Holiday Fun: Host a Native Plant Exchange


We all have too much stuff, so I was excited when some gardener friends agreed to participate in a native plant exchange I wanted to host.

Even getting ready was fun! I dug out irises and penstemon, propagated Heuchera and monkey flower, and pulled some California Fescue that is reseeding a little too enthusiastically. I put everything in little pots (and a few larger pots) and was lucky to have it all rained on, so things settled well. It was quite a nice collection!


When the big day came, my guests put their plants on the table (clearly the bench is full). Then we  fortified ourselves with some tea and cookies and did a tour of the garden. And finally, everybody got to pick a few plants. And a few more.


One friend had brought a large basket of succulents, others brought Salvia, Ribes, and other treasures. I ended up taking a nice selection of succulents for another green wall project, an island snapdragon (Galvezia speciosa), a Malacothamnus jonesii (San Louis Obispo Bush Mallow), and a few other treasures. I got rid of the fescue, most of the iris, and more than half of the penstemon and monkey flower. Much fun was had by everyone - we'll do this again next year, and might even invite a few friends!


Comments

Nice! Wish I lived closer (and were on the invite list).