It looks like I may not be able to make the swap after all. Our baby granddaughter's first birthday party has been arranged for that day at 12:30 pm. My son is a medical resident. He only gets one day off a month, and little notice. So that's the only day they could make a party work. And earlier that morning we are doing late Mother's Day brunch.

There's a chance I may get done in time, but I can't be sure. I'm not going to shortchange the baby. I'd have to get from downtown Chicago with my husband, arrive back home to load up my car, and then to Evanston. I'm not sure how realistic that is.

Unless I can figure out some other way of doing it. Let me know if you have any ideas for me!

EDIT: If I can bring my plants to Evanston EARLY, like 9:30 am (maybe stash them at the holding area), and then leave my car nearby and have my husband pick me up from there to head downtown, I might be able to make this work. I will check with Ellen and Mone. Annette, you are organizing too, right?

LinneaL said:It looks like I may not be able to make the swap after all. Our baby granddaughter's first birthday party has been arranged for that day at 12:30 pm. My son is a medical resident. He only gets one day off a month, and little notice. So that's the only day they could make a party work. And earlier that morning we are doing late Mother's Day brunch.

There's a chance I may get done in time, but I can't be sure. I'm not going to shortchange the baby. I'd have to get from downtown Chicago with my husband, arrive back home to load up my car, and then to Evanston. I'm not sure how realistic that is.

Unless I can figure out some other way of doing it. Let me know if you have any ideas for me!

Have your plants already in the car when you go to early morning brunch. That way, you can go straight to Evanston from downtown. It's unlikely that it's going to be hot on May 18 so the plants will do fine in the car.

Lizette they are predicting eighty degrees for the eighteenth. Saturday afternoon traffic is the worst. It seem like everyone is out and about.

Hoping beyond hope...
I purchased I "Golden Showers" climbing rose for my Church garden.
I am in need of a trellis for it. I have some, but then are not free standing. I am looking for something sturdy, the the rose can climb on. Hoping for something metal, round or square. I can repaint. I don't think a large tomato cage would look very nice. Any one?
TIA
Mickey

Still filling up a garden...ANY spring bulbs would be most welcome.

also looking for:

Phlox - any color
Liatris -any color
Hellebores
Crocosimia
Pollanthes (tuber roase
Virginia Blue Bells
Butterfly Milkweed - did not make it through the winter.

Thanks.
Mickey

Met one of the nicest most beautiful lady on the planet today. Not because she brought me great gifts, compliments of herself and Ellen.
Mone stop by this morning. Great personality and a wonderful person. She knows plants my gifts.

Mone and Ellen
I am convinced that we have an awesome group of fellow gardeners here.

😊☺️ Awww.... You are sweet, Mike. 😍😘 And thank you so much for a tour of your great big & beautiful garden and for a lovely and unique gift from your garden. Other gardeners would die to get their grubby hands on what you gave me! But I won't share it with anyone. 🤣🤩
Please check your tree-mail and let me know what you think.

🌺 LinneaL,
I am usually at the church by 9:00 am if not earlier. I will set up pre-swap signs.
Anyway, you can bring your plants early and leave them in the pre-swap holding area. Let's check with Ellen & Doug if you can leave your car at the end of the parking lot away from the traffic. Have fun at the party.

🌸 tini7777,
I think there is one white bleeding heart that has not been claimed. I'll check tomorrow. Other than that, I am sorry, I have no more energy to dig up anything anymore.

🌼 Mickey,
I have phlox that has not been claimed. Will bring it to the swap for you.
If you come to my house after the swap, I can dig up spring bulbs, Virginia Bluebell and more phlox for you.

pitimpinai, that sounds great! I think that can work! I will message you my cell phone # in case something goes wrong.

@Pitimpinai Grubby Hands you make me laugh ! Have a great time at the swap everyone.

Promised succulent cuttings to:
Jasmine
jqsen (Sen)
tini7777

Succulents cuttings, not rooted are:
1) Cissus quadrangularis;
2) Huernia schneideriana;
3) Aptenia/Mesembryanthemum cordifolia 'Variegata'

All have been grown as houseplants, so if you wish to transition them outdoors, please harden them off slowly. I've get to get #3 to root from cuttings or simple layering, but perhaps it'd be more cooperative outdoors and/or with rooting hormone.

#1 and #2 root well. Just stick the end in succulent potting mix and don't water until you're sure roots have formed. I use thin sticks to keep the Cissus still while rooting.

Verdant Apt, I can bring you pieces of the commercial Actinidia polygama (Silver vine). I bought a big package for my cat. People are marketing it as a way to clean a cat's teeth, saying as they chew on it it will clean them.

She liked it at first. But it does not hold a candle to catnip. And she certainly didn't chew on it enough to make any difference. Whatever is potent in it does not last for long. To keep it fresh you are supposed to bag each stick up as soon as the cat is done.

I would like a cutting of Aptenia/Mesembryanthemum cordifolia 'Variegata' if you have enough to go around. Thanks.

I've finally made a list for you to check, this is what is on MY spreadsheet (not Oerickson's, which I gave a link to previously)

Evanston newb, my perennial ageratum is either very slow to come up, or the entire big patch died off. So I may not be able to bring any! I'll look again tomorrow.

It's not looking promising for the 2 hot pepper seedlings, but I think I will have basils for everyone.

Pitimpinai:
black locust (still looking)
Basils

Crtvd
snowdrops
buttercups
lav mint

lgoffen
Penstemon


jqsen
Agastache, one pink and one yellow
Geranium bill wallis
pepper thai, HOT
pepper uchu HOT
BasilS
Rhubarb
Forsythia


alaynagt
Lavender agastache
Penstemon (if enough)
cuttings of purple heart tradescantia
Iris, siberian, purple
Snowdrops, short early
ajuga

Jasmine
basil sweet,
pepper uchu and
pepper thai



Evnewb
eupatorium choc
asters
ageratum


Linnea
ajuga
snow in summer


tini77
Yellow
pink
and purple agastache
Rose scented geranium
snowndrops,
basil sweet,
basil thai,
pepper thai,
pepper uchu,
chocolate mint,
strawberry

verdantapt
rudbeckia fulgida goldsturm oval basal leaf
?basil sweet
?basil thai

Mickey
phlox
milkweed babies

seed rat,
May I have both basil, please. Thanks.

Hello everyone,
I have had a full and challenging winter/spring planning for my daughter's bat mitzvah this past weekend alongside my father's advancing illness and ultimate passing on Monday. As a result, I have fully neglected my garden; not having divided, gathered, or planted a single thing, which makes me sad (and I'm supposed to be happy, it's right in my name!).

I have many memories of my Dad tied up in my gardening, and would be especially grateful for any lovely heirloom tomatoes that might be available and any cucumbers, summer squash, kale/chard, basil, parsley, or dill to complement the tomatoes and host the butterflies that I like to raise each year with my children. We need some butterflies right now :)

I have not gone through all of the pages of lists to make specific requests. If I have time I will try to do so before the swap, but I have a lot of missed work to catch up on and preparations for my father's funeral on Friday. If you have something that I have listed and wouldn't mind setting it aside for me in the holding area, I would be most grateful. I plan to be at the swap on the early side and will not be able to stay until the end. I am looking very much forward to being there with you all!

Happygardener23, very sorry to hear about your father. Our prayers are with you.

Annette

I would like both varieties of basil as well.

@Happygardener23

May you find strength in this time of need.

Happygardener23,

So very sorry about your father.

I will dig up some kale from my garden for you and set aside whatever veg I see at the swap for you. I am always there from morning until clean up time. I am also going to Ellen this afternoon. I will see what she has and keep them with me until Sat.
🌺 🌷

I'm so sorry about your dad! I hope spending time in your garden will bring you some peace and joy. I'll put a couple butterfly-friendly things in your holding area.

I just snagged a bunch of Viola Bingo blue and yellow (at least I think that's the variety of the Pansies) and fancy snapdragons. They were being discarded by a landscaping company that was pulling these plants and putting in a different crop. They're still rootbound, but the flowers are a bit beaten up.

Should I bring these to swap? A quick search online says Pansies might die back during summer, but then bloom again in the fall. However, I don't know if that's true of this variety or not.

Snapdragons can keep blooming despite summer, correct? These are fancy, about a foot tall, and range from peach/pink to yellow to red/purple.

Sorry, but I won't have access to a decent camera until this evening.