Welllll, her extensive iris garden should be in full bloom by April 1, so she's hosting a combination Garden Tour/Garden Swap for us!

I've seen Bobbie's irises at the raggedy tail-end of the season, & they were gorgeous then; they'll be knock-outs in full swing!

The gardens are in Red Oak, just south of DeSoto off I-35E & Ovilla Road (about 6 miles south of I-20 & I-35E intersection).

Starts at 10 AM, goes til we all go home.

Same kind of set-up at at previous swaps, with the addition of a potluck luncheon (a practice I saw at another group's swap, it worked great):

Bring your plants, seeds, tools, garden art, books, magazines, pots, decorative items, anything you want to trade.

Pre-trading is a good way to be sure you can get something you really want, & encourages people to come.

Post lists of what you have, what you want, etc.

Spouses & children welcome.

Please leave pets at home (don't know about yours, but mine, even though they're usually well-behaved, would be sure to galumph through somebody's tender plantings!)

121 Creekview Drive West
Red Oak

If you're west of Dallas (FW, Grand Prairie, Arlington, etc), take I-20 toward Dallas & go south on I-35W.

From I-20 & I-35W in DeSoto:
South on 35 thru DeSoto.
Take Ovilla Road exit & stay on the access road.
Right on Red Oak Road.
Pass Creekview East.
Right on Creekview West.

If you're coming from the south:
Take I-35W north past Waxahachie.
If the Red Oak Road bridge has been completed, you can exit there, take the bridge west across the freeway, pass Creekview East & go right on Creekview West.

If the bridge is not open, exit at Ovilla Rd, cross the freeway, & take the southbound access road to Red Oak Road.
Pass Creekview East & turn right on Creekview West.

You can't miss it:
On the left, you'll see the vacant lot & then the house with the iris garden.

If you need more detailed directions, please email me.

Kwanzo daylily: double form of the native orange ditch lily.
Tremendously hardy, it's ideal for hot, dry, low-maintenance areas.

Chocolate Mint: smells just like a York Peppermint Patty!
Beautiful dark green foliage with purple cast.

Lambs Ears: "ever silver". Wonderful velvety plants.

Achillea Paprika: yarrow. ferny foliage, red flowers with yellow centers.

Other than plants:

miscellaneous plastic pots
may have some vases

Can bring if anyone wants to trade (email for photos):

several fifties dolls.
They all need some TLC:
clothes, hair stylist, etc.
They're *not*, say, Revlons.
Some may be R14, some baby dolls, etc.

dusty rose or dusty pink decor pieces to hang on the wall: 1 window with a planter type thing at the bottom, 3 hearts that say "Follow" "Your" "Dreams".
There's another piece, but I can't remember what it is! shelf maybe?

Wants:
Sedum other than Autumn Joy, white, or lavender
bricks
stepping stones
Glass top for a table

Then Bobbie said she'd like to have it at her house where she could do the tour in conjunction with the swap, sooooo...

Last year's Arlington Swap was thru Dave's Garden, I don't know what's cooking (isn't that an apt word???) for this spring/summer, I do know several of the DG people are planning on coming to this one.

Our growing season is so long, & our membership so far-ranging, I think there's time & opportunity for several swaps.

Kwanzo daylilies
lamb's ears
chocolate mint
Achillea Paprika (red yarrow)
shrimp plant
Moses in the Boat/Wandering Jew: green with burgundy edge & burgundy veins

I also have a thing that, uh, I don't know what it is.
It seems to be a large bell or Christmas tree made from maybe grapevines or willow.
You hang it by this big hook, & it spirals down so you can decorate it.

If anyone wants plastic pots, vases, or jars, please let me know.

(ot a balanced meal requiring thought & planning by any means)

Mitch is bringing a vegetable tray, & I think somebody's bringing a fruit or relish tray.

& I forgot to mention the Salvia Black & Blue.
Beautiful stuff!

also have a few old-fashioned yellow iris, the ancient historics that are the first iris to bloom every year.
They're amazingly robust, & they spread well.

The pots of lamb's ears were sitting under an eave.
right exactly under an eave.
an eave with no rain gutter.
Pummeled by 24 hours of rain, the lamb's ears today are pretty battered looking, & most of the soil has been churned out of their pots, leaving their roots exposed.

will try again.

I am bound and determined to get there. I will have many seedlings of various plants from my winter sowing, plus as many veggie and flower seeds as I can pawn off on people. Please let me know what I need to bring for the pot luck.

Lea

Great!

I had an inquiry yesterday from a young mom who wants to get her children started on vegetable gardening!

The potluck is way way casual.

If you have a specialty, bring that, & if you don't, bring something easy for you to handle & easy for us to eat!

Here's my haves & wants for the swap:

have:

cuttings- fragrant, mock orange bush - for light shade.

cuttings- night blooming cereus - houseplant.

cuttings - variegated vinca vine - for shade.

fragrant, creeping phlox - plant - for shade.

yucca plant - young - for sun.

rosemary plant- young - for sun.

6- in. plastic pots.

And anything else I can find!

My very special stuff:

These are fragrant, moisturizing soaps - non Lye - that I make from scratch at home. I am very strict about these & have done 5- months of research, before even attempting to make a batch. I have lots of family, including myself - try them out before they are offered - to anyone.

Just to name a few, I will have: tropical scent, citrus burst,

shea jasmine & whatever is left at swap time.

I am looking for these plants:

yarrow - Hey Sylvia.

iris - Hey Sylvia.

herbs.

grasses.

groundcover.

veggies.

daylillies.

african violets - for an elderly friend.

Large planters- wood or plastic or whatever we can load into my van, safely.

Hope, I didn't forget anything! See you all there!

Happy Gardening -Tina_2

I'll bring you some red yarrow (& I may have white, will have to check) & iris:
I know I have iris albicans (white cemetary iris) & similar chrome yellow ones & dark purple ones with white/lemon yellow beards.
I think the dark purple is the one that re-bloomed last summer.

I have to add to my list;

I have ; one - 6 ft. x 10 ft. - pond net cover.

So, If anyone can use it - I am going to bring it.

I hope, to get there around 10 am.

See you all there! Tina _2

The yellow iris is Gold Imperial, introduced 1924.

She would like:
violets
ajuga
phlox
ferns

She has all kinds of plants to trade.

Bobbie has a friend who grows herbs; hope she gets to come!

and I hope to see the young woman from Starbucks:
She's into physical fitness (her "other job" is personal trainer) & natural & folk remedies & plant lore, as she's learning about her own Native American heritage.

So if you have culinary or medicinal herbs or other such plants, please bring 'em!

I'm looking for brug and ...brugs. Can't wait to see you all. I might not sleep tonight :):) See ya.

TT

I may or may not be back at the computer before tomorrow.

If anyone needs me, Tina has my #.

See you all there!

sylvia

ps: Although the weather is beautiful, that sun is intense (already!).
If you have canopies, tents, etc, you might bring them.
& I always try to bring my own folding canvas camping chair, just in case.

I had a blast today. I wanted to say thanks for your generosity, and a thanks to everyone who attended. I have some wonderful new plants, found adoptive parents for my puny little seedlings, and sent seeds from Ovilla to Guatemala in one fail swoop. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!! Please tell Bobbie and Robert I said thank you for being such sweet hosts!

Lea

I was really gratified to see so many people from different "places":
gardenweb
daves garden
Ovilla Garden Club
Ellis Co Master Gardeners
a couple of my Realtor friends
people we stopped on the street....

Thanks to all for making it a blast!

Can't wait

Amy

See thread

Sure would like a passion flower vine if Amyg is planning on coming to one of the other swaps.

I have a red banana I pulled out of the ground this last weekend. I put it in a pot, not sure if its gonna come back or not. I suspect it will.

Amy, the swap last year really was fun, but Bobbie is prez of the Ovilla Garden Club this year, so she's too "scheduled" to have one at her home this year.

BUT

We're having a swap in Ft Worth April 7 (see the thread on this forum).
This is the Texas Forum's annual Spring Swap, & it's lots of fun. There're always lots of people & tons of plants & garden things, & the Botanic Gardens are just across the street if you still have the strength to visit them after our "Spring Break" garden frenzy!

& the Ovilla Garden Club has one in Ovilla June 2,(there's a thread about it, too) at the City Park.

We can trade or sell, as long as we buy the $4 box lunch that they sell to fund their projects.

& I know she'd love for you to come take a tour thru her gardens.

She gave me permission to post her phone # (it's on the Ovilla thread.)

email me at sylviaboardwalk@aol.com if you want more info.

I do have some irises, some named, some mysteries, that I'd be happy to bring you. Just let me know.

Enjoy!!