Swapping Plants and Tips with DC-area Gardeners

Guest Blog by Daven Desai

 

The 8^th annual DC Plant Swap by Washington Gardener Magazine took place on Saturday, June 13th at the US National Arboretum in DC. Dozens of folks drove in from Virginia, across the District, and Eastern Maryland to take part in the plant swap.

      Every year, people bring out their own plants, from edibles to perennials, these gardening enthusiasts love exchanging what they have grown for something entirely different.  When Kathy Jentz, editor-in-chief of Washington Gardener Magazine Magazine blew her whistle, folks eagerly rushed to pick up their plant of choice. In order to participate, one must bring something to give up from their garden. A few gardening supporters also came out just to hang with these plant-lovers.

      With just a portion of the parking lot at the Arboretum each space was labeled with a plant category. There were houseplants, water plants, and even edibles! The amount in variety was great, though it was clear that it was a plant swap full of mostly sun to part-sun perennials this year.

    The schedule of the event was pretty simple. Participants arrived, they unloaded their plants and then separated them by category according to the labeled spaces. Once the event began, participants gathered at the end of the parking lot in introduce themselves and to tell the rest of us what they had brought to exchange. After the introductions, they all lined up against the partition that separated the parking lot in front of the plants. When Jentz blew her whistle, participants would run over to grab their shrub, herb, or plant of choice. Jentz repeated this for another two rounds before opening up the lot as a free-for-all.

From all the plants that arrived in the morning, each one was given a new home. The 8^th Annual DC Plant Swap was a success!

About the Author
Daven Desai is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a broadcast journalism student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This summer, he is also an editorial intern for Washington Gardener Magazine.