plant swap!

I was delighted to attend the spring plant (and seed) swap at my local library (not hosted by the library, it's an individual group). I missed it in the fall, and last spring due to covid. This is what I took to give away- pink turtlehead, echinacea, a sprig of lavendar-

some coleus (the best ones leftover from the first set of cuttings I grew out) and one cilantro

A brandywine tomato, and a jade I've been growing for a while- one lady in particular was very happy to get the jade, and asked me how I grew it "so big!" so I showed her how I pinch them to encourage branching. Also, some packets of seed I'll never grow (sweet corn) and of saved seed I have so much of- cilantro, parsley, sage, echinacea, marigolds.

And here's what I got! The idea is you can take as many plants as you brought (though nobody checks, it's an honor system). I took twenty plants plus the seed packets, and didn't bring home quite as much- but some I'm so glad of that I don't mind. To start- a bunch of stonecrop. 

Creeping jenny

Yarrow

This one wasn't marked but I am pretty sure it's artemesia, or dusty miller- which would be nice because the ones I dug out of someone's yard and moved the year before all died on me, and the wormwood I'm trying to grow from seed hasn't sprouted at all.

Salvia lyrata- I kind I hadn't seen before

A sad-looking ostrich fern. There were many more, nicer ones- but other people got them first! (Behind it you can see the row of new geraniums, which I just moved up into larger pots yesterday)

A group of aloe vera pups, and a variegated spider plant- happy to have these because I used to have these plants but they died. I think I'm doing better by the plain-colored spider plant I have now, and with semi-succulents in general, so hope these do well!

Strawberry begonia. Again. The one I got year before, died. I mentioned that to another attendee at the plant swap and she said with surprise: "how did you kill it? they grow back outside!" It's usually grown as a perennial groundcover. Well, I got four clumps of it- one I'm going to try to keep as a houseplant again (because I do find it attractive) and the others put outside like everyone else does.

Not a great picture, because I'd already stuck it in the greenhouse, but this is spider lily, or spiderwort- scientific name tradescantia virginiana. I remarked on it when I saw the tag- yes, it's a native plant but what struck me is that it's related to tradescantia zebrina- or the wandering jew. They look nothing alike.

Most of the plants I got, had obviously just been dug out of the ground, a lot weren't in pots but just bare root. A bit wilting, and it was a warm day plus I am not sure yet where I will locate them all. So I put the bare root ones in pots with a bit of soil, and put most on the floor in my little greenhouse, to get some humidity and recover a bit from their shock. Except for the spider plant, aloe, and one strawberry begonia of course, which I kept inside. And this- my prize: 

It's a crown of thorns plant! Three cuttings, to be exact. I was so thrilled to see this I snatched it up immediately.

Years ago visiting a friend of my husband, I saw a large specimen of this plant in their living room window. I'd never seen one before and it was so striking. Wanted one ever since but never seen it anywhere for sale- in person that is. So I am delighted to have acquired this one, it was worth the whole swap to me. A bit concerned I might not have enough sun exposure for it (nearly all my windows are indirect light, the one window with direct light is always crowded)- but the lady who brought it said she puts hers outside for summers, and just overwinters it indoors. I'm certainly going to read up on it!