Gaillardia and bee.

We have switched our swaps to the first Saturday of every month. We think this will just be more fun and interesting for all involved.

And I thought I would feature my new favorite flower, a brilliant native hybrid Gaillardia called “Oranges and Lemons.” It’s just a beautiful beautiful flower, attracts all kinds of beneficial insects, and is easy to grow and a fabulous self-sower.  This means that I will be bringing Gaillardia seedlings to next week’s swap. I can’t wait to have mounds of this around my asian pear and serviceberry trees.

Here’s how Horticulture magazine describes its virtues: “It uniquely combines a breakthrough in color with an abundance of longer lasting blooms. The amount of flowers carried at any one time is striking. Indications show it to be more floriferous and longer flowering than any other blanketflower hybrid. In addition, it is drought and heat tolerant, attracts butterflies, and not normally browsed by deer.”

Not bad, eh? The following picture shows how beautiful the seedheads are as well.

We’ll be making some changes soon to the blog and make it easier to do things like join our facebook page, but if you’re on facebook, come and find us for more fun updates, like the Town Talk article on Amy Johnson, one of the MGE organizers and general green gal extraordinaire.

In other exciting news, the all-new Media Farmers Market will be starting up soon! May 13 from 3-7 pm, to be precise. More on that next time.

Last sips of nectar.

We will be deciding how to grow the Plant Swap next spring (and when to end it this fall), what other events and efforts MGE will undertake, such as a January seed swap, sustainable greening efforts in Media, and maybe even a farmer’s market. There are some exciting upcoming collaborative opportunities. Inevitably we will discuss how to organize ourselves. It’s an important meeting, and we hope to see you there.

Marion, what's the name of this beauty?

Today’s swap, what with it being a drizzly October morning, was a small group, but with incredible bounty and great conversation about seeds, butterfly gardens, and community. Marion (of Transition Town Media) brought gems worthy of the envy of a master gardener, Gabe brought his carefully harvested seeds as well as his incredible knowledge about the subject, Barbara brought green peppers, Susanne brought fragrant herbs and other goods from her veggie garden, and I brought the workhorse perennials – bee balm and day lily, as I rearrange things and create new beds. I felt extremely fortunate to walk away with a wagonful of plants.

We will be having our first organizational meeting on Sunday, October 4 at 7pm at 121 Edgemont Street in Media. We hope you will come with your ideas as we plan events throughout the year. We have some ideas for edible and decorative plantings around town, a farmers market, and much more. Bring your energy, inspiration and creativity!

One event that we will be having for sure is a Seed Swap around January 31, 2010, which is the International Seed Swap Day. So, start saving your seeds! We’ve already had some great seeds come to the weekly swap, and we are hopeful for a bonanza in January. I will be harvesting seeds from my Gaillardia (Oranges and Lemons) as well as my Flame Echinacea.

Gaillardia and bee.

I also saved seeds from some wonderful butternut sqash from Meg.

On that note, if you are into saving seeds, do check out the Seed Savers Exchange, an amazing resource.

eggplant paperweight

We’ll be holding a plant swap every Saturday at 10 am sharp on the Plum Street Mall until the weather or the harvest succumbs to fall.

In Chinese five element tradition, so I’ve heard, there are actually five seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Fall. Autumn is the season of the harvest and gathering, and Fall is the season of falling (as in leaf fall) and letting go. I have remembered this for years because it really struck a chord with me.

Do come at 10 so we can begin swapping shortly thereafter. Some folks have asked if the swap is a negotiated trade or just a “bring one, take one.” For now we are certainly in the spirit of “bring what feels right, and take what feels right.” I encourage you, however, to use the comments of this blog to ask around, especially if you are digging up a plant that you could otherwise leave in the ground.

For example: I might post in the comments, “Does anybody want some bee balm?” and see if there is a response. If there is none, then there is certainly no guarantee that there will be a taker for that item. That said, every plant and veggie and fruit and seed found a home last weekend, and I suspect this trend will continue.

So… what are folks thinking about bringing this week?