I had so much fun! I am exhausted and have a headache but I don't care one bit. Thanks to everyone!!! April, the talk was great and I would love to come see your garden sometime.

Rebecca

I'm tired too!

I had so, so much fun at the swap today! Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who pre-traded with me, and also for those trades at the swap. I am just over the moon with all my goodies! It is so much fun to see you all, even if it's just twice a year.

I came home and got started right away getting things in the ground. Already planted:

First thing in: Espresso Geranium from rootygirl. I was just thrilled when you told me it had white blooms - this was exactly what I needed! I planted them both beneath my white Encore Azaleas. Maybe I will get lucky and they'll bloom at the same time!

Second thing in: Plum Pudding Heuchera from Marianne. I am on a big Heuchera kick this year, and this one looks perfect in my new "Asian-inspired" garden in the backyard, underneath our Florida room.

Third: White Dragon Liriope from Heather. Oh. My. Gosh. I'm so tickled about this! Heather, thank you so much for being so generous! I had plenty of it to spread around and make a good sweep in the above-mentioned Asian garden. The white and green foilage is going to be stunning in the shade with the other foilage plants back there. Some of it is paired up with the Plum Pudding, but it looks REALLY awesome with the Venus Heuchera!

Fourth: Tradescantia Zebrina from Rebecca. I put it in a little pot and it will be companion to my African violets on my hot tub. :) I don't do many houseplants, but I've wanted this one for a long time.

That's all I got done today, but I'm going to be up early tomorrow! Moonbeam Coreopsis from Wanda and Jenn F, and Pink Coreopsis from Wanda, and Thornbird Iris from PAT are already in place and up next!

Thanks again, everyone!

Connie

I am finally home and all the plants have been watered and are resting comfortably. Thank you to everyone - a very welcoming group - and I came home with so many unexpected goodies. I started making plans in my head and saying them out loud with my mom for a sounding board to figure out where everything is going to go. My hubby said I came home with more than I took - LOL - but I came home with some great things to get my garden redo off to a great start. I can't wait for the fall swap. If it is the weekend that I come home from DC, I will just have to jump off the plane and into the car.

Thanks to you all - I am looking forward to hearing from you in the coming months!

Tiffany

Oh man....my parts hurt! Had a blast though. It was great to see everyone. I think overall I'm taking home less than I started with, so that's good. Some 364 images to go through. I'll try to have something up in a day or two. Need to chill for a while.

See you all in the Fall!

Wonderful fun as usual, folks! This is why we do this. :-)

Yes, I was exhausted, too. I fell into bed and took a long nap! I probably passed out from food consumption. When I got up, I started planning where to plant things. This is the hardest part for me, probably due to lack of experience.
I really appreciate everyone being so welcoming and helpful. I've never gathered with a group of gardeners and it was just what I needed.

I'm home and weary too, but I smiled all the way thinking how good it was to see all my old friends again and to welcome new faces. I think the food this time was some of the best ever and there are definitely some must get recipes. Thank you everyone for trading with me, I received many wonderful and treasured plants . April , your talk and pictures were inspiring - I loved to be able to go by your place on the way home and see it in person !!!!! Now I see how much more work needs to be done at my place, lol. Thank you all for a very memorable day!!
Marianne

I just now got home from a loooooong day. Swap, potting up plants I got, then daughter's dance recital downtown. The swap was awesome, as always!!! =) My head looks like a tomato & I can barely walk, but it was worth it!

April: Loved the lecture about English Gardens. BTW, My company prints that magazine. I'll save them whenever I can for you. =) I like the whole idea behind that type of garden. It's alot like what I tend to do with anything I put in the ground. I'm already making plans for whatever new place I end up in!

Thanks everyone for the awesome herbs, fruits & stuff! I hope you all enjoy the plants you got from me. I'm gonna sow like a madman for the rest of the year, so be ready for many more in the Fall. =) BTW, my aunt Carol had such a great time! I'm passing on her thanks for all the wonderful water lilies, Iris, etc. she got. She'll for sure be coming in the Fall.

I'm off to try and eat something, drink some Sangria, rub some Aloe all over my head, then pass out.

Peace - Steve

Last, but not least. The one pic I took was of our hero, Jeff. Good to see you again, dude!

Ok, this is the last. My first year growing Sungold & I have some almost ripe ones now! I'm so excited...just had to share! =)

Oh...I also wanted to mention how great it was to set up in a circle, and also to have table numbers! Those were both fabulous ideas, Rhonda! Thanks for organizing our swap, especially with all you had going on the night before.

Wow, what a great swap! We had so much fun. I love all the goodies I got and am really looking forward to being in the dirt today! Thank you to everyone who I had pretrades with. It is so much fun to see and visit with all of you! April, your lecture was so informative. I feel like I could incorporate many of the things I learned into my gardens. Oh, I also wanted to thank everyone who gave plants to my 12 year old Olivia. She loves to garden with me and has her own garden she tends. She was so happy last night with all the new things she saw and got. Again thanks for the great fellowship. Hope you all have fun today planting the new gems you got as well!

Garden Blessings,
Jennifer

I set a personal record of getting the plants in the ground. I think I was just afraid they would bake. I would be very on board to us moving the swap earlier in the year to get the plants in the ground before it heats up.

The signs on the tables are a good idea. Could someone with a better memory than me remind us in the fall to make and bring our own table signs with our real name and screen name that we could add a # to later if necessary? It would also help those of us with "learning problems" put some more names to faces.

I really enjoyed seeing everyone again and was impressed with the number of plants people brought. Great to see so many newbies and I hope all of you continue to come.

Thanks to everyone!

Evelyn

I had a great first time at the plant swap. Thanks to everyone for making it a grand day. Also, special thanks to Dave for inviting me. Can't wait to get it all planted! tina@inthegarden

Here is a link that might be useful: In the Garden

I second the idea of an earlier in the year swap!

Maybe late April? My tomato plants wouldn't be 6 feet tall already & I might be able to bring some of them...lol. I agree that late May kind of inhibits what you can take home from the swap & still plant to see/use for the current year.

- Steve

How about the 1st or 2nd Saturday in May ??? Even late April is too early for my plants to be up enough to dig/divide/trade/ ......................That is if we decide to move the date.
In my earlier post --I forgot to thank you Rhonda for getting us the pavilion and all you did for us with the excitement of your daughter's graduation going on-- Many thanks and congratulations. also your ribs were most excellent.
Marianne

Late April sounds good or at least earlier in May. I was surprised by the lack of veggie starts and it probably was from the late start.

I don't know if we have a fall date set. I understand that it is hard to pick a date. You have to get late enough so that the rains have started so we can pry things out of the ground. You also have to allow the plants at least a month to get comfy before we get freezes.

My preference for swapping at a hot time is down by the creek for the big tree shade and so no one gets stuck in the sun. However, if we swapped earlier and cooler, I must admit swapping "in the round" seemed better for chatting and you didn't have such a walk if someone at one end wanted to swap with someone at the other.

I don't know how these things work. How much more does a big shelter cost than a small one. It would be nice if everyone could fit under the roof in bad weather. I wouldn't mind if we need to mail Rhonda a little more money to cover a bigger place if it meant everyone was more comfortable.

Evelyn

There were so many good things about being in the round...I thought it did seem chummier/friendlier because you were so close to people. And the benefit of less walking was fantastic!

I am planting out the rest of my stuff today. Wanda, I love that pink coreopsis!! I was able to divide it into two pieces, and I put it in my memorial bed I made for our first dog, Crash. It is going to be beautiful with the pink rose of sharon and pink knockouts in that bed.

I just had fun separating all my little sedums! My mom is going to make me a big tufa trough to put them all in. TOO exciting! I got some great ones from Heather, a cute little one from the girl from Columbia whose name is escaping me because I am just a couple of degrees short of having a heatstroke, and Dave gave me four different kinds of cuttings.

Dave, can you tell me the names again? I remember one was tricolor and one was Dragon's Blood, but I forgot the others. :(

Irises from Pat just went into the ground, and the Elfin Gold Coreopsis from Rhonda. Oh, and Peggy Martin went in first thing this morning - she is so happy in her new spot!

Still so much to do, and it's so hot out there I'm having to come in every hour or so and spend another hour or so cooling off!

Thanks to everyone for making it fun! Always great to get the new plants, eat the food and meet the people! I've got most of mine in the ground now have one more flat to go.

Connie the sedums were: Dragon's Blood, Blue Spruce, Tri-Color and Purple Mound.

Thanks Dave! :)

Thank you Rhonda. You did an excellent job; everything was great!
Your work, patience, sacrifice and dedication are greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone for donating plants to me (with a new home and none to trade). I appreciate it!

Thank you April for a terrific talk. Love the concept of copying the style of a garden without duplicating the plants.

Thanks, Rhonda! Without your hard work it would not have happened at all.

Pam

Thanks so very much, April! You have alot to share with a real flair for getting the idea across to the crowd. I loved your presentation! Thank you one and all for another great day of sharing a common passion with my friends. The people really are the best part of the gathering for sure. I hope that all our new friends continue to gather with us! Now for the apology. My bad for dropping the ball. This being my first Spring swap as director I have learned much. I was supposed to address a possible date change but got so caught up in the festivities I did not. I really want the whole group to come to a consensus so due to my blunder we will vote on it in fall. The fall swap will be the same time it has been from the beginning. From now on I will have a table with precut paper and pens for everyone to write their own table signs with names on. I got alot of positive feedback on swapping in the round. I spend my whole work week on concrete and really dont relish the idea of trading plants on concrete too but we will discuss the possibilities of trading under a large concrete structure at the Fall swap. I want everyone to be happy and will do the best I can to make that happen. It is possible that I am just not the person you want to deal with the group but I will try to do my best. The pavillion we have now will be where we meet and have a fire at in the Fall. I will make sure we address business first thing next time, promise. Sorry guys I hope it was not too dissappointing. See you all then, Rhonda

First off, Rhonda, chill girl. It went great! No need to get stressed over this one.

Secondly, I'm sitting here smiling at how everyone likes the "swap in the round". That is how this all started down on the river. And truthfull how we would have preferred the last couple of years to be at Henry Horton. But everyone wanted shade and a picnic table...

Third, about changing the date...I can remember a couple of Spring swaps where it was pretty danged chilly. So be careful what you ask for.
(Fall is often chilly in the morning for those that are new.)

I thought the whole thing was wonderful, Rhonda - even though I was 1 1/2 hours late...LOL. If the swap for the fall is the third weekend - I will be hopping off of a plane on Friday night and will be on my way to Henry Horton on Saturday. I guess I will need to finish my swaps the weekend before I leave on my trip.

But - after the East Tennessee swap yesterday and the MTPS on Saturday - I hope to have LOTS of trades for this fall. So many wonderful plants - even my pond is now full. :D I have discovered a need for a nursery for my little seedling bushes and trees - they are too small to be in the yard alone... But they will be fun for my daughter to watch. And now that the jungle has taken over my back deck during the planting - the frogs have found us again...and I found frog eggs in my newly established pond this morning. :D

Thank you all so much - I had so much fun.

Tiffany

Rhonda! You did a GREAT job! :D

Rhonda our Spring Swap was fantastic, THANK YOU! Put me in the pot for liking it in the round, gave me more visiting and chatting time. And let me mention, less sore legs. All the food was great and plenty of all varieties. Speaking of varieties, what about all the plants everyone had, WOW! Loved meeting all the new swappers, and being with all our garden friends.

Wanda/Bob

The swap was great! I liked in-the-round a lot. Lunch in the shelter was good and the food was great! April's presentation gave me plenty to think about. Rhonda, you did an excellent job. Every time will give something else to tweak, I'm sure. Please don't stress about it. I appreciate all your work.

'Til the fall.
judy

Rhonda, the swap was wonderful, and you did a great job! But it is a learning experience, for sure---just ask Jeff. (*grin*) I worked with Mona and Jan on the first two or three, when we only had 12-18 people showing up, and THAT was a real hassle, so---what do we have now, about 85 regulars???

I loved the in-the-round, and I bet in the fall we'll be enjoying the sunshine. (*grin*) I'd like to see the spring swap a little earlier, because I think the plants would suffer less, but let's not forget that the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day, which means some people will be traveling on Saturday. That didn't work out well when we were on the Buffalo, but we're now more centrally located so it might not be as big a problem at Henry Horton.

As for fall---right now, I'd say leave it at the third Saturday. The weather then seems to suit most pants pretty well, and after all, it's all about keeping the plants happy. (*grin*)

Is there a thread yet for asking 'What's this thing I brought home?' And for recipes?

Yea, I second everyone. You did awesome, Rhonda! =) The not walking very far thing was a major plus for cripple ole me...lol.

msbatt: I think that's supposed to be this thread, but feel free to start a new one. I'm sure people will follow suit & post on it.

- Steve

I'd love it if in the fall we could sort of do a photo sign-in---let Joe take a head shot of everyone as they sign a list, and he can post a roster to help those of us with bad memories put faces to names. I also think it might be a good idea to assign people permanent table numbers, because for some reason I'm remember numbers better than names.

I love you guys! Judith, I love the headshot idea but of course Joe is the man with the camera. Permanent numbers beside the names makes great sense! I will have a stack of place cards with numbers on them at a table in the Fall. Everybody can grab one and put their name on it, register it in the book for future reference. Awesome idea! Joe do you take photography appointments? I need some shots done and am so impressed with your work. Please email me your phone number if you are interested. Thanks everyone for putting some salve on my wounds! This Fall is going to be great!

Rhonda----
Please don't sweat anything. The spring swap was sensational !!!! You did us proud by securing a pavilion for us, I thought it was good to be in the round and I loved having the hook ups for crock pots and audiovisuals too. I know that in the fall we'll relish having a warm spot to gather and a fire to boot !!! again thank you for all you're doing and that you are appreciated !!!
Marianne

Yep, it all worked out, Rhonda, so don't worry. The sun was a bit of a nuisance, but I too really liked being in the round - it was much more convenient to visit with folks and find tables. Much easier to deal with overall. I can always just (a) either get there earlier to claim a shadier spot or (b) bring an umbrella as columbiajen did!

(By the way, Jennifer - don't forget to message me about those ladybugs!)

As for changing dates, I have mixed feelings. I think it might be one of those things that sounds good in theory, but is harder in practice. I know for sure that I would have a hard time making any date in April - those weekends are almost always completely booked up for me, even when weather is not a factor. So, let's just vote on it this fall! :-)

connietn - Girl, you put me to shame! Everything planted already? Jeez. I think I may have gotten one or two in the ground before my garden became the Sahara (the marigolds went in and at least one other that I can't bring to mind just now...), but I still have pots hiding under the bench to escape the sun! Since we have decided to delay our visit to the inlaws til Father's Day, I imagine I'll be planting in the hour or so between work and dusk all this week and into this weekend. Hopefully it will be a tad less sweltering than it was this past Sunday. (Judy, a.k.a. Palmettogardener, can attest to that - she was here and we were all just standing under the pergola, sweating). The lack of shade due to those trees my neighbor took down has already provided me with the first doses of Summer torture - maybe I just won't go to sleep next weekend so I can be up at 4 AM!

Also, wanted to give a shout out to Marianne - I was supposed to write down a plant name for you but I didn't. The Japanese anemone I gave you is "Honorine Jobert".

And one last thing - you guys all ROCK! :-) Hugs and happiness to all of my Gardenweb pals.

Rhonda: Yes I do. I have a part-time portrait business and you can contact me through my website.

www.weaver-photo.com

Thanks!

Joe - nice website! I am not surprised you are a pro. I thought you were a little too good to be a casual hobbyist. :p

April, your talk was wonderful. I would love to see your garden sometime. My email is RebeccaAJacobs@hotmail.com

Rhonda, I thought the swap was great. It was hot, but I am pretty sure you can't control that.

I like the photo idea too. For people on facebook, Jeff has a MTPS page. I feel like I know Steve after being facebook friends for a couple days. =) Might be a good way to get to know each other a little better.

Rebecca

I had a good time as always! I liked the "round" set up and convenience of placing the food in the pavilion..the electric outlets were great for the crock pots. I liked the number idea too. I'll just give my opinion for changing swap dates since everyone else is. I think the spring date is fine..I would like to see the fall swap moved to earlier in Oct. I feel the past 2 years I have had to beat jack frost to get things in the ground. I'm just giving my 2 cents. I'm not complaining either way. Look forward to seeing "all in the fall." Oh and that fire would have been nice last fall...I couldn't feel my feet for hours it was so cold!
Jen F

What a fun swap - I think IÂm only just now recovered!! And although I left with less than I brought (Thanks a million you guys!) I feel like I made out like a bandit. Thanks to everyone who swapped with me: April, Connie, Rhonda, Pat, Rebecca, Jenn, Tiffany, Velvet, Jennifer, Marianne, Steve, Judy, Joe, Melissa, and so many others. I tried to give out my contact info to many of you in case you want to contact me with questions about your plants, or for any reason at all.

And wasnÂt April fantastic? I learned so much just listening, I canÂt imagine if weÂd been able to see the slides too. Maybe my head woulda popped. I donÂt think I can properly express what it means to me to be able to share my love of gardening with others who understand and appreciate. ItÂs such a pleasure getting to know you all. IÂm already looking forward to the fall swap, and boy I should have some real goodies to swap by then!

Happy gardening,
~Heather

Heather, I just wanted to say, your white board, tent and tables were truly something to behold. LOL! I'm going to try to remember to do the white board thing in the fall.

You will be happy to know that the little sedums you (and also Dave) gave me are having a special tufa pot crafted for them by Mom. :) I cannot WAIT to have my own little sedum garden!

Connie, thank you! But you know, all my organization was inspired by you and other tenured swappers. I am glad I traded sleep for making the whiteboard though, it gave me confidence that I wasnÂt forgetting anyone in the frenzy. But you: you had little signs with names and pictures on the pots! That was so cool. I love all my new babies - thank you!

Happy sedums! I love hypertufa, and someday all my sedums will live there. Is your mom the lady who brought the fantastic hypertufa pots to the swap before? And IÂm glad I was able to give you enough liriope to make a nice statement in your Asian bed. Now I just have to get that Venus heuchera so I can do the same thing;)

Happy gardening,
~Heather

Connie, thank you! But you know, all my organization was inspired by you and other tenured swappers. I am glad I traded sleep for making the whiteboard though, it gave me confidence that I wasnÂt forgetting anyone in the frenzy. But you: you had little signs with names and pictures on the pots! That was so cool. I love all my new babies - thank you!

Happy sedums! I love hypertufa, and someday all my sedums will live there. Is your mom the lady who brought the fantastic hypertufa pots to the swap before? And IÂm glad I was able to give you enough liriope to make a nice statement in your Asian bed. Now I just have to get that Venus heuchera so I can do the same thing;)

Happy gardening,
~Heather

Connie,

I was just chatting with Pat, I we discovered I got one of your irises by mistake. It was labeled ConnieÂs pink, but we were having so much fun talking about irises neither of us noticed! There are two nice tubers all potted up and labeled. IÂd be happy to keep it for you until our fall swap, but if you live close enough, perhaps we could meet before then? I live in Spring Hill, which is south of Franklin, north of Columbia.

~Heather

Hmm...that's odd. Pat gave me a brown colored iris, and another that was pink! Maybe she saved the pink for me twice, and you got one. LOL! I guess we could both keep ours and grow them and compare notes when they bloom to see if they're the same thing. :)

On the way home, Joe and I decided that Queen Anne's Lace is an essential plant for 'Tennessee' English gardens. It provides structure, is available in abundance, adds variety, and is VERY naturalistic, LOL!

April, I so wish I could visit your garden. I can't believe you've got all that on only a third of an acre!

I can't remember who gave me what, but thanks EVERYBODY---I too made out like a bandit. As some of you know, I moved last fall and had to leave behind most of my shrubs. But Glenda's gotten me off to a good start-over, with both a white AND a peach qunice, and I also got a St. John's Wort and an 'Anthony Waterer' spirea! Plus lots of iris---thanks SO much, Pat, for the LA iris, and tell me again what you'll be looking for in the fall---I want to trade for more! (*grin*)

April you did a wonderful job as expected. The key element for getting excellent and informative Guest Lecturers is passion. You exemplified that!

The Zigmiester has no equal...'nuff said.

Guys, one of the main reasons that I had us down by the river was to give us shade and help ease the transition from the beautiful view we had at Jan & Jim's to the new view of a different river. Our adopted slogan was always, "See you at the river". The river has always been such an integral backdrop to the MTPS that it didn't seem natural NOT to have it as a part of the swap. It was traumatic for all of us to move from such a tranquil, private and serene setting that felt like home to a state park; I was simply trying to make that transition as smooth as possible. Once we got to HHP nobody wanted to set-up anywhere except under the treeline.

The Spring and Fall dates aren't picked strictly because of weather but considering that we've only had rain once in the last two dozen MTPS's...you really want to test fate? Saturdays in April will average 55-68 degrees but it isn't uncommon for them to fall into the 30's and 40's either. I think that the dates we use have worked pretty dang well for us!
We have several folks that are regulars that don't have a computer. They rely on the dates staying the same in order to make sure that they are at the MTPS when we are there. A set date makes it easier for everyone to remember but that is just my opinion. I will do the research on Saturday weather for April and May in Chapel Hill for the last 20 years and get back with ya. I'm curious myself.