Plant & Seed Swap
9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, November 2
Discovery Garden, 875 Riding Club Road
(ROCKWALL COUNTY – October 19, 2013) It is time to start dividing your crowded perennials, bulbs and groundcover. Perennials need to be divided on a regular basis to maintain healthy and vigorous growth. You may not have the space to spread them out in your beds at home. If that is the case, then you want to participate in the free Fall Plant and Seed Swap sponsored by the Rockwall County Master Gardeners. This fun event begins at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 11:00 a.m. – or until the plants are gone. They go fast!
A plant and seed swap is a friendly gathering of people who love to garden. They bring seeds, cuttings and plants to share with other gardeners. There is not cost for any of the items. You do not have to be a Master Gardener to come and participate; and you also do not need to bring anything to swap! Swappers will open up the back of their pickup truck, SUV or even set up a table with many different plants and seeds that grow successfully in this area. Advice on planting and growing is also given to the lucky receivers of the plants and seeds.
Gardeners with plants or seeds to share need to do a little preparation before the day of the swap. Bring anything you think someone would want. It is better to dig up rooted plants a week or two in advance. Be careful to save and protect the roots. Place them in old plastic pots, foam cups or even plastic bags with moist soil over the roots. Keep the rooted plants out of direct sunlight and extreme heat until the swap. A general rule of thumb is to divide perennials in the season opposite when it blooms. Bring loose bulbs, corms and rhizomes in paper bags so that they are easier to handle. Seeds should be packaged in labeled envelopes. It is also very helpful if you include information about the plant – the name; sun or shade loving; bloom times; water requirements; etc. Mark with a permanent marker on Popsicle sticks, plastic knives or any other creative method. Printed labels are fine too.
The best plants are not always from your local garden center or seed catalog. Instead they are gathered through cuttings or by collecting seeds from another gardener. These “pass-along” plants have withstood the test of time and are often standard plants in our ornamental gardens. Examples of popular plants and seeds from past Plant Swaps are Shasta daisies, iris, lilies, coneflowers, ‘John Fannick’ phlox, sunflowers, butterfly weed and cypress plant.
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