Even though it’s cold and snowy and miserable outside, Cathy and I are already talking about planning another western PA plant swap for this fall. This gives everyone who is interested in joining us time to set aside the date that is chosen months in advance. We know that everyone is busy but knowing the date way a head of time should make things easier for everyone who wants to be involved! Emergencies do happen, but if you commit, please try to come.

What a great time we had last year. It’s so much fun to put faces to the names here at Gardenweb. There’s nothing like getting a bunch of gardeners together, whether they be old friends from past swaps, or new ones that we haven’t met before. We each brought a salad, veggies &dip, or a desert and Cathy made the most marvelous bar-b-qued ham sandwiches. Great food and good friends, it doesn’t get any better than that. Except that now you throw a bunch of plants in the mix and you end up with a really fun time.

Don’t think you’ll have enough plants to trade? You just might be surprised! Do you have extra pots and containers just taking up space? Have you collected a few too many gardening tools? Or how about the seeds that you have been collecting all summer. Maybe you have extras there. You could bring all those well-read gardening magazines that have been sitting in the basement to share with us. Did you check to see how big your perennials have gotten since last year? It may be time to divide them and share your extras at the swap. Are your houseplants growing way out of bounds? This might be an opportunity to share your extras with other gardeners at the swap. I find that I am always surprised at how many new plants I can make from digging up and dividing my perennials each year. One person’s "trash" may be another person’s "treasure." New starts from that overgrown Crazy Daisy Shasta Daisy may be just what someone else is looking for!

If Cathy and Ross can get the Railroad Supervisors Club again, we will have the swap there, which is on Tevebaugh Road in Baden, Beaver County. It is easily accessible from Route 65, I-79, and the Ohio and PA Turnpike. To those of you who live in Beaver, Butler, and Allegheny County, you can access Tevebaugh Road also from Conway/Economy Boro.

You don’t have to worry about exactly what you are going to bring right now. But what we do need from you is a commitment. Let us know if you want to come and be a part of the plant swap in early September. If there is enough interest, we will set the exact date, and talk about food, drinks, plants, and door prizes later. Right now, we just need to know if the interest is there for another plant swap in our area. Post a message here or you can email me through Gardenweb if you have any questions. Hope to hear from you soon!

Linda ~ Linlily

I am also interested in your swap . I have this now to get off the ground. Pam