Vic! LOL! After reading your e-mail, I just logged on to GW to nose around. Imagine my surprise to see that I'm hosting a pool party!!! You're a funny girl. (Who I'm sure is willing to keep the frozen drinks coming.)

It' quite possible that you and I are the only ones here. Last time I checked, Karen, Tracy and Sassy were all busy playing games on FB. I did see Carmen and Lisa pipe in a few months ago but where are they now???

Hellooooo!!!! Anybody out there????

I've been looking for the petal pushers to emerge from their winter hibernation. Glad to see you guys back:)

Denise

Hey, Denise! I think we were both in one of the white-elephant-type swaps year, weren't we? (When everyone got so confused about who'd had which box how many times. LOL.) I can't remember who wound up sending to you but I think that's when Tracy and I swapped.

How are your gardens looking this spring? My hosta are growing well but there are many plants that I haven't yet uncovered. I'm a sucker for the different Echinaceas. I received new varieties from both Karen and Tracy last year so I'm anxious to see how they fared over the winter.

Don't you have a little one or two? Vic has a little boy who's 4. (She was kinda' scarce last season, so I don't know if you and she got acquainted.)

It looks like there aren't too many of us out yet. Maybe if we just keep chatting, everyone else will chime in eventually...

Hello Ladies! Just about ready to leave hibernation...LOL
I'm not going to do much in the way of swapping this spring or summer...Shipping prices have become way to high.
I also lost a lot of plants after that horrible rainy weather we had all last spring and summer.

Hi Denise!

Pat-Can't wait to dive in!

Vic thanks for starting this thread I hope a few more of the girls post.
Hugs to all
Mariann

Pat, Yes. I was in that same swap. I think that Alana sent to me and I sent to Carmen. I may have that wrong because I did paricipate in several PP swaps last season.

Yes, I have one little one. She has been busy helping me in the yard. She has her own shovel and she wants to dig a hole everywhere. Grrr! But it is so cute at the same time. She can't dig that much at 3yrs old or can she..hmmm. She was helping me in the vegi garden Friday and decided to plant a pile of beans all in one pile. I just have to laugh.

I have all of my beds pretty much cleaned and mulched. I need to get another yard of mulch to finish up.

Hi Mariann! Hope your garden fares better this season.

Hi Vic!

Denise

Hello, Ladies-I was delighted when I came to lurk a minute & found this post & what a delight to see Mariann has come out of hibernation.

Thanks, Vic for starting this & how is that little Zack? Still giving you a hard time? I have a word of advice-enjoy it now because it will get worse!!

I have so much to do outside I feel overwhelmed sometimes with it all. I want to take care of what all I have from last years exchanging before I can start any more. I do so agree with Galium (I love that name) on postage. I sent a package to my secret sister for Easter, twelve miles from here & because it was over a pound, it cost me $5. I couldn't believe it. Must find a way to do this economically. Any suggestions?

Have a great week & sure am looking forward to other PP"s posting. Blessings, Margaret

Oh how nice to see your posts Vic, Pat, Denise, Mariann and Margaret.

Pat-I remember the fun we had in the white elephant swap. Sure hope we can get another swap together soon.

Margaret-I hope you and yours are doing well.

Denise-I am working on all my beds but not through just yet. I have plenty of pine needles for the mulching but it's just finding time to get them raked up.

Mariann-Sorry to hear you lost alot of your plants. I hate losing plants but I keep trying to keep the beds filled. Winter here was awful but it seems the only ones that rotted were the ones I left in pots.

Vic-We have a few here for the pool party....check in.

Shirley

Mariann,I hate losing plants too. I lost my platts brass buttons, Voodoo lily, and Sedum Hispanicum Aureum lemon/lime. I loved that little sedum. I will have to get another.

I just saw on graigslist a listing for Siloam clasic double pink daylily. 2fans for a $1 I have never bought any daylily but I am assuming this is a good deal. I am going to get some today. Hopefully there are some still left.

Hi Margaret, postage is getting out of hand I agree with you.
Denise

Mariann - I'm sorry that you lost so many plants last year. I remember Tracy telling me that she was trying to help you replenish. This winter I probably lost 1/2 of my Heuchera. They didn't appear to heave (as we know they are apt to do in the winter) but they're just "gone". I don't have the knack that our friend Tracy has for this particular plant!

Denise - I didn't mean to imply that I thought you had only joined in on that one swap. I was just remembering that trade specifically and how crazy-confused we were! LOL!

It sounds like you are waayy ahead of me on getting things ready for the growing season. Congrats! It must be that sweet little helper you have. She probably gives you the edge. :0)

Hi, Margaret! I'm with you. I have so much to do to catch-up that I feel a little overwhelmed too. And, as usual, we have enough summertime projects planned/underway to keep me hopping even without all of the garden/landscaping ideas! (Big sigh) Maybe someday we'll be caught up again...

Hi, Shirley! It's good to hear from you too. Just yesterday, I was thinking of you when I saw the daylily ('Mona Twirler' I think) you sent me last year as a game prize. Spring came early here this year and it's already about 8 inches high.

I agree with everyone that postage is getting too high to make swaps as viable as they used to be. I just said the same thing to Vic in an e-mail the other day.

Maybe instead of swapping each month we could do one in the spring and one in the fall and spend the rest of the time chatting, sharing pics and tips with an occasional game thrown in the mix? (Just throwing around ideas. It's great to have other gardeners to chat with and we've gotten to know one another enough that it would be a shame to lose touch.)

I guess I've rambled on enough for now.

Pat

OHMGosh there are still some petal pushers out there!!!!!!

Pat, I coming over!!! but first I must go to the store to get a new bathing suit, you know that hibernation and all.

IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL :o) :o) :o)

We had the freeze from hell this winter and I just about lost everything , So lets get a tradin LOL

Hus everybody, Carmen

Hi everyone!!

HEY! did ya see the post?? Melissa/Hazelnutbunny had her baby early this morning! Go see the lil beauty!!

Vic ~ I went to the Renaissance Festival this wkend and found the perfect Xena outfit.. I thought of you! lol!

Hugs all!
Wendy / sassyb.

Well, I'm coming over for the pool party but somebody better get that tiger out of the pool first!

Glad to see the PPs are coming out of hibernation. I've been watching for you all.

My garden is a mess. The weeds are taking over and I just can't bring myself to get out there and do anything about it. I didn't even do any winter sowing this year.

Pat, I told you I was going to see if I could round everyone up, I just didn't tell you it would be at your house! LOL

I guess we will have to see if we can get the girls to take a break from FB and stop in to say Hi.

Hey Ladies! It's so nice to hear from you all!!! I don't have time to address everyone right now but will try to be back tomorrow night.

I sure have missed you all! AND, would love to see some pics of what everyone has going on!!!

Take care,
Vic
:)

Denise-Did you mean Craig's List???? Or is graigslist something else??? I know how you feel about losing plants. I lost my Voodoo Lily also! Left it outside to long in the fall.

Margaret-I enjoyed our chat! Yes, I'm out and about.LOL

Shirley it's great to see you post here!

Pat-Sounds like a good idea doing one big trade in the spring and fall. I also have some SD 'Crazy Daisy' seedlings to swap. I lost most of my winter sowing too. The containers were blown off the table, they were on, during that storm about 5 weeks ago. They mostly contained Columbines from commercial seed! I lost some Heuchera's too! Plus at least 6 Echinaceas. Some of the Echies were new from last year the others I've had a long time. May have to hit Tracy up for replacements.... If I can get her off Facebook and Mafia Wars.LOL I think that with the wet weather we had all last spring and summer didn't help. The soil was so saturated that the roots couldn't exchange gases.

Carmen-I was thinking about everyone who lived in Florida this winter. You had it rough.

Wendy-Melissa belongs to the same craft group that I do. She posted about the baby yesterday. It made my day!

Vic-I'll try and take some pics but I'll have to weed first.LOL

Hugs to all,
Mariann

Mariann, I meant craigslist. I went back and got Siloam Apple Blossom, Becky Lynn, westcoast blues, and a couple other ones that I don't remember. I got a couple extras to use for our PP swaps this summer.

A big HELLO to the rest of you ladies:)

Denise

Hellooooooooo Petal Pushers!!! :0)

Party at the Pool, woo hoooo!

I hope everyone is doing well! It's been a long winter. I have so much to do in my flower beds. Of course I didn't clean them out last fall like I swore I was (after so many volunteer flowers popped up) so once again, I have an abundance of Agastache, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, and who knows what else, popping up again.

I think most everything made it through the winter. A couple of things I seem to be missing is my Heuchera 'Autumn Leaves' from Pat (everything else is looking great, Pat!) and my Echinacea 'Green Envy' from Lisa. I'm still hoping that it will make an appearance, that maybe the tag isn't quite where it should be! I'm so excited to see everything bloom this summer from last years' swap! You all have sent me the best plants!! Thank you again!!

Ohhhh no, the school just called and my youngest (9yrs) is feeling sick and looking pale. A bad time for this. They have a school play Friday night and Sat. afternoon. I have a wedding to go Saturday, and my daughters Prom. I've already had a cold for 2 wks, and really do not want to add the stomach flu to it. Hopefully that won't be the case. So he is on his way home. I will come back later and finish my chatting!

Great to see the Petal Pushers again!

Karen

...why are some of my words highlighted in green when I preview??

hmmm.....was it something I said? lol