Thanks for opening up your home to us, Robin !

Enjoyed seeing everyone again and yes, even those of you who called me The Lawn Guy.

Haha, the Lawn Guy! So true but not a bad thing!

Catmint, thank you for having us over to your home. I know it must be a lot of work having all of us over and I appreciate it.

Great to see everyone indeed, I missed you guys since the seed swap!

Robin, It was really nice of you to host, the swap
It was great...

And to everyone else, it was awful nice to have met you,
Good Folks, Great Food... And I'm really enjoying the plants
I've gotten from all of you...... Thanks so much....

And Judy..... The Monarch chrysalis is AWESOME......
I feel like I just got a new puppy.....
Just a heads up... I'm sure I'll be driving you crazy with questions......

Donna, In the unlikely event that you haven't noticed, we don't mind questions at all. That's how we spread the knowledge (and the plants)!

Despite the heat, a good time was had by all. Thanks Robin!

To whom ever make the dill pickles, potato salad and the cranberry-orange scones, please post the recipes in the MAG Recipe Book

Catmint, thank you so much for hosting the swap! You have a lovely garden and a very impressive backyard sanctuary for wild life. . I truly enjoyed the gathering! It was wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones!

thanks Lisa, CAM, Jeff, Donna, Rick, and Donner! I was so grateful for everyone's help that kept everything running so smoothly--the midatlantic gardening group is definitely the best and easiest group to have over as guests that I've ever had! I really appreciated the generosity of spirit that everyone showed so abundantly! And Frenchy--thanks *so* much for keeping up with the trash--that was really a big help!

Critter, thanks to you especially for all your help getting everything set up in the yard--I couldn't have done it without you!!

Rick, thanks so much for all your help with the swap tool--that was such a huge help for me! I was also glad to finally meet Larry!

Glad people were able to enjoy the shade of the dogwood, and also come indoors to enjoy the AC. I wish I could have spent more time outdoors socializing-- the heat was too much for me! I'm glad so many came and spent time indoors as well.

Donner, thanks so much for your kind words about my garden--I know it is not for everyone, since it is created for the pollinators, which bring me great joy! But I was thrilled that everyone was finally able to see the sanctuary I've created here and have some context for me as a gardener.

Sally, I appreciated your suggestion about witch hazel for that one spot behind the shed--I'll have to look into the varieties available.

David, thanks *so* much for taking my poor spicebush. Hopefully it will revive.

Judy, thanks for bringing the Monarchs, and Sally, I really enjoyed doing the tagging and releasing with you--I look forward to doing this with my own soon.

And a big thanks to all of you who brought folding tables, fans, coolers, ice, and other amenities to make our time more pleasant!!

And for those I had not met before, it was so nice to have you come and join us! Donna, it was a pleasure meeting you!

Today--planting!

Sally, somehow we had a plant hiccup. I brought home a bag of gnarly peony roots tagged "For Sally, Dad's History for My Kids."
I can put aside the roots (3) until January seed swap or mail them to you. LMK.

CatMint, thank you so much for hosting! I love what you've done with your back yard; it was like walking through a butterfly sanctuary
It was great to see everyone, enjoy great food and, oh yes, swap plants!

thanks, Muddy! This is the 3rd season I've been focusing on butterfly gardening, and I think I'm finally really seeing the results with a lot of my butterfly plants really taking off.

Spent the day planting all my wonderful new plants, thanks to the generosity of so many of you!

Found a few with no ID--I'll need to post a few photos at some point!

Lisa those were the gnarly peony roots I brought for you. The tag was just an odd tag that was in the garden when I dug them. Sorry they were really rough, the dirt is pretty petrified . Next year when they bloom I can tell for sure on color of all my peonies and do a better job.

That's good news Sally. I'll plant the peonies this afternoon.

I have a couple with no IDs too, guess I'll be posting pictures soon too.

I have a Gray-headed Coneflower and a Downy Skullcap that apparently did not make it to their intended recipients. If someone is missing these or any other plants from me please let me know and I will provide them at the spring swap, or perhaps the winter seed swap. They will be spending the winter outside, so weather will be inconsequential.

Okay, I need a couple IDs please from the swap. Pictures 1 & 2 are the same





Pictures 3 & 4 are same




Thanks

lol those are both mine. The first is the saponaria, the second is the scutellaria incana.

Thanks Jeff, the second set did have popsicle stick labels but I couldn't read them.

Yeah I know the ink seems to disappear after a while. I need to get a better method but I did get one of those fancy silver sharpies from Critter so things are looking up

Go to HD and buy the cheapest vinyl blind and get a Sharpie Extreme (Critter). Cut blind slats to desired lengths and mark. Slats last for many, many years, unlike plastic makers sold at garden centers, and the Sharpie Extremes are UV resistant. For in-yard use I find the white slats distracting and am switching to special order hunter green vinyl shades and clear Avery laser labels. Last forever and unobtrusive.

hm, green tags, that's very radical! and smart.

David likes for the tags to match his name. Actually these markers are so much less aggravating than the metal ones, which seemed determined to catch the hose or the cord to the leaf blower. These just bend over as things cross over them.