Middle Tennessee Plant Swap – Fall 2018

I read about Facebook groups for houseplant swaps from Stamen and Stem Blog a few months back, and so I searched for a similar group on Facebook. I came across The Middle Tennessee Plant Swap Facebook group in my searches and joined immediately. While not a houseplant swap group, it was even better! I learned that they hold a twice yearly plant swap at Henry Horton State Park, and in the time between, discuss what’s blooming in their garden, identify plants, share extras from their gardens, and share deals on garden items they see in the area.

I just missed out on the spring swap, so I was very excited to be able to go to the fall swap. Saturday, October 20 finally arrived, and it was like Christmas came early. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. People posted lists of what they were bringing as well as plants they wanted in the group ahead of time. Some people did “pre-trades” where they worked out swaps ahead of time. That was a good way to get what you were looking for. Everyone brought their plants to the swap and if they had worked out an arrangement ahead of time, they traded those. The rest of the plants were available to swap.

Everyone set up a table or booth and set out their plants that were available to swap. Then, you walked around perusing everyone’s plants, seeing what they had, and if you had anything they were interested in. It was fun chatting, putting faces to the names from Facebook, and just being with plant people!

I brought as many plants as I could, including a dogwood tree that was not getting the sun it needed to thrive. I also brought a boatload of black-eyed Susans, daisies, and Lamb’s ear. I was surprised that anybody wanted them since they seem like such common garden plants! I came home with lots of houseplants. I’m happy to finally have the classic houseplants – philodendron, pothos, and peace lily. I also scored a lemon lime dracaena (I think…based on some googling), and two varieties of sansevieria. It’s so funny, but the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, holds true for plants. What some of us have in spades, some have none of.

That’s the beauty of the swap. Even beginner gardeners with little variety or quantity of plants to offer for trades were welcomed into the fold. Everyone has been there at some point, and this is a much more cost effective way to begin your garden than going on a spending spree at Home Depot or local nurseries.

Plant people really are some of the best people. And in particular, plant swap people are the best people. They have giving hearts and aren’t in it for themselves or making money. You see a lot of people either throwing their divisions onto the compost heap or selling their extra plants online. With the first, it just takes a simple post online, and people will come out of the woodwork to get those free plants. With the second, while I see it as a means to possibly recoup some costs incurred with gardening, I also much prefer to trade with someone else and have them get some joy out of something I either don’t want or have too much of. In exchange, I get something that I truly want as well. I can’t tell you how long I have been eyeing the sansevierias at Home Depot. I had to tell myself to be patient, and that one would come my way. Lo and behold, two came my way at the swap!

After the trading was mostly finished, we had a potluck lunch. I was a little behind on getting my plants ready, so I was that person and brought store-bought cookies. Everyone else, however, really brought their “A” game.

The day finished with an auction of rarer plants and garden-related items that people donated in order to raise funds to pay for the venues. We had to leave after lunch to go let the dogs out, but it sounded like it was a fun end to a great swap.

I really enjoyed my first plant swap! People were so friendly and giving. I’m glad I was able to meet the people that I had seen posting in the Facebook group for months. Have you ever been to a plant swap? Do you meet up with other gardeners? Try out Facebook to find some local groups to connect with!