Plant lovers share and commune at plant swap

By: Kris Harrell

Citizens of Crenshaw County were able to trade plants and cuttings at the first official plant swap held July 20. The inaugural event was organized by locals and Crenshaw County Extension.

By definition, a plant swap is an event where people can exchange plants, seeds, cuttings and more with others who also have an interest in plants and plant cultivation.

“If people see something they like, they can swap what they brought for something new.” said Jayden Powell, Administrative Support Associate for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. “It’s an opportunity for plant lovers to get more plants, learn how to take care of them and love them and to make connections while meeting and greeting with everybody.”

The plant swap started as an exchange between Megan Conrad, one of the event organizers, and a friend who would visit stores and share cuttings of the plants they purchased.

From there, Conrad organized a smaller plant swap within her community in June, and wished to continue from there. Now, the plant swap reaches a larger audience, with tables filled with plants waiting to be traded.

“It’s a great idea, especially for somebody just starting out,” Conrad said. “The cutting is free, you’re not spending $20 on a huge plant that you could kill.”

At the most recent plant swap, people brought in a variety of plants to be traded; from cactuses, to vegetable seeds, house plants and more.

“I have some snake plants – that’s what people call them – they’re indoor plants and they’re supposed to purify very well and it’s hard to kill,” Powell said. “I’ve got some citronella plants as well that are good for mosquitoes. They smell really good, and they do really well outside.”

For people new to plant cultivation, the Crenshaw County Extension Office also provided a variety of plants for free. This way, people new to the hobby could still trade for plants they wanted.

The extension office also brought handouts and information about fall gardening, landscaping and annual flowerbeds.

“I’m really excited that this many people are showing up and trading plans, It makes me happy,” Conrad said. “I’m hoping to do another one in August and maybe another one come springtime, see about doing two or three of them a year. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

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