Great Photos Joyce! Thanks for posting!!
It was a very nice day spent with lovely folks in a beautiful garden of a gracious hostess (and sister)- with a delightful assortment of food- and more plants (and seeds!)- than anyone knew what to do with!
Thanks Carmen for hosting- and thank you all who came and enjoyed! It was very nice to meet some new faces- and to re-connect with old garden/swap friends. I have some new delightfull additions to my garden- and I made 2 stops on the way home to share the wealth- well one stop I ended up adding to the pile- thanks Joyce for the tour of your delightful gardens- You do have the perfect place to hold the Southern MN Spring Swap- all the hard work you have put into your "new" gardens really shines- and the soon to be water feature...... nudge, nudge....... Will be great to see in the spring!
Tammy was delighted with her new Brugs! Thanks Will for bringing so many for us to choose from- and to share with others!
It was a fine day- and I am so glad I made it there!
Thanks again-
Julie

That's really neat. A lot of you know each other outside of this forum. It looks like you all had a great time. Are you in a garden club or do a bunch of friends just meet?

Hi Ladylotus. A lot of us know each other outside the forum BECAUSE of the forum! Or, at least that's how I know people. The MN forum group holds a Winter Blues seed swap every January (that was my first in-person contact with others in the group - about 3 years ago) and a spring and fall plant swap as well. This year, the So. MN Swap in Kenyon was new. Our original swaps have been held in the cities. That's what makes this particular forum group so much fun. Many of us live so close that we get to meet and become friends outside the forum as well as on-line. What could be better then great friends who share a love of gardening! It's fantastic!

Actually markinmn (aka Worm Poop King) had the first GW swap in St Cloud back in Sept 03 and another was down in Le Sueur hosted by Minnesota_Grandma Aug 04. Other than those two we've only had volunteers from the metro area to host a swap. If your interested in having a swap at your house and would like some ideas as to how send me an email.

Like jel48 said the forums are one way to meet people who love gardening but the swaps are even better. The conversations online are great but when you meet others in person the information,ideas, and perspectives you gather from all the people that attend is incredible. Now add plants to the picture, trading for plants you've never heard of or seen! On top of great plants, conversation, ideas, etc we all bring food. As the commercial says "priceless"!

The swaps are one way to meet other GWers. Another way to meet GWers is by setting up individual inperson trades. By searching members trade lists you can find the plants you'd like to trade for then send that person an email to see if they'd like to trade. I've met people from around the state and Iowa by doing this. Getting to see their gardens has given me tons of ideas. If you don't have your trade list updated on your member page your missing out.

What a great get together, so sorry I couldn't make it. Carmen - from the photos your yard looks great!

Lynn

I loved having you all come to my home. I do have to say I did not give my sister proper credit. I was "hostess" at my house I suppose, but Gayle and I worked equally hard on getting everything set up and ready (she even helped clean my house). And she didn't even call me on all the bows I was taking as "hostess". I'll have to do something especially nice for her.

And then Sunday was a perfect planting day! What more could a person ask? Carmen Carmellia (sounds like a Boy George song)

Thanks to everybody for making me and my daughter feel so welcome. You Minnesota people sure are hospitable!!! we had a great time and spent all day yesterday in the garden.
mary

Wow, looks like you all had a great time! I wish I didn't have to work Saturdays or I would have been there, for sure!

I recognize a few faces, it would have been nice to meet the faces I do not know yet!

I have already volunteered to have a Spring swap at my place which is between Cambridge and North Branch. Hope that will work out.

I dug up a large part of my back yard yesterday to make a new bed. Got a couple of Nanking Cherries on sale to start it out! Now I will have more room for sun-loving plants!

Linda

How wonderfull! Quite a gathering of gardners! Thank you for sharing this!

Susie JD