they will all wilt from the digging.. and they surely will not look pretty ...

if it were me.. and i didnt care what they looked like.. because the peeps understand.. i would get some plastic grocery bags .. and newsprint ... masking tape and a sharpie ...

dig the plant.. take a division or two.. wrap it like a burrito in the paper.. wet the paper.. by filling.. then immediately dumping excess .... and wrap it into the plastic bag.. and write the name on some masking tape and secure it around around the bag ...

and take your dozen or two plant burritos to the exchange ...

a real gardener will not care how it looks.. they just want a viable.. moist root system ...

and my best suggestion.. if you want pretty plants to trade.. think about this in june next year.. and pot them up..

have fun.. nothing like free plants.. and making a few new garden friends..

ken

ps: same method when i send plants to friends in the mail ... see random link

Here is a link that might be useful: third pic w/o the pot .... plus the plastic bag to avoid making a mess in the car ...

Thank you very much. I followed your advice but with freezer bags instead of grocery bags - we're in France and they don't give bags in the supermarkets. This was OK as I only had small perennials.

This was so worthwhile. Here is a photo of what I brought home. I'm delighted. The people were so generous and kept encouraging me to take more plants, looking them up in a reference book so I knew what to expect. With typical French hospitality, they invited us to stay for a shared lunch or at least an aperitif. We had to say no as they'd already been too kind. But next year... I feel very lucky and can't wait for the next one.

whatever works.. works..

my point was to simply make you understand.. that potting was NOT necessary ...

and it looks like everyone else basically used a similar system .. study each package you got.. for more ideas ...

sounds like you had a great time.. congrats ...

ken

That's really cool! I've always come home from swaps more than glad I went, and with TONS of plants! The packaging is excellently done - re-use re-use!

i suppose you wrapped them more like crepes.. rather than burritos .. lol

ken

Actually, enchilada'esque is the description I would use...

But that's actually very similar to what I did for some plants, with the plastic bags. I had nowhere near enough empty pots for all of the plants I wanted to bring. Plastic bags are a great way to move plants around the yard too. Keeps roots moist while they're out of the ground.