Seasonal Exchange Rates

Extend the giving season into 2010 - keep it entertaining and economical with a plant exchange

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Image courtesy istockphoto

As much as you're envied for your lush Schefflera plant with its long glossy leaves, you in turn lust after your friend's cascading spider plant with its delicate white blossoms.

Of course you could head off to a local garden center and purchase the plant of your dreams or just add it to your birthday wish list and frequently mention it.

But consider a friendly alternative that's economical and fun as 2010 begins - it's a plant exchange.

The idea is simple. For little more than the cost of a container - or even a recycled alternative - you can give someone a plant while you in turn add to your collection.

Get together with friends, neighbors or colleagues. Maybe you'd prefer calorie-free plants to the annual neighborhood cookie exchange.

"It's great for an office gift exchange when you don't know what to give," says Kathy Peterson, a Tequesta, Fla.-based craft and design writer.

Depending on your climate, you can exchange outdoor plants as well as indoor ones. You can have unlimited options or restrict everyone to a single category such as bulbs, roses or flowering plants, Peterson suggests.

Your plant exchange can be as simple as trading stems wrapped in paper towels and tucked in plastic bags, according to Mary Kroening, coordinator for the Missouri Master Gardener Program, University of Missouri, Columbia.

However, the activity can also be festive and elaborate. You can turn thrifty offerings into beautiful gifts by taking a few extra steps.

1) Start by taking a look in your home to see what you'd like to trade. It might be the Philadendron that you're tired of or the cactus that have outgrown the corner spot in the living room.

2) Do a pest check. Look under the leaves as well as the obvious spots. Mealy bugs gather on the underside of poinsettia leaves according to Kroening. She recommends putting plants you receive in isolation for a time to make sure they're pest-free.

3) Write a care card, even if you're exchanging with seasoned gardeners. You know your plant's secret quirks. And as eager as you may be to get rid of a demanding orchid, don't downplay the plant's nature to a novice gardener.

4) Make the container a festive part of the package. Decorate a pot or create an interesting arrangement. For example, repot a small plant inside a glass terrarium, says Peterson. Old cookie tins and cracked coffee mugs also make excellent containers for small plants.

5) Group small flowering plants in eye-catching arrangements. Tuck pansies or impatiens into a wooden crate and fill in the gaps with colorful raffia.

6) Take note of what your friends are receiving. Maybe next year those plants will be available.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"

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