April 20 sounds good to me, Tammy. I'll schedule mine in May, and the Green Elephant is in March. Looks like we should have Spring 2013 covered, right? I'm really looking forward to all of them.

Sounds good to me, too.

The date works for us.

We've started a container water garden. We're looking to add water hyacinth & water lettuce. A friend gave us some water lilies for it yesterday.

C & J

OK, it's a go. I notified the Association, and have not heard back from them, so I'm assuming that the ball field will be available. I hope to have a representative from the Thurston County Weed Control Board attending. I also recently joined two local garden clubs, so I am hoping to have good participation from that camp.

The Thurston County Weed Control Board is going to send a representative to my trade. I'll have a table set up for them, and they will be available to answer questions. I also will be sharpening tools again, and will be raffling off a plant, although it's too early to tell which one yet. Please spread the word, as I have plenty of plants to give away!

Hi I am new on here and would like to know where the Spring trade is & how it works. Also, I will be out of town that day so is there any other way to do any trading? I have LOTS of plants I would like to trade...org Crocosmia, org day lilies, blue bells, sweet woodruff, lilac starts, miniature grape hyacinths, bearded Iris, Snowball starts, siberian Iris?, Chameleon, and probably more. Am looking for Hosta, Primrose, Dahlias.....

I love the spring trades! I hope to have plants dug (and not the morning of!) but I'd really like to share plant pots (how embarrassing... I've got too many to count!) and worms & castings from my bins. Native plants, anyone?

I would love some Kinnikinnick, licorice fern, native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliata), hairy honeysuckle (L. hispidula), piggyback plant, foamflower, or bleeding heart, if you have any of these.

Oh, sorry I was not at all clear.... I am in need of natives!

Oh, well, I do have several native trees - bitter cherry, elderberry (will have to look to see if they're red or blue), Douglas-fir, western red-cedar, black hawthorn, western hemlock, oso berry/Indian plum, and oceanspray. I also have sword ferns, lady ferns, twinberry, false lily-of-the-valley, black cap raspberry, snowberry, redwood sorrel and fringecup. I might be able to find a few meadow rue, avens, salal, mitrewort and black swamp gooseberry - if you're interested, I'll go look. For a special trade, I can part with evergreen huckleberry, rattlesnake plantain, umbrella plant or palmate coltsfoot.

Diana98516, there are 2 large trade venues in this area - the Olympia Trade and the Green Elephant Trade, and both use the 'tailgate' approach. Now, you never have to bring any plants whatsoever to either of these trades, but if you do, or if you bring something else to swap, generally, this is how it works: Anything you are willing to give away without trade goes on the ground behind your vehicle or in the 'Free Pile'. If you have items pre-traded, they stay in your vehicle for safekeeping until the new owners can claim them. Anything that you acquire at the trade goes straight into your vehicle. So, as a rule, anything in a person's vehicle is off-limits. Now, if you have items that you consider too dear to give away for free, but you haven't arranged a pre-trade for, the approach varies. You can display it prominently but separately from your free items (usually alongside your vehicle), and you can stay with it until you trade it - but that means you can't wander around the trade and acquire plants until you've traded your plant. You can put the plants out by your car with a sign on them stating that they are 'For Trade Only', but if you step away, you may find that your trade plants have been taken, and you have been gifted with plants that you didn't ask for and don't want. I'm sorry you can't attend this trade, but I have another one in September, and the Green Elephant is held 4 times a year. Another option is to host your own trade. ;)

Directions to the Olympia Spring Trade:

From north of Olympia, take I-5 to Exit 109. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right onto Martin Way, then immediately begin moving left into the left turn lane (either one). At the light, turn left onto College Street.

From south of Olympia, take I-5 Exit 109. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto Martin Way. Continue straight, go under the freeway, then move into the left turn lane. At the light, turn left onto College Street.

Follow College Street for approximately 3.6 miles (in the traffic circle, take 2nd exit) to the Yelm Highway (Safeway is on the left). Turn left onto the Yelm Highway.

On the Yelm Highway, get in the right lane. At the intersection with Ruddell Road, turn right onto Ruddell Road (Ruddell Road and Yelm Highway are the same road for a couple hundred feet here)

On Ruddell Road, bear left in the curve to continue on the Yelm Highway. If you pass the school on your right, you're on the right track. Continuing straight, pass the AmTrak station below and to your left. Continue straight to Spurgeon Creek Road (there's a gas station that keeps changing hands at the intersection. Currently, I believe it's a Texaco). Turn right onto Spurgeon Creek Road.

Follow Spurgeon Creek Road to 80th. Turn right onto 80th, and go up the hill past the Fire Station. The clubhouse is at the top of the hill, and there will be a sign there directing you to the ballfield, about a half-mile to the right.

The address for the clubhouse is 8005-1 Thrulake Circle SE, in Olympia. There will be no bathroom facilities available at the ballfield, and I'm having trouble getting the Association to reply to my e-mails asking them to open the clubhouse bathrooms for the trade, so plan on no bathroom facilites available.

Directions to the Olympia Spring Trade:

From north of Olympia, take I-5 to Exit 109. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right onto Martin Way, then immediately begin moving left into the left turn lane (either one). At the light, turn left onto College Street.

From south of Olympia, take I-5 Exit 109. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto Martin Way. Continue straight, go under the freeway, then move into the left turn lane. At the light, turn left onto College Street.

Follow College Street for approximately 3.6 miles (in the traffic circle, take 2nd exit) to the Yelm Highway (Safeway is on the left). Turn left onto the Yelm Highway.

On the Yelm Highway, get in the right lane. At the intersection with Ruddell Road, turn right onto Ruddell Road (Ruddell Road and Yelm Highway are the same road for a couple hundred feet here)

On Ruddell Road, bear left in the curve to continue on the Yelm Highway. If you pass the school on your right, you're on the right track. Continuing straight, pass the AmTrak station below and to your left. Continue straight to Spurgeon Creek Road (there's a gas station that keeps changing hands at the intersection. Currently, I believe it's a Texaco). Turn right onto Spurgeon Creek Road.

Follow Spurgeon Creek Road to 80th. Turn right onto 80th, and go up the hill past the Fire Station. The clubhouse is at the top of the hill, and there will be a sign there directing you to the ballfield, about a half-mile to the right.

The address for the clubhouse is 8005-1 Thrulake Circle SE, in Olympia. There will be no bathroom facilities available at the ballfield, and I'm having trouble getting the Association to reply to my e-mails asking them to open the clubhouse bathrooms for the trade, so plan on no bathroom facilites available.