Personally, I'm doing well to get there by 11, and I only live about 40 minutes away! Usually I am loading the car, sometimes even digging a few last minute plants, that morning (tried loading the car the night before one time ... had to reclaim the driver's seat from the daddy longlegs the next morning -- never again!)

Plus for folks like Carl, coming a LOOONG distance, 8 am is just a nonstarter, I would think ...

On a different subject, does anyone have crocosmia? Or any of the perennial Korean mums?

I think I have made it there around ten, but it wasn't easy:-) Eleven or later is much more reasonable.

Marty, I have Lucifer, which has been very reliable here. I also have something that was given me as Korean mum. It's quite tall, pink, and blooms very late. It's supposedly zone 6, and I'm rather surprised it's still out there.

October 3rd sounds good to me, I won't have alot of plants becuase this is my garden's first year, but I'll bring whatever I can spare :) it will be good to see you all again, I'll bring something tasty to eat as well.

mad_gallica, if you're offering a wee chunk of the Lucifer, I'll happily take it. Ditto the perennial mum, though it sounds a bit like Sheffield? (Is it pink or peach-y in tone?) in which case I may already have it, or something similar. I have a very tall, late-blooming one that is pink with a gradient to almost white where the petals meet the yellow "eye." I'm anxious to expand the collection now that I've fallen in love with these late bloomers, so would love a solid pink (or any of the other colors) to plant alongside it.

I can definitely bring some Lucifer. It's one of those plants I keep moving around, and every time I move it, the old place still has some bulbs. As for the mum, I got it years ago when I took a perennial class from some guy from the NYBG. It's tall, maybe 4 to 5 ft, somewhat double, and dark pink/purple. I really thought it was Chrysanthemum koreana, but it doesn't seem to be on my plant list, so I may be misremembering. If you just want a normal pink, I have something Bill and Dena brought a couple of years ago that fits that description. I'll probably bring some of that anyway since it's a big patch and is spreading into the dahlia space.

Whatever the dark pink/purple is, it sounds gorgeous and I would LOVE some -- is it really 4-5 feet tall? Wow. Mine (the Sheffield-like ones) get tall but probably top out at 2.5 feet. I'd love to have the dark pink/purple, which sounds stunning and will give me some contrast with the pink-to-white that I have.

I promise -- THIS WEEKEND -- to go out and take inventory so I can post what I think I'll have by the swap (sounds like the 3rd is a go?)

I too would LOVE some of that dark pink purple. A fall swap sounds like a great idea. I'll be there - with chocolate chip cookies for the kiddies who come.
lucia

mad_gallica, I'd love to have a little bit of whichever pinkish mum you can spare. I don't have any and would love to add some to my garden beds :) , so I'm marking Oct 3rd as the date in my calender! See you all there!

OK, one more request: does anyone have any Liatris ligulistylis? This one seems to be a particular favorite of monarch butterflies so I NEED it! ;)

Mad Gallica: Wow! A 4'-5' dark pink/purple chrysanthemum??? If there are
any stray pieces left after satisfying all the others who beat me to it, I'd love
to have some. . .

CTLady: Thanks for your your thoughtful concern about an early starting time, but I could make an 8:00am opener. . .just have to get up earlier ! Maybe if we scheduled it around 5:00pm, Dee could join us. . .and bring some of that fresh CSA meat and her grill. . .

List of offerings will follow shortly. . .

Carl

I'm OK for Oct 3 @ anytime.
Could bring unlimited supply of a)Anemone tomentosa, b)Ligularia dentata 'Othello' and c) Carex 'Ice Dance'
Also, if anyone is interested,
a)8 mature clumps (size for 5G pot or larger) of Hosta albomarginata has to be dug out either in a fall or in a spring,
b)the same has to be done with 4 to 7 Spireas 'Magic Carpet' (size for 3 to 5G pots)
...but I'll have problem to deliver all that stuff to the swap.
So, if anyone is interested, you are welcome to come and get them out of my hands at any date, before or after the swap, doesn't matter. Pots, shovel and light refreshments will be provided :-)

Availability of other 'goodies' will be determined later.

Still looking for the Thalictrum rochebrunianum and early blooming shorter varieties of aconitum (A.x cammarum= A. bicolor =A.x stoerckianum = A. gracile or/and A. carmichaelii Arendsii Group)

George -- I would happily come dig an albomarginata and spirea or two (just looked the latter up -- beautiful!) Do I dare ask why you are removing so many?? (I know, I know ... you've found something much more interesting and you need the space...) If someone else is interested, maybe we can coordinate schedules so you only have to prepare those light refreshments once. :)

Will happily trade you for the item we discussed last spring :)

Carl, the only grill I have is some kind of charcoal grill/smoker deal that is the size of a volkswagen, so not too easy to transport. Although, considering my DH insists on leaving this monstrosity on the patio right by the back door, so its charred, rusting hulk is the focal point of the back of the house, I would love nothing more than to transport it to the park and conveniently forget it, or maybe in it's travels it would - oops! - tragically be damaged to a point beyond repair.

Sigh. No such luck. It really is immovable, and if by some miracle, we did move it, DH would most likely come along to guard and operate it.

I guess I will just sit this swap out. I might try to make other arrangements for pick-up with the farmer, but considering I am doing that this month due to bringing my son to college next weekend (a pick-up weekend) I don't want to put him out two months in a row. Still, the pull of the swap is strong, so we shall see....

:)
Dee

Marty, start the engine! I'm ready when you are ready ;-)

Hi George -- email me with some dates that work for you (preferably after this 90+ degree weather goes away, which looks as if it will by Friday (thankfully!). Have a friend who wants to come along to help if her schedule permits ...

Anyone else interested in a digging party at George's?? (I don't think I can fit ALL of these in my car, though I'm game to try -- and happy to bring any extras I can fit in my car to the swap on George's behalf.)

Marty, email me. All addresses are gone with my old PC replaced this spring.

Wow...WHERE has everyone gone??!

Hopefully you're all just busy in your gardens in this GORGEOUS weather!

Here is my preliminary list for Oct. 3:

Lemon balm (unlimited supply)
Campanula cherry bells (unlimited supply - Abi, I owe you a nice clump)
Bleeding hearts (pink - dicentra spectabilis)
Obedient Plant (physostegia virginiana)
Perennial Mum (similar to Sheffield)
Lots of starter bulblets for Egyptian walking onions plus could bring some actual plants as well - very cool addition to any vegetable garden
Spirea ("bridal wreath"? white, spring blooming... I think!)
Rugosa rose "Alba"
Strawberries (fraise des bois -- petite berries)

More to come...

Also, does anyone have any "mini" (dwarf) varieties of hosta? Mouse Ears? Itsy-Bitsy? .. would especially love Mouse Ears or Pandora's Box or Cracker Crumbs...

/ Marty

Obedient plant (

HI Marty,
I'll take some of your perennial mum.
I am also going to dig up some speedwell.
I still need to compile my list of what I have.

Marty:

You probably already know this, but there's a fine little outfit in
New Hampshire which specializes in hosta (see below) and they carry all three of the hostas you crave. . .but, of course, they're all sold out for this season!
Now that I've depressed you: would you be interested in H 'Blue Mouse Ears',
if I can get my friend to let me divide it?

If all goes as planned, a meagre swap list will appear much later today. . .

Here is a link that might be useful: New Hampshire Hostas

Hi Carl,
No, that's not a source I knew about -- but I've bookmarked it for next spring. If your friend is willing to divide Blue Mouse Ears, I would most definitely be interested in a small division...if not, I'll try for some next spring. (The Golden Tiara I got from you a few seasons back, BTW, is going gangbusters -- LOVE it!)

Richie -- will reserve a clump of mums for you. Warning: they are spreaders so put them somewhere you'd like to fill in. They also need to be cut back at least once, perhaps twice a season before they bloom, unless you want REALLY tall, leggy mums...

I would hope this swap is not in Ansonia, Cat Delgado, that is a dangerous place for some of us. Pilgrim Barbecue's fried chicken and Bicentennial Farm's ice-cream is too much of a temptation for some of us.

I only have a bunch of iris' to part with and they don't seem to be in that much of demand.

Marty,If they are spreaders then maybe I will pass on them. Thanks!

Hi Richie,
It's not that they self-seed, they spread by runners that are easily nipped in the spring to keep the clump under control. I also pinch mine back, when I pinch the fall asters, so they aren't quite as tall when they finally bloom (otherwise, they get up to 2+ feet tall, and I prefer them at 12-18")

They are drop-dead gorgeous when they bloom (which they aren't yet, though they are covered with buds). They will bloom until December, and are a beautiful touch of class in an autumn garden. Here's a picture of mine (which may or may not be "Sheffield" but is very similar if not that particular cultivar -- definitely a koreana) taken late last October (might have been early November?):

Sure you don't want a bit to try?? :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Korean mum

ok. maybe I will try them then...LOL. You twisted my arm!

Marty,
I'll take another small clump if you can part with them too.

Marty, I would like some of that mum. Actually any mums would be welcome. BTW, I don't have much in the way of plants but I do have a surplus of passive solar cats if anyone wants some. /Abi

Hey Jey 1, LOL no I'm sure that the swap will be at wolfe park again, as for pilgrim's bbq, I fould an even better place UNCLE WILLIES!! they opened a new bbq joint in Seymour right down the road from RICH'S Ice cream farm which again in my humble opinion is better than the bicentennial farm (and they have a cuter set up too, as well as being open later) soooooo yummy, ate at both places last week with the family and kids and was in HOGGGG HEAVEN!! LOL.

Ok, I'm afraid I lost track of which date was being considered. Sept. 26th or Oct. 3? Either way- I am happy to have remembered this morning to check- while TJ is sleeping and hasn't usurped the computer for the day yet. I would be unlikely to make a 10:00 start, let alone get there for 8:00. Especially if I pick up Kathy to join me.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has shared the very tall medium to pale blue iris bulbs with me. I had so many compliments on them this year and requests for bulbs that I am down to one largish clump. I seem to recall at least one swap coming home with half a bucket of them- well I can tell you they have been additionally shared and appreciated. I'm going to have to split my clump now to replace them in locations I dug up to give away, now!

I would also like to comment on those single pink/yellow centered mums- I have them in multiple locations now, as any bed I have put them in they try to take over. I do a thorough yanking of the runners in the spring to try and keep them at bay. The only place they will not grow for me is in a partly shady area that no matter what I try to plant there seems overgrown with white wood aster, goldenrod and a few other similar spreading plants.

I can bring:
lemon balm, single pink mums, unrooted cuttings from caryopteris sunshine blue or grand bleu- this late you'll probably have to root them inside for the winter. I have to go WATER so I will take a look around. Sorry- no hens-n-chics, the mums took them over.

Kathy usually has things like the egyptian walking onion, comfrey, huge chives, pulmonaria, and I can ask her what else at this time.

I was wondering-
Marty, is the obedient plant the same pink mine is? if it's other than that, I'd like to try a bit of it.
Mad Gallica- if there is a bit of that double dark pink/purple mum still available, I'm interested.
JavaandJazz- I have white speedwell, but I'd love any other color.
George-I don't know what you can fit in your vehicle, but I'd be happy to take any Hosta albomarginata that fit. How far are you from the park?

Also, I was wondering if anyone had available tea roses, pink flowering hydrangea that can take a bit more shade, and I am interested in some irises- I have the regular thin leaf purple-ish, the wide leaf pale blue, the yellowish with purple veins and yellow but would be interested in others.

cat2 - The swap date is Oct. 3 (I believe that was the final choice), and I think the time was left at 11 am although I'm not sure if that was a final decision.

The obedient plant I have is undoubtedly the same (light) pink as yours. I didn't even know it came in other colors but I see there is white and something more purplish. But mine is the soft, light pink. (I got it from this swap a while back, so it might even BE yours! :)

Thank goodness for some rain, finally!

I have some mums from one of the swaps and they do spread like crazy! I didn't nip them in the spring, and mid-summer it felt too late, so I let them grow but they did get really leggy. Waiting to see how well they do bloom wise.

Jey-1: I am interested in some irises so please do reserve some for me.

I am also interested in daylilies, azalea, hydrangea and rhodys if anyone has any.

I can bring hosta, the mums, hopefully they will have bloomed by the time of the swap so I will know which color they are.

Doesn't seem like it's going to be a big swap. Here are some pics of what I have:
wintercreeper euonymous-6
spiraea grefsheim-5
dwarf korean lilac-6
blue fescue grass-1
purple monarda-1
wintergreen-1
black eyed susan-1

I am also going to have a few speedwell plants.

Could bring spirea 'Goldflame' (or 'Goldmound'?) and 'Magic Carpet' beside one reserved for Carl.
If anyone is interested in non-hardy hydrangeas (to be pot-grown and overwintered in garage) let me know, I have some unusual cultivars.

Wow, Richie... your pictures are intimidating! Not sure I dare bring anything after seeing them :) My pots have been languishing in the dog run, where unfortunately, they are out of sight, out of mind. Rosa rugosa (good size!) has leaves more resembling lace doilies than anything else thanks to the JBs, the beautiful little old-fashioned lilac is covered with mildew, ditto for the monarda (though I can dig some nice fresh ones since I whacked a whole clump back in early August and it's just now coming back in) etc. etc. Next summer I will have to take better care of my plant babies -- this year I've been focused (obsessed??) with getting my little monarch babies off ... 0 for 2 so far, so obviously not my strong point. :(

Has anyone checked with the park about the grove (whether it's available?) As you all recall, they want a headsup before we invade...

I called the park, but had to leave a message with our information. I told them to call if there was any conflict, so no news will be good news.

Thanks Cat,

Can't believe I've never been to Rich's. Must have passed it a millions times if I past it once. Not a fan of P BBQ per say just their fried chicken. Their atmosphere and other menu items have a bit to be desired. Just like the BF. Really, other than a bunch of gardeners who'd be eyeballing the piles of "compost" who would want to hang out there? These were drive-by places for me. get it and go.

Greenbug,

I am in the middle of moving and will probably not be getting to the swap. I dug out all my gardens a week ago or so and have three no name iris that I can part with and maybe some day lilies that might just be tiger lilies.

I recently changed my hard drive and have been searching for the pictures I took so I'd know what was where if I had to dig them up while they were underground but be damned if I can find them. One iris is broad leaf with maroon and gold flowers one is purple and yellow and the other white. The latter two are smaller in size both leaf and flower and you'd have to take a little of both because they both look the same to me now.

If you are still interested click on my name and send me an email and we can arrange something.

Hi everyone -

Dena and I may be able to make it. We'll know for sure next week.

Bill

There doesn't seem to be many of us going to this swap. Very quiet here.

Well, I don't have much to bring but at least it will be nice to see most everyone again. :) I think because of the crazy weather this year most gardens are out of wack and if everyone else is like me, trying to plant & move those last few plants before the deep cold sets in, but either way it's still better that doing nothing with the plants!! :) see you sunday!

Sure IS quiet on this thread ... hope everyone's just busy, but planning -- on what is shaping up to be an utterly GLORIOUS Sunday (0 percent chance of rain -- how often do we get THAT?! -- and in the low 60s) -- to come down to Monroe!

I'm planning to bring the perennial mums (digging them that morning since they're just about to burst into bloom) for Abi and Richie (anyone else?) Abi didn't request them again but she's getting campanula "Cherry Bells" -- any others? Have those in absolutely unlimited supply!

Also have:

Rosa rugosa "Alba"
Rose of Sharon babes (not sure of the color)
Dayliles (tall, orange, not quite "ditch lilies" because the color is a bit clearer and deeper orange)
Bleeding heart (classic pink - dicentra spectabalis)
Chocolate eupatorium
Purple monarda
Egyptian walking onions
Lilac (lilac color, old-fashioned lilac baby - just one)
Strawberries (small fraises des bois)
Chives
Lemon Balm (unlimited)
Tansy (unlimited)
Comfrey

Does anyone have any "mini" hostas (Mouse Ears, Pandora's Box, Cracker Crumbs...?)

No idea what I'm bringing to eat yet...probably cookies, probably chocolate.

Hi Ctlady, I'd love some of those mums too if you can spare, anything else is just icing on the cake :) I have alot of hosta's that I put in this year, they are too small to divide now but in the spring I may be able too, at least two are small varieties, fire & ice and hacksaw. see you sunday!!

Cat -- mums (wet ones!) for you, too.

Digging for this swap should be REALLY easy after this monsoon! :)

See everyone Sunday!

I have Phlox "David" all colors. Also have Solomon Seal, can you transplant that in the fall? /Abi

Abi: Have you been dying your Phlox 'David' again ? You know,
Mother Nature doesn't like to be messed with. . . :-)

Carl

It has been S-O-O-O-O quiet here of late, I thought I'd better double-check to
be sure there really WILL be a swap tomorrow. . .it would be so depressing to
haul my butt all the way up there only to find an empty picnic grove and a little
note tacked to a tree: "Dear Carl, sorry we missed you - the swap was last week. . ." :-)

I'M going!!

/ Marty

Carl, if that is the case, just swing on by my house and you can drive up to the farm with me! I like company on the ride. (And then you can answer the questions about my shrub border - I posted pics on the perennials forum like you asked and you never responded. :( This way I can drag you there in person, lol!)

Well, everybody, have a great time tomorrow! I will miss everyone!

:)
Dee

Is it 11am, right?

Carl, don't even think of not to come, I have some plants for you :-)

Sorry - I have been distracted lately - I even forgot my deja vu thread. I am coming too - I will bring pumpkin bread and plates, napkins, cups, etc.even if I have no plants. I am starting Jack-in-the-Pulpit from seed for the spring swap.

Yes, I was just looking for that thread so I don't have to wade through this one for gory details :-)

I just potted up some liriope, pink mums, and a couple of iris tectorum alba. The crocosmia will travel in paper bags. Since the sell them as dry corms, it should be fine. The Korean mum thingy from NYBG is just too small for fall division. I'll do something about it in the spring.

Since I haven't made a swap in about two years (ooooh, has it really been that long?(: ), what is the mapquest address for the park? If it goes in a different information thread, that is fine. I'm OK as far as I-84 east into Connecticut, but after that, it's fairly vague.