Well since my post was last, burried...and probably not viewed, I figured it need to be seen...

Im sorry but I will not be attacked for posting an honest rate and review. I will NOT be called a liar or backstabber!!!!! In fact, I posted far less than actually happened, including the postage overpayment I sent that just vanished. So I think I would leave well enough alone and accept the honest review. Intelligent traders will do due diligence and find all the quotes that back it all up. Believe me, itÂs all in black and white, right here on the GW. GWÂers check rate and review threads before entering such large trades. Long timers have more feedback than 5-yesterdayÂnow 10. Do you see a pattern here?

Fran - Thanks for the box. Everything looks good as can be expected in a long swap. I have most everything in the ground and am exahusted!

:-) Thanks everyone for another wonderful swap!

Tammy :-)

Hi everyone,
I got my box today!!! Thanks everyone!! most of them are currently soaking in water. Cindy, WOW, WOW WOW, you sent me so many big pads of the prickly pear...I am SO EXCITED!!!!! Thank you so much!! I can't remember, are these the hardy type? Most everything in my box looks good, some are pouting but I hope they will come back. Denise, sorry to hear that you're not happy with the condition of your plants. Please give them a chance even if the foliage looks really bad. I've received plants before where to foliage was totally mush, but the plant came back just fine. It's common that the plants aren't all in great condition when you do large swaps like this.

Not sure how this happened, but I received a few of other people's plants. I got Vina's asparagus and also a ziploc bag that's marked with both "Anachrisa" and "parrots feather" from Tammy. Tammy, is this both plants? Do you remember what's in there? These plants are not going to do well if I try to mail them out directly to you Vina, so I will see if I can baby them and send them to you. I don't know though. Tammy, could you give me info on how to pot up these plants and what they are? Also, The variegated grass that I sent in for Linda ended up going back into my box and was sent back to me! Linda, I will send you replacements for those (fresh ones of course!). I'll email you for your address. On the plus side, I always wanted to send myself some plants to see how well they survived with my wrapping. I have to say that they look really good. The foliage is a little yellowed, but they are fine. :-) And the paper towels are still moist.

And, I think I'm missing a few too...
Red Hardy Hibiscus from Tammy
Delphinium-tall, dark purple/blue from Theresa

I can't remember if there were posts regarding these two or not, but I thought I'd mention it. :-) Sorry if you ladies already told me that you wouldn't be sending them, ugh, I can't remember. :-)

Fran, thanks for all your hard work on this swap. I can imagine how hard it would be to sort and repack all of these plants!!! That my friend is why I will never host a swap like this! LOL!! ;-)

Hope you're all having a great weekend. It's cold here! Yuck!! I hope to get all my new stuff planted out in my gardens tomorrow.

WOW Tammy, you're a ROCK STAR...all your stuff is in the ground. You're a machine!!

Amy

Amy - Yeah! I know its like christmas in August. Isn't it. I love these swaps!

And I send Denise the same thing in an email about planting them out and she will most likely have some surprises popping up in no time. LOL. I think my first swap I thought the same thing. But after I saw them all come back in a week or two I was HOOKED!

YEAH! the mystery plants have been found! I was worried that i might have forgot to pack them. Because I remember getting them out because I was squeezing as much in as I could of the anachrisa. LOL
Taking care of them is easy as pie:
Just put them in a container of water the anachrisa will sink the parrots feather will semi sink/float and the hyacinth floats on top! There. I bet thats the easiest plants you had to pot. LOL

AND Rock star I am NOT! Exausted I AM!

It was not easy.

Fran - the banana you sent it says hardy ?? But how hardy? I don't want to lose it should i pot it and bring in over winter? AND does it actually produce nanas? i would love to have some of my own! That would be sooo cool! (but even if it don't I really like it) Thanks a ton for that one especially!

Tammy

Dang ya'll I feel awful I STILL haven't gotten mine planted! I am slow or what? What the heck am I missing? Do ya'll have helpers? because I am just one, just ME LOL

Well, I get side tracked really easy, like well I see something that needs to be watered and well I go water that and then I see a weed that needs to be pulled and then THOSE plants really should be over there and well see the picture?

IF I had Vina, and Tammy here I bet they would get planted, well on second thought I better scratch that idea I am sure we would start gabbing at each other and NOT get a thing done....yeap that is how I see it.

Theresa when you get a chance I need to address something with you and a few others of you too...I will email you when I figure out WHO I need to talk to
Vina
Robin
Theresa
Denise, I already talked to you.
Genez maybe I will have to look at my records

Ok, well ya'll I hope you have a great night, man I just realized this is Saturday! I thought it was SUNDAY! SHOOT!

If you folks don't get an email from me please email me

Thanks again so very much,

:) Fran

You KNOW I need to STOP writing these post and sitting on them for HOURS on end because when I do that I somehow MISS things! The above post was started at like 10 pm and it took that long to post it LOL

Ok, AMY, OMG...This just makes me feel like an idiot! TAMMY I am blaming THAT on you with the water plants for Vina! OH YES I AM! hehe, I will just say YOU mislabeled them and I only stuck them where I THOUGHT they were to go(ROFLMAO)
Amy, we didn't HAVE a Linda in THIS swap honey...so WHO is confused now? ME OR YOU?????
Did you read my note on the other thread about forgetting those darn cuttings? I absolutely forgot them this time I am so sorry, I will resend them to you in the Spring I promise! The very first sign of warm weather for you you just email me a hey dork message and I will get the cuttings to you OR at present I am trying to root some SO if I manage to root these babies I will just send you some rooted cuttings/plantlets!
The Tropical White Canna is NOT hardy, I over wintered it inside here so you will need to as well of course! It is actually a creamy yellow NOT white but that is the name it has...

LAURA! I am waiting on the list of things to look out for for you. Don't forget to send it. I know you can't do houseplants so no tropicals right?
Thanks for starting a new thread, I didn't expect the other one to fill up so fast.

Theresa, how did your basil fair? Did it make it? I KNOW those Datura looked pitiful BUT I think if you tease out the roots and pot it up and then baby them and give them some food they will continue to grow for you IF not I will have seeds from mine soon would you want those? They were easy as pie to start from seeds using the baggie method.

Tammy, the banana is a Musa Basjoo it is hardy in zone 7 BUT I would mulch it really really well. My mom puts about a foot of mulch on her's then covers it with cardboard and doesn't uncover it until spring. MOISTURE in the stem is the death of those so just keep it as dry as possible, hill up the area you plan to plant it in. Then plant it, IF you are not sure about it in your area take it inside over winter.
I KNOW it will live here, but I still brought it in for winter. I am not sure if it is the one that makes bananas or not, I think it can BUT we can't give it the warmth it needs to produce the naners. It takes like 9 months of warm weather, I have read where people have covered the WHOLE thing without cutting it back then wrapping the WHOLE plant in burlap with a thick layer of leaves as insulation and they produced BUT who would really want the hassel?

Cheryl, I know you didn't get that many plants in this swap BUT if there is ANYTHING I have you want some of, or more of you just tell me. I will get it too you, when is your first frost date? Ours is like Oct 15 I am thinking yours is around Oct 5th or so?

Genez, I wish your box would have arrived today, I had hoped by way of a small miracle it would but I guess it didn't hmmmm, I should check the DC# lol. Shoot it just hit me you are in California, I should have sent you some of the things I have here that are not hardy you would have been able to get them to thrive there! Dang it, I wish I could think before hand!!!

Has anyone in zone 7 ever tried to grow African Iris-Fortnight Lily~Dietes iridioides? and have it survive the winter? I started seeds for this I got from a very good friend and I live almost in zone 8 do you think it would grow for me? Well survive for me? The seedlings are still pretty small and I am not sure what I should do with them...
would you take a chance on leaving them outside to the elements and just SEE if they make it OR would you bring them inside to be sure? I just don't know what to do at this point, I don't want to lose them but I don't want to have to be too fussy with them either!
Any suggestions?

:) Fran (who is headed to bed) ok night all

YEAH!! My plants have been found...
I don't know how this works...how do they get from Amy to me?

vina

Fran...Tammy and I could gab and plant your stuff at the same time...we'll muti-task LOL

Amy, I sent you seeds of the blue delph/larkspur. The plants were all dried up from the heat, they bloomed earlier in the summer. And I was reading that they don't transplant well,chances very slim. So, I sent you fresh seeds. Just sow them now for spring/summer blooms.
Fran, the basil looks great. Thanks!
I would overwinter the African Iris-Fortnight Lily, if it doesn't have an established root system in the ground.
Tammy, same with the banana. If it isn't established in the ground with a good root system, it won't survive.
The M. basjoo is an ornamental, won't produce edible nanners, but the Dwarf Cavendish will,but that has to be overwintered inside. How is that fairing?

Theresa

I don't have a dwarf cavendish.. I don't think. I only have the M basjoo. I am excited about it. I would love one of the dwarf cavendish if anyone has one though. That would be sooo cool to actually grow my own bannanas!

Thanks for the info on those fran and theresa.

I am sure there would be LOTs of chatting but hey plants would get planted eventually. LOL.

Tammy:-)

I got the Dwarf Cavendish from you Theresa, it is funny because I have it sitting with the swap plants I received in that swap and every time I walk past it (because it looks like any other banana tree) I look at it and say HOW DID you get over HERE? AND THEN I realize OH yes! YOU'RE Theresa's naner! LOL.
So the plant will prolly end up being called Theresa's Baby! OR Theresa's naner which means I will forget which one it REALLY is and then someone is gonna say I have never heard of Theresa's naner....well they will then! LOL
I am glad the basils made it ok. I gave you a variety of sizes I was hoping would make it, OH SHOOT, I didn't send the Dark Opal did I? RATS....It is sitting out there on the table I know it is! I sorry well at least you have the Mammoth and that is great for the pesto you wanted right?

I thought I had read the M. basjoo would produce inedible naners, but I couldn't be sure I know I wouldn't want to eat them anyway LOL...
I have read so much on naners I forget what is what, I do know there is one I read that if you cover it like I said and don't cut it back and let it go through the winter covered and warm that in the Spring it will be ugly BUT it will be big enough to produce bananas BUT like I said WHO really would want to go through all the trouble to just produce a small amount of naners?

Tammy remember Elizabeth-victorianbellefonte? She was in the 100 Limit Spring Swap, she said to tell you HEY for her and she is exteremely busy and she will stop in with us when she gets a moment to breathe.

Well, I need to get up and get moving...I don't want to I am so tired and I just don't know WHY.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday,

:)Fran

Hey Genez
did you get your box yet?
you've been so quiet.
Laura
I sent you an email

Hey, yes, I'm an idiot! I glanced at the bag last night before I wrote that the var.grass was supposed to go to Linda...dah, it says Vina on the bag, not Linda. I was tired when I did that last night.

SO, Vina, I have a bunch of your plants. I guess Amy and Vina are similar looking names or something. LOL... I can send you fresh var. grass, but I'm not sure how well the ones from Tammy will do if I resend them to you. Tammy, is the Asparagus the kind that you eat or is it a different plant? If it's the veggie, those should do fine to be sent again, those are very tough. As for the water plants, I will put them in my new pond and see how they are looking in a few days. They look pretty mushy right now.

Amy

I honestly do NOT remember even seeing that water plant bag. I am really NOT sure HOW that happened but if Vina wants some pickerel rush to make up for my mistake I will send her some in the other swap.

Ok ya'll I emailed those I needed to email so Theresa IF you did not get one today from me PLEASE email me I don't know why I am having trouble getting them to go through to you.

I will check in later ya'll,
:) Fran

Hi Fran and ladies! It sounds like you got some great plants - sorry I couldn't get in on this one. I've wanted to do a big plant swap for a long time.
Just wanted to give Fran a heads up that I posted on the rate and review "late". I swore I had done that already - I usually try to do that with all my swaps but missed it that time. Have a great and positive weekend ladies - I hope your plants provide you with many surprises in the future:) Nik

Nikki you are a sweet lady nice to see you lurking too, a posting on my rate and review was not necassary however as you know IF you have ever traded with me I ask you not to bother leaving me one because I AM an old member in GOOD STANDING on Gardenweb, I don't go over to that forum because if you have a bitter person who is not happy about something for whatever reason even if it has NOTHING to do with GW they can and DO take it out on people they leave reviews for which is the reason I personally do not take stock in negative reviews I do not check a person's R and R page before I set up a trade with them.
HOWEVER, IF someone tells me they are going to leave one for me I ASK them not to because I don't think it is necassary for older members BUT if they ask me to leave them one, especially if they are new to Gardenweb I will leave one for them.
I don't usually think about it unless I am asked to do so which is WHY you don't see many reviews left BY me for other members, it isn't something I think about because I have issues with that forum. For reasons I am not going to get into but those who KNOW what I am talking about understand (hehe, inside joke among us! actually I got into trouble for defending someone who I KNOW for a fact was an excellent trade who didn't deserve the treatment she was getting on a review!).
ANYWAY, Nikki I do hope you will think about joining us at some point I would love to have you, maybe the spring of 2010 prehaps? I KNOW you winter sow (wink wink) you will have LOTS of extras to share right? LOL.

OH AMY, I forgot to say, we belong to the same club, Idiots Anonymous HEHE....

:) Fran

Genez,
are you still there?
Don't be afraid. I'm in the same Boat. :(
It's ok.
others can help us :)
Laura

Hi Fran, got my box yesterday the plants were OK mostly . I cleaned them up and put them in pots, and think most will be alright[sure hope so] i planted the plants i got from your last swap today, they were great, most were growing out of their pots lots of roots [some too many].A few of them are blooming.anyway i'm very pleased
again thanks Toni

Laura are you okay? Genez how about you?
Sent you an email...hope all is well...vina

Toni I am glad you checked in I was getting worried about whether the box made it or not.
I need to email you, I will do that shortly so keep an eye out for that.

I have been planting my plants today, I am almost finished, I pot them up first and like I said I start working on them then see something else that needs to be done and start doing that and then I have to go do something else and then something else will catch my attention! IF I would actually SIT down or stand there whatever and DO them I THINK I could finish LOL.

Like I was out there eariler and started wondering is a bulb plant I had was doing ok, and then I went to check on that then I thought I needed another sprinkler of water (watering thingy) so I went to get that in the process of getting the water I noticed some things needed water SOOOO I started watering OTHER plants and well then I had to fix supper....SEE I have a hard time staying ON TASK!
FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!!!

:) Fran

Hi all!
I would love the pickerel rush...thanks Fran!

Amy, why don't you keep the water plants for your pond? I was just worried they went in a box that didn't have a pond...maybe its fate :0)?
But I would like the asparagus and please, please the variegated grass (yours, you can keep Tammy's)(again...its probably fate)...are you in the crazy plant swap for Sept.? you could just throw it in the box when you send your stuff to Tammy.

Come on you know you want to join :0)
vina

Well, I was out most ofthe weekend, but managed to get nearly everything planted in the evenings.

Denise, thanks for the clematis! I was expecting you to send cuttings, if anything, so I was thriiled to see you sent rooted cuttings! And such roots! They will be great, thanks. I'm glad my cuttings made it to you ok. I've learned a lot since the first time I sent you cuttings back in the spring, but cuttings always make me nervous.

I think all of the plants will be fine. They arrived wilted, of course, but very much alive. Most in better shape than the last swap, I think. We must be getting better at wrapping! That said, some of the wrappings were completely dry, but must not have been that way for very long, becasue the plants still looked alive. Some of the cuttings I have little/no hope for. I was surprised the gardenia was cuttings - I thought that was supposed to be a seedling, or I likely wouldn't have asked for it. I'll do my best with it. The purple smoke tree was a leafless, 1/2-inch thick limb. Again, I'll try, but I'm not expecting much from it. Everyone, please remember for future swaps that cuttings are supposed to be 3-5 cuttings per offer, depending on the plant type.

Tammy, those tomato cuttings had roots growing eveywhere - even out the top! Now I just have to figure out how to overwinter it - I've never tried with a tomato before! And Amy, your purple wandering jew was in great shape. That will be a snap to root.

I see there were some misdirected plants in some people's boxes. My box suffered the same: I'm missing a Purple Palace Heuchera from Fran, and a Westar Iris from Toni. If someone got these by mistake, would you please let me know? They were some of the plants I was most looking forward to receiving. Also, I got two bundles of Amy's Purple Wandering Jew. Was one of them supposed to go to someone else?

I have a question about the Dahlias: I dig my Dahlias for the winter, otherwise the tubers rot in the early spring. So I wasn't planning to plant the ones that came in this swap. But some of them started pushing new growth during transit. What should I do with them now? If I plant them, they wont have time to grow out before I have to dig them up again. But will I confuse them by pinching off the new growth and storing them? Looking for any advice you can give, thanks!

Fran, thanks for a great swap. I know some of the credit for the health of most of my plants goes to you for babying them while they waited to be shipped out again.

OK, that's a lot for one post. Please let me know if you got my plants by mistake. See you in the next swap!

~CA

Hi CA~ just went out and checked and I don't have either of those...got so many different iris' had to double check :0) vina

Cheryl, I checked and I only got the one I requested of the palace purple and I didn't get a west star. Sorry. I figured this late in the season you might have trouble getting a clematis to root so I sent a couple of the purple clematis I had rooted in June. Glad you were happy with them.

Denise

Cheryl, forgot to mention that there are sweet autumn clematis being offered in the crazy crazy fall swap hosted by tammy. I thought I would let you know since I remember you were looking for one. I think there are 3 still left.

Denise

CA, I sent a PP Heuchera, didn't get it? I don't have your West Star either.
The Weigela is gorgeous! I hope I can get it to root.
I got something else that is variegated,it's rooted,but not labeled.It doesn't smell like mint.
I got var. mint from Tammy, but the leaves were dried & brown, so I went by the label so that is accounted for.
Anyone know what it is?
Genez, I love the cinnamon ginger! It smells so good!

Thanks for a great swap, everyone!

Theresa

CA - I do not have the pp heur. I did get the one that was marked for me but not any others. Sorry. I didn't check the others I can do a quick check tomorrow, I already planted everything and it is all over so it will be a job. LOL. Sorry I couldn't help you find the mystery plants. I am sure they will be found somewhere. I was worried when vina couldn't find the plants I sent her. I thought I messed up and forgot them or something but they were found yeah...

Vina - I can just send you new ones in this swap if you want. I have so much of them it won't even put a dent in it. :-) That way Amy don't have to ship them back out to you.

Tammy:-)

WOW Fran.
This swap really was "cursed" (Quote from Fran.)
As a Christian I don't believe in such nonsense.
But what a fiasco!!!!

Laura

Hi dirt diggin,
I heard you LOUD and clear.
I've read your Posts
and sadly
I agree.
Thank you

Laura

Hello,My box came today!!I was very surprised at the condition of them.Most of them looked better than the last swap!I think I got everything I was supposed to.I didn`t get anything with someone elses name on it.I`m very happy!!
I know Fran`s TLC helped greatly!THANK YOU,FRAN !!Several of my plants from the last swap that I didn`t think would make it are now growing!It`s so exciting to go out and find new babies growing!!Some of the cuttings even have little roots!!YAY!!I`d never rooted cuttings before.You all have greatly improved my gardens this summer.I just can`t believe how much more I have now that I never could`ve bought.THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! Robin

Robin - I didn't realize your box hadn't arrived yet. Glad you got it today!

Has everyone else received their boxes?

~CA

My grandaughter gets as excited as I do and has her own garden!She is 6 years old and says she wants to be a gardner when she grows up!!You all have helped me introduce her to gardening flowers!! Robin

Bless your heart Laura, I'm so sorry you were victim to it all.

There are so many good, kind and honest traders out there...just know that they would LOVE to trade honestly with you and give big hugs without the fiasco.

Blessings,

Toni

Robin - I know what you mean. It is great isn't it. My daugter got some stuff sent to her in the last swap and she was so excited and went right out to plant it in her fairy garden. It was too cute. Glad your plants made it alright. Mine made it alright also. I would have to say I only had one batch of stuff that didn't make it but all the other plants well made up for those. I am so excited and already have them all planted out.

BIG THANKS - To all of you that sent me coneflowers and BES I have been wanting them for a long time and yeah next summer here they come!

Tammy :-)

Tammy - in 2 years you'll have so many coneflowers and BES you'll be begging us to take them back!

~CA

Hey Amy sent you an email...wondering if it went through?
vina