Annual Plant Swap, plus assorted fabulous finds
May 21, 2014
by Ann Kreilkamp
After a number of email reminders (including one I sent in haste from my temporary perch at a gathering in the Great Bear National Lakeshore in northern Michigan with the Great Old Broads for Wilderness), and a giant sign Rebecca put out for a few days late last week,
Saturday, May 18, was the occasion for our annual plant swap, an event that usually draws the same dedicated characters — plus a few new neighbors. This time was no exception. Six neighbors showed up between 10 am and 2 pm, most of them, Rebecca tells me, early on, which is good, because then everybody could choose plants they wanted to take home.
This time the surprise was in the variety of plants people brought to share. They included iris, marigolds, lilly of the valley, columbine, wood poppy, assorted veggie starts, black berry and raspberry starts, and asters. Plus, an even bigger surprise, none of the usual staples: hostas and daylilies!
Kathy suggested that we plant the extra plants during one of our planned guerilla gardening adventures, in a public area, probably around midnight . . . I’m checking to see if the city mows the area around the new underpass. And even if it does, perhaps we could put up a sign saying “please don’t mow these plants down.” That would be an interesting experiment, eh?
Unfortunately, since I wasn’t here, no pics of the Plant Swap event itself. But it sounds like a good one, and that afternoon Rebecca tells me four people showed up to work in the GANG garden. YES!
Plus, two days ago, I was out walking with puppy Shadow when I came across the adult son of a neighbor on the corner of 7th and Hillsdale who was mowing an enormous lawn and collecting the clippings. He agreed to give them to the GANG garden, and actually dropped them off, later. YES!
This morning I added a layer of grass mulch to some of Rebecca’s newly planted beds.
But the best I saved for last.
Last night, in the middle of the night, Rebecca woke up and remembered that she had decided to go get the probably 40 pieces of perfectly good long pieces of wood that were stacked by a dumpster on 7th Street, near the Fire Station. So, at 2 am, she roused herself out of bed, started the truck, and went to pick it up. The the best part for her? A fireman came out and asked if she wanted help. Unfortunately, she was already done. This wood will go a long way towards any building projects.
