Plant Swap Tonight!

Gardeners seem to be such a generous and open community. It helps that no two gardens are alike, that we are always curious about the blooms behind the fence or around the back of the house, what magical combination of seeds and soil and fertilizer has produced such outstanding lettuce or tomatoes. And when our perennials keep increasing, as they will, we are happy to divide and share.

Here in my little town, there’s an annual “Plant Swap” event that’s eagerly awaited. In early spring, we gardeners gather in the church basement, lugging pots and boxes and various containers holding the surfeit of our spring divisions; the tables will groan under their weight. It’s a little reunion of sorts after a long winter, catching up with one another, making new acquaintances; it’s especially gratifying to see new young homeowners eager to fill out their gardens, and even younger people with a budding interest in growing (pun intended – sorry!).

With great humor in some cases, each person will take their turn offering their plants one at a time – describing the name, color and habit and preferences, if known; once in a while, someone will admit, “I have no idea what this is, but it’s got a pretty flower.” There’s nearly always someone who can identify it. And usually there is more than one person who wants to adopt the plant in question, which requires the use of slips of numbered paper and a hat … this is all prepared ahead of time by the wonderful ladies who put on the event, and results in cries of joy by the winners and a feeling of being at a bingo game.

Me, I’m always looking for the daylilies, of course, but I’ve come home with peonies, daffodils, scented geraniums, Jacob’s ladder; I seem to bring the usual things to give away every year, worried that everyone’s already got them by now, but they’re always happily taken. Then the search is on for some little space in an already-overcrowded garden where the new treasures can be tucked in. Even better, though, is the expanding sense of community that we share, the opportunity to meet new folks and get to know the not-so-new ones a little better.