We had so much fun last weekend at our very first Plant Swap, and we’d like to thank everyone who joined us! It was exciting to see so many interesting plants came in – and so many pleased participants go out with a great new-to-them plant to add to their collection. 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 exciting examples from every category – annuals, perennials, edibles, cacti, tropical houseplants, shrubs, and even trees. Some standouts included lots of amazing irises and hostas, beautiful philodendrons, perennial spiderworts, and several nice Echeveria. But the most surprising was the big Mammillaria cactus and several other large cacti that arrived too. Throw in a handful of interesting garden books, and we had a great collection of items for everyone to trade with one another.
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 upcoming 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 + Ice Cream
Also joining us for the event was Dante Pizzeria filling the whole space with the enticing aromas from their mobile pizza oven. And as we visited with so many people from the community, it was the perfect day to cool off with a scoop of refreshing ice cream from Coneflower Creamery too.
Let’s Do This Again!
We had so much fun getting together with our community of plant enthusiasts to trade plants and plant stories. You must have loved it too because one question we heard over and over was “When is the next Plant Swap?” We haven’t set a date yet, but we’re excited about doing it again. So, keep an eye out for more potential trades in your collection, and we’ll see you at the next swap.
