Category Archives: Plant Swap

Deer-Resistant Bulbs

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Daffodils are not the only option if you have deer in your garden

Daffodils are not the only option if you have deer in your garden

For gardeners like me who have deer routinely browsing virtually every plant in their garden, fall can be a particularly disheartening season.  While deer-free gardeners are happily planning for all the colorful spring-flowering bulbs they will plant in their gardens, we are left out in the cold with a severe case of bulb-envy.  Until now.

If you’re looking to expand your selection of bulbs beyond the tried and true crocus, daffodil and muscari, check out some of these deer-resistant bulbs:

  • Allium:   Flowering onions come in a remarkable array of interesting flowers that all make an architectural statement in any garden.  All require full sun.
  • Camassia:  This native bulb is highly adaptable.  It thrives in full sun to part shade and also tolerates moist soil.  It’s bright blue flowers are a welcome late spring addition to any garden.
  • Erythronium:  Trout Lily’s bright yellow flowers will help to brighten up a woodland garden.   They like partial shade and a rich, humusy soil.
  • Fritillaria:  Crown Imperials are available in several brightly colored shades but all like full sun and well-draining soil that remains dry during the summer.  Their large, interesting shape means just a few bulbs massed together will make a terrific focal point.
  • Ipheion:  Starflowers are ideal for naturalizing at the edge of a woodland or under trees and shrubs before they leaf out.  Their flowers, in shades of blue (there is also a pure white variety) also look good paired with daffodils.  Starflowers tolerate partial shade.  To make an impact, plant at least 50 – 100 bulbs in the same area.

This list includes just a few of the deer-resistant bulbs that are available for fall planting.  If you have others that you enjoy in your spring garden, please let us know what they are.  And remember, just because a plant is deer-resistant in my garden doesn’t mean it will be deer-resistant in yours.

And one final note about the outgoing links for each bulb.  If you followed them, you noticed they all brought you to the Colorblends website.  I chose to do that as a way to thank Colorblends for their generous donation of bulbs to the October 2009 Fairfield County Plant Swap.  To find out more about the Plant Swap and the Colorblends donation, click here.

My Plant Swap Goodies

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My free plants from the plant swap

My free plants from the plant swap

I love getting new plants for my garden, but let’s face it, plants can be expensive.  That’s why I am always so excited to organize and participate in the Fairfield County Plant Swap.  On Saturday, we held the fall plant swap at the New Canaan Nature Center in New Canaan, CT.

Here’s my bounty – all FREE – from the Plant Swap. While it may not look like much, here’s what I can home with:

  • Half a flat of sweet flag (Acorus)
  • Lamb ear (Stachys)
  • Baptisia australis – A nice big mature plant that I divided into two already
  • Astilbe – Another mature specimen that has been divided into four smaller plants
  • Sedum – three different varieties
  • Meadow Rue (Thalictrum) – Again, another mature specimen that I divided into three smaller plants before I planted them
  • Blackberry lily (Belamcandra chinesis) – This is a new plant for me so I am excited to grow it and see how it performs in my garden
  • Hosta – I got these four plants for my father-in-law’sgarden since it will be deer candy in my garden and I really don’t need any more plants to try to protect from the deer

This is the second plant swap I’ve participated in this year.  I also got some wonderful new plants in June that all thrived in my garden this summer.  Because of the Fairfield County Plant Swap, I now have at least a dozen new plants in my garden that would have cost me hundreds of dollars to buy.  And I got them all for free. 

If you have the opportunity to participate in a plant swap in your community, I encourage you to do so.  It’s a great way to meet interesting people who also like to garden and get some new plants to expand your garden.  To find a plant swap in  your area, visit Plantswap.net or check out GreenThumbTrader. 

I’d also like to thank Chris from Colorblends for the generous donation of bulbs that we used as a free raffle prize.  To see a photo of Chris and the excited winners, click here.  And if you haven’t ordered your bulbs yet, you might want to check out Colorblends – I can tell you firsthand that their bulbs look incredible.

Fairfield County Plant Swap

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My bounty from the June Plant Swap

My bounty from the June Plant Swap

Looking for free plants?  Have perennials in your garden that need to be divided?  Want to meet other local gardening enthusiasts?  If you answered Yes to any of these questions then you should plan to stop by the Fairfield County Plant Swap next Saturday, October 10th.

The Plant Swap is being held at the New Canaan Nature Center in New Canaan, CT from 8:30 – 10:30 am.  Check-in starts at 8:30 but runs throughout the Plant Swap.  The actual swapping starts at 9:30.  The grounds of the Nature Center are open to all swappers.  If you’ve never been to the Nature Center this is the perfect time to experience all the trails and exhibits the Nature Center offers.

At the June Plant Swap, we had over 25 people participating.  We are hoping to have even more next weekend.  A hallmark of the Fairfield County Plant Swap is the free raffle that all swappers can enter.  In June, we raffled off a rainbarrel  donated by R.U.F. Products of Ridgefield.  This time we are raffling off the following items generously donated by Colorblends of Bridgeport, CT.

  • 200 daffodil bulbs
  • 100 tulip bulbs
  • 100 daffodil bulbs
  • 50 tulip bulbs
  • 3 amaryllis bulbs

Remember, everyone who participates in the October 2009 Fairfield County Plant Swap has the opportunity to win one of these prizes that will provide beauty and color in your garden for years to come.

See you next Saturday!

FREE Plants from the Plant Swap

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Fairfield County Plant Swap

Fairfield County Plant Swap

Yesterday turned out to be the ideal day for the first annual Fairfield County Plant Swap at the New Canaan Nature Center.  About 25 garden enthusiasts came with tons of plants to swap.  We even had one person drive up with a minivan full of variegated hosta and white bearded iris. 

Besides swapping plants, participants shared tips about organic gardening, pest control and of course techniques for keeping deer away from their gardens.  I was amazed at the number of plants that are browsed in one garden but left alone in others.  The other great part of the plant swap was hearing first hand from the other gardeners how the plants they were swapping performed in their gardens.  It was interesting to hear how some plants that I considered full sun plants were thriving in part shade in other people’s gardens.  I got some good inspiration for new plant locations for my own garden.  You get so much more than free plants at a plant swap!

The New Canaan Nature Center was the ideal place to have the Fairfield County Plant Swap.  The grounds are lovely and we set up the plant swap right in front of a long mixed border near the greenhouse.  That turned out to be a fitting spot since some swappers brought plants that were growing in the border.  It was easy to show other swappers what a mature plant looked like just a few feet away.

My Plant Swap Bounty!

My Plant Swap Bounty!

Here’s a photo of the FREE plants I took home from the plant swap.  I also got some Myrrhis odorata (Sweet Cicely) seeds and when I planted my bounty yesterday I was able to divide several of the plants into smaller clumps so I really had allot of new additions to my garden. 

 

 

 

Here’s a list of the plants I got for free at the plant swap:

  • Epimedium (Barrenwort)
  • Galium odaratum (Sweet William)
  • Geranium maculatum (a native cranesbill geranium)
  • Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon shrub)
  • Inula elecampane (Horseheal or Wild Sunflower)
  • Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris)
  • Iris germanica (Bearded Iris)
  • Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ (Variegated Solomon’s Seal)

I am so excited to see how my new free plants will perform in my garden.  I can hardly wait until the next plant swap to find more treasures!

Anyone Want Some Free Plants?

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Free plants?  Sounds too good to be true but it is.  A great way for gardeners to get free plants is to participate in a local plant swap.  Never heard of a plant swap?  A plant swap is an old concept that is getting lots of attention these days. 

Simply put, a plant swap is an organized gathering of gardening enthusiasts who swap plants with each other.  You dig up a healthy plant from your garden (maybe one that needs to be divided or a plant that you have alot of already), bring it to the plant swap and you get (for free) a new healthy plant for your garden.  Like I said, it’s easy to join in!

One great thing about plant swaps is you know you will get a plant that grows well in your local growing zone.  You may even be able to get advice on how to care for it from it’s original owner.  You’ll also meet other local gardeners who can share their tips and tactics for dealing with many of the same gardening issues you may be tackling.

I'm bringing some of this...

I'm bringing some of this...

For those fortunate gardeners who live in or near Fairfield County in Connecticut, you are in luck.  On Saturday, June 6th, the first annual Fairfield County Plant Swap is being held at the New Canaan Nature Center in New Canaan, CT.  The plant swap is being sponsored by me and Monica Hemingway of  The Gardener’s List.

Besides getting free plants, every participant at the Fairfield County Plant Swap will be entered to win a free rain barrel from R.U.F. Products located in Ridgefield, CT.  Rain barrels are a simple and effective way to harvest rain water for use in your garden – not to mention they are an easy way to make your garden more sustainable.

And some of this...

And some of this...

If you do not live locally and will not be able to participate in the Fairfield County Plant Swap, you may be able to find a plant swap in your area online.  Check out sites such as plantswap.net or the regional forums section of gardenweb.com. Can’t find one to participate in?  Why not organize your own like Monica and I decided to do when we couldn’t find a local plant swap.  If you need some tips on organizing, I’ll be more than happy to share what I’ve learned so far.

I hope to see you at the Fairfield County Plant Swap in June 6th.  For answers to any questions you might have about the Fairfield County Plant Swap, click here for the FAQs page.  The weather forecast looks good and it should be tons of fun!