Start a Plant Exchange

Many homeowners with dreams of creating lush gardens and landscaping find the prices of plants at nurseries and garden centers daunting. But sharing plants with neighbors and organizing exchanges are inexpensive ways to expand your collections, promote diversity, and preserve heirloom varieties.

Some bushes such as forsythia, euonymus, barberry, and boxwood easily can be rooted from cuttings; mature bushes need trimming to keep them looking good anyway. Overcrowded perennials need to be divided. So why not take advantage of these needs to improve your own landscape?

Unless you’ve just moved into a new home on a bare lot, chances are you already have something to trade. If you don’t have anything to exchange, or the plants on your property aren’t in high demand, use other ways to barter for plant materials.

Approach friends, relatives, and neighbors who have an overabundance of greenery. Garden clubs regularly exchange plants, usually in the spring or fall. Check the local newspaper to find one in your area. These groups are a fantastic resource for information and inspiration as well. Volunteer at a park, school, or church to help with gardening tasks. You might get free plants, cuttings, or meet other gardeners with something to trade. The Internet is another good source for plant exchanges. Visit forums.gardenweb.com/forums/explant or www.backyardgardener.com/

messageboard.html for general exchanges, or use search engines to find groups with specific interests.

But not all plants are good candidates for exchanges. Some varieties such as roses or clematis can be difficult to propagate and are best left for professional growers. If you’re exchanging with gardeners from different parts of the country or overseas, keep in mind that some plants are illegal to import or export because they’re considered pests in certain areas.

Depending on the variety, growing plants from seeds or cuttings can be slow, and divided perennials may take a few years to become established, but it’s worth the wait.

Fall is a perfect time to plan for plant exchanges. Look around your yard and garden for flowers that have developed seeds, and collect them. Label them carefully, including details such as flower color and plant height.

Take note of empty spaces you’d like to fill, and jot down ideas for spring planting. Many perennials do well when planted in the fall, as long as there’s time for them to establish roots before a heavy frost hits. Prepare for springtime exchanges by admiring neighborhood gardeners’ yards, chatting with other enthusiasts, and stocking up on materials such as seed-starting flats and potting soil off-season. Next spring when it’s time to sow, divide, and trim, you’ll be ready.

It’s always gratifying to watch a seed or tiny cutting grow into a large, graceful plant. It’s even more fun when you realize the plant cost nothing but the effort to obtain it. Plant exchanges do more than improve your garden and landscape; they can also sprout friendships.

Pamela Kock is a freelance writer from southwest Ohio and editor of a website devoted to houseplants.

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