What a fun time we had with everyone at this year’s Plant Swap! A big thanks to the Master Gardeners and all our community partners who helped make the day possible – and to all of you who joined us. It was exciting to see so many interesting and beautiful plants came in – and to see them go home with their happy new plant parents. If you’re wondering what a plant swap is all about, here’s a little bit about how the day went – and why we can’t wait to do it again!
A Surprising Collection
We were so impressed with the diversity of plants that the community brought in to swap. There were examples from just about every category – annuals, perennials, edibles, cacti, tropical houseplants, and even a few shrubs. Some standouts included lots of amazing irises and hostas, an impressive pencil cactus standing over three feet tall, and a couple huge aloes. Throw in a good stack of gardening books, and we had a great collection of items for everyone to trade with one another. And while most of the plants were adopted during the swap, the rest were donated to Benson Plant Rescue, a local organization that sells donated plants to help support the Omaha Public Library.
A Community of Plant Lovers
Not only were there great plants to trade, but there was great conversation too – with the chance to learn more about the wonderful work being done by several community partners. The great folks from two local non-profit groups, The Big Garden and No More Empty Pots, shared information about their amazing education programs and community garden projects. There were Master Naturalists here as well to share about their work in the community and their training program about Nebraska’s natural ecosystems. And a team of Master Gardeners from Nebraska Extension played a big part in helping with the Plant Swap as well as answering all kinds of plant and landscape questions.
Great Food + Treats
Also joining us for the event was local bakery Farine + Four serving up a delicious lunch as we enjoyed music by singer-songwriter Topher Booth. And as we visited with so many people from the community, it was the perfect day to cool off with refreshing ice cream from Coneflower Creamery and cold drinks from Myrtle & Cypress Coffeehouse.
Let’s Do This Again!
We had such a fun time getting together with so many plant enthusiasts to trade plants and plant stories. Thanks again to all our community partners and everyone who joined us – we can’t wait to do it again!
