don't want to get less than we paid for a plant, tho bargains and cuttings can be had. The mum sale starts at 8 and runs til 10. The mums are cheap- $3 for up to 5 (i think) and $2 ea after that. They go fast so if you are particular, get there on the 8 am side. Adrianna, yes, the 2nd and 3rd show are less competition and you do stand a better chance to win. I normally do much better in those shows. If i'd remembered that this year i probably wouldn't have bothered entering much in the first show as my schedule was already so overloaded. I'm making a note for next year! :) Since i concentrate on arrangements, those are directly affected by how many entries there are. I do cuttings as well, but to me, they are second fiddle.