What do you do with your excess plants

[maddie]

I was looking up some local resources for some plants I needed for my mom in law. I found that there is a provision with the department of horticulture to donate excess plants and take a plant/tree you need from their resources. Do you have a similar barter/ exchange system where you live? I think this is such a lovely way to encourage people to have a variety of plants.

 

[blueiris]

I have been involved in some online seed swaps but haven't participated in any plant swaps. I know there are gardening groups that meet regularly in my area and swap plants and seeds. They are informal and usually post about the swaps on the internet at location specific gardening forums. I love the idea, though.

 

[zigs]

Car boot sales, freecycle or just stick them outside the house

This worked well for me until a drunk driver decided he didn't like plants, garden walls, his car or his driving licence.

 

[Kyla]

Oh what a shame! Your lovely garden, all smashed like that. Ouch!

I have only given excess plants away. Whenever I do grow from seed there are always tons of extras but I've never been organized enough to sell them and there is always someone around who is grateful to receive them. Whether they end up actually growing them out is another question!

If I lived in a place that had good roadside access such as yours, zigs, I might try setting up a plant sale stand on the honor system. Do you think you'll try again next year despite the risk of driver damage? (Surely it won't happen two years in a row!)

 

[zigs]

Its all sorted now

Won't be doing it this year as the house is up for sale.

 

[zigs]

Oh, and the second drunk driver just missed my bathroom.

 

[maddie]

Oh, and the second drunk driver just missed my bathroom.

LOL Zigs you seem to invite them .. do you ? Do you sue those drivers?
I would be hopping mad if someone did that to my garden.. How did you deal with that?

 

[Jed]

There is a saying if it happens once it may never happen again. But if it happens twice...
Sounds like the best thing to do sell up. But will you tell the purchaser they're buying a drunk drivers halfway house.

Excess plants. We hardly ever have them now. In the past we grew things for markets stalls but these days it's for ourselves.

 

[zigs]

The local pub is shut now, so it seems to have calmed down.

Got a cheque off the insurance company for the first one. Second one didn't do any damage except for the fence at the back, which was his fence in the first place, he was that drunk that he missed his double gates.

 

[ChanellG]

Wow! It seems I have been missing out here. Maddie, I started some new plants after prun.ing a couple and not wanting to just throw out the branches. They successfully rooted and started making new leaves and I gave three of them away. I have several young lavender plants I started from seed, but I will probably keep most of those to help with natural pest control.

 

[Kyla]

Oh starting lavender from seed is so cool! I remember the first time I succeeded at that how excited I was. And that could be such a nice gift too, lavender plants.

Chanell, what kind of tree did you root? I haven't done much propagation from cuttings, so I'd love know what worked for you.

Zigs, glad you got compensation for that mess, wow. And looking at the first pictures it does seem you were right in a place where someone out of control of their vehicle just couldn't miss hitting your yard!

Okay, now I am getting my spirits up again about gardening next year. I had so not been feeling it this winter, but talk of extra plants for some reason set my mind going! LOL

 

[ChanellG]

@Kyla, I propagated two of my flowering plants. I have a rather large hibiscus in a pot that I trimmed back along the bottom so it could bush out a bit more (hopefully), but be more tapered. I stuck the little branches I trimmed away in water and later planted them (no roots will grow in water, but eventually you'll get leaves). I don't know the name of the other plant, but it grew roots immediately. When it blooms again I'll post pix.

@Zigs, what an adventure you've had with that place!

 

[zigs]

and you thought it was a quiet little village

 

[dziomek]

I usually do not have much in the way of extra plants, but if I do I share them with my friends and my sister. One of my best friends has a sideline greenhouse business and if she has any leftovers by late June or July she will drop them off on my doorstep.

 

[ChanellG]

One of my best friends has a sideline greenhouse business and if she has any leftovers by late June or July she will drop them off on my doorstep.

Now that's a friend in deed! I don't think any of my friends really have plants. Most live in apartments and are probably too busy with work and whatever to even think about growing anything.