The Swap! .....and some Thank You's!!

I started this blog back in January of this year. I wanted a way to extend the Master Gardener Mission of education. I also wanted this to be fun and inspiring, so that more people would get out and try things they never would have before.  I hope that I have done that for all my followers. I would like to take this time to THANK all of them, as of this writing, I am now at 30. I am also amazed at how many people have viewed my little piece of the internet. I looked at the stats before I started this post, a whopping 5441 people have viewed my blog, just since May. There are views from such places as Shri Lanka, Luxembourg, Australia and Sweden....just to name a few. I am honored that people from around the world have taken time to read my ramblings.
Today, I wanted to start getting the word out about the upcoming Fall Plant Swap. I have been doing the one in the Spring for 7 or 8 years now, last year was the first Fall one I had done. They have been so popular that I am doing it again.
What is a plant swap?
It is pretty much what it sounds like, you bring plants and you swap them. I have a little bit of a twist though.
Yes, everybody brings plants and we do swap them, BUT, how we swap them is the fun part.
All of the plants get laid out in the designated area, no rhyme or reason as to where or in any particular groupings. At the predetermined time, I yell GO and everybody chooses one plant. They then take that plant back to their vehicle or in some little spot, out of the way of all the action. When everybody returns, we do it all over again, this continues on until all the plants are gone. It sounds like there would be total chaos, but it actually goes very smoothly. Of course, the very first round, people tend to "guard' their first acquisition just before I say go....all the better to get there early to scout.
I also encourage everybody that attends to bring some kind of pot luck dish. After all the plants have been swapped, we sit around to eat, socialize and discuss the cool new plants we just got.
Hosting a plant swap of your own is really VERY easy.
Here are the key things you need to get started:
1) A place to hold it. This could be a park, school playground, or even a plant person with a very large yard and plenty of parking. Bathrooms are also a VERY big plus! Always check to see what kind of regulations or permission you might need to use whatever you may choose. If you want to do the pot luck after, it is even better if there are picnic tables.
2) Publicity. This can be the tricky part. There are many websites that can help you, Gardenweb, Plantswap.net,  Blossomswap.com are just a few that I know about. Starting your own Blog is useful. Then there is the local newspaper, library bulletin board, your local Master Gardener or Extension Agent. I tend to avoid garden centers, they may think you are competing with them. The sky is the limit as to who you can get to advertise your swap. If you know one plant person, tell them. They are sure to know somebody else and so on and so forth. Just as a side note, don't be discouraged if your first or second swap isn't what you expect. My very first swap only had 7 people show up, the last Spring Swap I had, there was 75 people and some 800 plants swapped!.
There is a fine line as to too early and too late to start publicizing. Too early and people may forget. Too late and people do not have enough time to start cuttings, seeds or such. I always start about 8 weeks out. Then an occasional e-mail or blog posting just as a little reminder.
3) Have Fun.
If there are people there that can ID plants, that is a super bonus. I have tried to get people to tag their plants, but there are many that do not even know what they are growing. I get the, "My grandmother gave it to me and she didn't know" or the "it's green and has a pink flower". This is where all my Master Gardener friends come in handy.
If you think you will want to do this again, ask for e-mail address'. If the people that show up have fun, they will gladly give it to you for a chance to do it again.
And that really is all there is to it.
The flyers that you use can be as plain or as fancy as you want. Here is a sample of what I use:

Do you have extra Tomato plants?
Plant WAY too many Marigolds?
Looking to trade for something you don’t have?
WELL THAN, COME TO A PLANT SWAP!!
In NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
September 25th, 10am set-up and browse....11am swap...immediately afterwards...LUNCH!
 This year we are having it at Park Circle in North Charleston, by the Gazebo. There are picnic tables, bathrooms and LOTS of room for kids to play and even more room for plants, parking and food.
Pretty much everybody in Charleston is familiar with Park Circle....there are numerous ways to get to it, depending on which way you are coming. If you want or need directions you can E-mail me at Cactusmusic@netzero.com, I will get it and respond ASAP.
The way we swap will be the same... the basic Free For All. I will say go, everybody will grab ONE (1) plant and take it to their hiding area. After everybody has a plant, we repeat the process. Nice and Simple!
I always get asked, what should I bring? Basically, if it grows, it goes!! Shrubs, saplings, houseplants. I also encourage folks to bring garden art, chicken wire, no longer needed tools, garden hoses, pots...if it is garden related, it will go also.
We will have plates, napkins, silverware and such, Please bring your own drinks and food for as many as you can. We like to do a Pot Luck style picnic and encourage everybody to stick around and participate. The socializing afterwards is as much fun as the swap itself, please try to give yourself enough time to stay and enjoy yourself!

I would like to invite you to my swap on September 25th, 2010 at 10am. I hope to see LOTS of you holding plant swaps of your own in the near future. Please e-mail me if you have one, I would love to see how it goes. Any questions? I would love to help answer anything you might have, to make it a little easier for you.
Here are some pictures from my last swap:

Happy Growing! (and swapping)
Darren

Not a "Hi" Society

I have mentioned before, I am an active member of the Coastal Carolina Camellia Society. I really dig this group (half a pun intended). I have learned SO much about Camellias just chatting with and listening to some of these folks. I really feel if you can get involved with any plant society it will be worth your time. There is an Orchid Society here in Charleston also, I plan on joining them sometime in the future. They only meet on even months and the past two meetings I have had something else come up.
Unfortunately, that is about all she wrote.
There is the Charleston Horticultural Society, that is a little different in my book. They are more of a broader range society. They tend to cover all kinds of plants. Don't get me wrong, you can learn a lot from these folks too. When I say join a plant society, I mean an individual plant, i.e. The Camellia Society.
I decided to do some searching around to see what else was out there. Boy, did I come across some neat groups. The American Conifer Society, The Hosta Society, The American Hibiscus Society, just to name a few. I am wanting to learn as much as I possibly can about as many plants as I can without losing my mind. So, my thinking was, I will pick a couple of other societies, join them and LEARN!
Apparently, South Carolina has cooties or something like that when it comes to plant societies. There does not seem to be any chapters here in South Carolina.
Let me give you some examples.
The American Hosta Society. I have just recently learned there are hundreds of Hostas out there. Hostas are a pretty common plant here in SC and you would think there would be a society. Nope! There are none listed. There are two in North Carolina, one in Georgia, one in Virginia and four in Tennessee. All around us, none here.
How about The American Daffodil Society. Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina...South Carolina, you are outta luck.
The Gesneriad Society. (This is the group that has African Violets, Gloxinias and about 2000 other species and hybrids that make up some unusual houseplants). They are all over the place, Florida, Georgia, California, Colorado, even have one of these in Canada and Sweden! I guess I shouldn't feel too left out, North Carolina got the boot on this one too.
It is a shame that all this great information is not available in my home state of South Carolina. If I had the time and the money I would SO love to start a few of these. Holly, Ivy, Hydrangea and so many more plants all have their own societies. Did we forget to bathe? Is there no interest in SC for societies? Please, if somebody is reading this that would like to start a certain society...Contact me! I will help if at all possible.
Like I stated before, there is so much to learn by joining a society. My biggest fear is that so much knowledge will go to waste because it is not passed on to the next generation. Yes, I know there are books, the internet so forth and so on. It is just not the same. I can look at pictures all day of certain Camellia flowers, I still can't identify them in the real world.....Unless someone has taken the time to show me an actual flower and tell me this is what so and so looks like. Pictures do not do a flower justice.
I want to go see a yard that somebody is growing a "Lost" Hosta or Iris. I want to see the flower of a Daffodil that can't be bought in the store anymore because a "Better, Brighter, Shinier one" has been bred. Breeders are always trying to improve different flowers. That is fine and dandy, just don't throw the old ones out and forget about them.
One little story relating to this. At one of my plant swaps, my mother received some brown Iris bulbs. I did not even know there was such a thing. Apparently these are some old heirloom Iris'. Anyway, had that person not brought them, I would not have probably ever gotten to see them. This is the type of information and knowledge that is being lost. Please, join a society, create one if you have a passion for a specific species of plant. Pass the information on to the next generation!
I wonder if a Citrus Society in South Carolina would work? Hmmm.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Put 'Em In The Ground

I have had a few people tell me they love that you can grow Citrus in Containers, But then they ask, will they grow in the ground in South Carolina? YES!
This is the information sheet that I give to everybody that attends my lectures.
This is good information for anybody that lives in a Zone 8 or warmer.

CITRUS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Citrus are subtropical or warm temperature plants adapted to growing in sandy soils along floodplains. To a degree, many parts of the Southeast greatly resemble the native habitats of citrus. Rainfall patterns are similar to Southeast Asia, the native habitat of citrus.
Like many plants, citrus prefer well drained, loamy soil. Citrus can succeed in heavier clays as long as they are well drained. No citrus can stand wet feet and will rapidly decline under persistently wet conditions. That being said, citrus need to be well watered at all times. They can be somewhat drought tolerant depending upon variety, but all will do better if given sufficient moisture. Remember, Winter is the drier season and special attention will need to be given to citrus during this time.
When planting citrus it is always a good idea to have your soil tested. Citrus appear to be more sensitive to deficiencies and when they enter a new flush of growth, the new growth will immediately show the deficiencies. Correcting them is a challenge after that! Slow release fertilizers with a ratio of 8-8-8 are excellent, especially if it also contains micronutrients such as iron, magnesium and manganese. A foliar feed (spraying the plants so the leaves absorb the food) with fish emulsion is also a good idea.
When it comes to where in your yard you should plant a citrus, there are a few factors that can come into play. South Carolina does occasionally have some really cold snaps, below 28 degrees. A southern or western exposure is the best. If you can plant it close to the house or a brick wall, this will give you some extra protection. The building or wall will absorb heat during the day and give it back to the tree at night. A mature citrus tree will handle down to 28 degrees or lower for a brief period of time. All of this is subject to how long the freeze is and how much time the tree had to go dormant prior to the freeze event. Younger trees should have some additional protection. One of the most festive ways is to get some C-7 or C-9 Christmas lights, the old ones, the new ones don't put off any heat. Wrap them around your tree and then place a plastic sheet over it. This will give you a few extra degrees of protection, which is sometimes all you need. Just remember to remove it at sunrise or you risk the chance of burning your citrus or having it break dormancy. A southern or western exposure will also give you the 8-10 hours of sunlight that citrus enjoy most of the year.
There are many varieties that will do well in a zone 8, given the help and protection listed above. Kumquats will do very well because they go completely dormant in the winter. Satsumas are actually a “class” of mandarin oranges. There are several cultivars that do well in South Carolina. Some examples are Kimbrough, Owari and Early St. Anne. There are many other early sweet oranges, sour oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruit that will do well. It is just a matter of finding the right cultivar that ripens early. It is also important to find trees grafted on Poncirus trifoliata or Flying Dragon as this will give you more cold hardiness.

Want some proof?





This is the fruit and tree from my friend Kathy. (Thanks Kathy!) As you can see she got quite the harvest of Oranges and Satsumas and has to use a ladder to pick the fruit.
So if you don't like the looks of containers or are afraid they will be a little too much work, Put 'em in the ground!
Happy Growing!
Darren