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lclark_2008

New to gardening

lclark_2008
15 years ago

I am getting into planting different assortments of flowers and bushes this year. Have never did anything like this. I was just wanting to know if anyone had any clippings.. starters they would send to me? I would love to trade if I had anything.

Comments (3)

  • vetivert8
    15 years ago

    If you go to the long list of forums (use the forums tab on the menu bar just under the banner ) you'll see many of them with two little arrows forming a circle out to the right of the forum name. Those forums have plant exchange systems running.

    Some are highly active, others less so. Try out your regional forum first. You've got a better chance of finding plants likely to survive.

    If you'd be prepared to pay packaging and postage, or travel to a plant swap meet, then you could start collecting.

    If you can - quarantine the plants you acquire. Sometimes they come with interesting bugs, diseases, and extra plants that can look sooo innocent until they settle their roots into your garden and start overtaking everything. Leave them in a proper plant pot for a while until they've become acclimated - and nothing weird has happened - such as collapsing.

    If they're just babies - let them grow on in a pot for a while otherwise the garden bugs will have midnight feasts at your expense.

    Also - get their real double-barrel name whenever you can. Common names are cute - and ultra confusing. With the real name you can google for exact information on how to care for the plant you've bought or traded for. (Doesn't matter if you don't say it right - I say Nereen; others say Ne ry nee - we all spell it Nerine.)

    Just a thought: you might want to add a little more info on your profile. Your zone 5 could be somewhere on a plain, or halfway up a mountain. For some questions you might want answered it can be so helpful to know a very general 'where' it is you're gardening.

  • tracey_nj6
    15 years ago

    A great place to start would be locally; frequently take walks around your neighborhood. See people? Just say hi and continue on. If you see someone out and about, strike up a conversation about a plant, especially if there's one you like. I get people that just want to comment on my plants or gaze at the butterflies, but nobody has ever asked me for seed or a cutting. It seems my neighbors are more likely to hire a landscaper than get down & dirty & do it themselves :(

  • Kathy Johnson
    15 years ago

    First of all, tell alittle about yourself, what type of gardening you do, etc. on your member page. Do you have a favorite type of plant? Do you have a yard or is your gardening someplace like a balcony? Do you like inside plants or just outside? Vegetables, etc.? Are you starting with a bare piece of land or do you have something to work with? Have you been there for awhile or did you just move there? Do you rent or are you buying (makes a difference if you're going to want trees & shrubs). Walk around your yard & make a note of every kind of tree, shrub, & flower you have. I would put that on your trade list under "have" with a note that this was just for your information only except if you have things that reseed. Then make a list of the things you want for your yard. A good place to start is your local nursery. If you see something you'd like, write it down & then list it on your trade list as a "want". Or look in seed catalogs. Check out the Exchange pages you are interested in - like ones close to your state or time zone, ones for your interest, etc. Alot of people will post on the Seed Exchange they have seeds for a sase. This means you send them a padded envelope with postage (cash or stamps) & an address label with your name & address. They then send seeds back in your envelope. Some people have more & can afford to be a little more generous. You can also participate in a swap or round robin if there's one going on. Sometimes on the Plant Exchange someone will have something for postage but most of the time people want a trade since plants cost more to send.

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