John and Jeanne Hess of Redmond took home armloads of bee balm (Monarda didyma), crocosmia, hostas, Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) and yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) for the grand total of: Free.
"Why don't you take this, too?" said Rev. Jim Eichner, handing over a clump of phlox, which he said would bloom hot pink. The rector of Redmond's Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross, which hosts the twice-a-year Eastside Green Elephant Plant Swap, Eichner stayed busy trading and dispensing plants and advice with 25 or so other gardeners.
"We're beggars today," said John Hess, who moved here from Michigan a year ago. "Our back yard is just bare. Maybe next year we'll have something to exchange."
Exchange resources
Here are some places to seek out trades.
Garden exchanges
The Central Neighborhood Association's spring plant exchange is scheduled from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Casey Family Program parking lot, 1123 23rd Ave, Seattle. Bring plants, bulbs, houseplants or seeds to share. The association also organizes a fall plant exchange.
The next Eastside Green Elephant Plant Swap will be 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 5, Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross, 11526 162nd Ave. N.E., Redmond. Visit members.gardenweb.com/members/ firevicar.
Online forums
forums.gardenweb.com/forums/expacnw/: Offers a Pacific Northwest-specific exchange, as well as national exchanges for seeds, plants, books, gardening items and specific types of plants, from African violets to roses to vegetables.
www.seedswapper.com: Flower, heirloom and vegetable seed swaps, plus other gardening topic forums.
Plant associations
Northwest Perennial Alliance: www.northwestperennialalliance.org
Northwest Horticultural Society: www.northwesthort.org
American Primrose Society: www.americanprimrosesoc.org
North American Native Plant Society: www.nanps.org
Plant Amnesty: www.plantamnesty.org
First-timer Carolyn Sanscrainte of Seattle, who took away several clumps of bareroot hostas — including chartreuse and blue-green varieties — told Eichner she hoped she wasn't being "too greedy."
He shrugged and motioned at the collection of roots, clumps and twig-like plants. "I'm not going home with any of this." Plus, he promised her hostas would soon be large enough for her to come back and share divisions.
Local garden exchanges, held in the spring and fall, attract a mix of newbie and seasoned gardeners. The format resembles a tailgate party, as gardeners open their trunks or flatbed trucks to display plants, some potted, some bareroot.
At the Redmond swap, offerings included roses, bamboo, ornamental grasses, iris, daylilies (Hemerocallis), asters, ferns, scabiosa and Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum).
"If you're into gardening, this is great," said Christine Robertson of Mercer Island as she carried a bag of dahlia tubers to trade. "You can get things here you can't get at nurseries."
Many arrange advance trades through GardenWeb's Pacific Northwest plant exchange forum (see box below for details), then bring extras for impromptu trades or giveaways. "We've all got a bunch of extra stuff in our gardens, and rather than throw it in the trash pile, we'd rather give it away," Robertson said.
On her car trunk, Karee Oliver of Kirkland posted lists of her "haves" — red valerian, strawberries, dahlias, lilac, columbine (Aquilegia) and hostas — and her "wanted" — salvia, nicotiana, sedum, chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus), poppies (Papaver) and lavatera. She'd already scored some hostas, delphiniums and black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) from her "wanted" list and was praising the self-seeding red valerian (Centranthus ruber) to potential takers.
Exchange etiquette
Don't expect something for nothing. Some plant exchangers don't mind giving away extra plants, but respect the time and effort it takes to dig up and pot plants or collect and dry seeds. Some in-person exchanges are open to folks bringing drinks or treats instead of plants. Online sites are stricter.
Don't ask for or offer cash. Selling is a no-no.
The goal is to grow. Make sure plants are healthy. In seed exchanges, two to three dozen seeds is a common exchange number.
Provide information. It's helpful to label plants with name, type of plant and ideal growing conditions. Give warnings on plants that can become invasive. (Takers also should do their own research, as one person's "prolific" is another's "invasive.")
Discuss a fair trade. Some plant exchanges are one-for-one; others let members negotiate what both parties consider to be fair. For example, one rare (and expensive) plant might be worth several more common plants.
Don't be greedy. Take one of each item if multiple pots are available (unless it is the end of the day).
Start small. When dealing with a new trading partner, keep exchanges small (not your one-of-a-kind specimen).
Sources: GardenWeb, Eastside Green Elephant Plant Swap
"You always get things you never thought of," said Oliver. "If you don't know what something is, they'll tell you what it is and what to do with it."
That extends to unknown plants in one's own garden. "When you buy a house, plants aren't usually labeled," noted Jean Tinnea of Seattle, who came looking for "blue-flowered things" and offered wild lilac, iris and cerinthe. "Part of the fun of coming is someone can identify your mystery plants. There's always more to learn."
Some gardeners bring books or print pictures and descriptions from Web sites to show what plants (or a plain clump of roots) look like in bloom.
"Don't be afraid to show up if you don't have anything (to trade)," Oliver advised. "People are really interested in helping new gardeners. Everyone is so friendly and generous."
Stephanie Dunnewind: 206-464-2091 or sdunnewind@seattletimes.com
