I’d like to start a 2013 Spring/Summer African Violet swap in addition to the 2nd Round Robin currently being formed. This swap should have much less travel time for items, compared to a Round Robin, which should, hopefully, get them back to you in excellent condition!

This swap will be for named African violet leaves and plantlets.

Rules:

Please sign up by June 3rd. Please email me with your name, GW name and your #1 wished-for violet variety. Please also post on the thread so I can make sure I get your email. By June 5th, I’ll email participants a list of #1 requests along with my address.

Please send your leaves/plantlets to me so that they arrive no later than June 12th. Please do not ship leaves/plantlets too early as I want to turn these around as soon as possible. I don’t want them sitting for a week while I wait for the other packages. I will attempt to ship packages back to participants on the 13th.

Please post when you mail your package along with the DC # so I can be on the lookout for it. If you mail on Saturday, the 8th via Priority (1 - 3 days), it should arrive by the 12th.

Limit per variety - if you send more than three leaves/plantlets of a variety, the excess will be considered bonuses and you may not receive a leaf/plantlet back for the ones over 3.

Labeling your leaves/plantlets - Please label each bag (snack size Ziploc) with:
- your GW name (so I don’t send you your contributions back),
- the variety name,
- the variety size (S for Standard, SM for Semi-miniature or M for Miniature), and
- the primary color.

Please pack one leaf/plantlet per bag. If sending multiples of a variety, please staple all bags of a variety together (just one staple in the corner should work) and please label each individual bag.

Include in your package:
- Your return address,
- Stamps or money for return postage. Priority Mail postage (with delivery confirmation) for a small flat rate box will be $5.15. If you want your package returned in a bigger box with shredded paper as insulation, please make sure you send enough postage. I will reuse the box you sent, if possible.
- A wishlist indicating any preferences for size, color or variety (no guarantees of what you will get back, will depend on the contributions, but I will try to match),
- A list of the varieties you are sending in (to help ensure I don’t send you back a variety you sent in).

Please make sure that your GardenWeb profile has your email address listed, and it's visible to other members, so I can contact you.

Packaging suggestions: These are suggestions taken from threads on the Violet Exchange Forum.
For plantlets/baby violets: “Bare root shipping is the best, when shipping a pot and soil you tend to have way more broken leaves, plus shipping goes way up due to soil weight. Basically take the violet out shake off the soil, wrap the roots in a dry paper towel piece and put in a baggie. Label the bag with a sharpie permanent marker. The paper towel piece can be omitted- I've seen violets/plantlets sent both ways. I've even seen them wrapped in a small piece of batting (the kind used in quilting) and I've seen them wrapped in fiberfill!” - Per GW member Debbya
For leaves - individual leaf in a small Ziploc with nothing added to the bag

I hope we have enough people interested to make this a success!

This is my first time hosting an exchange so if I have left anything out or there are any suggestions, please feel free to add!

Thanks!

Louise