PlantSwap 11 – Swapping Plants in the Sun in Sheffield

Sheffield PlantSwap 11 – 9th June at Manor Fields Park

Another fantastic Sheffield PlantSwap, with people coming from across the city to swap plants and to chat and share plant advice.

Can you believe it was our 11th! Thank you to all our returning plant swappers but also huge shout out to the 40 (yes four-zero!) PlantSwap virgins who came along to their first event. I hope you all had fun!

Manor Fields Park

Manor Field Park, the location of our 11th plant swap

We did things a little differently this time being completely outside, with the sun shining, space to mingle and a very chilled vibe. If you’re not already in the know, Manor Fields Park is a hidden Sheffield treasure. It is well worth a return visit in it’s own right with great walks, wild flowers and masses of bees buzzing around.

Method to our madness!

We’ve grown so much that we’ve started trying to bring some order to the chaos.

We wrote a post about what to expect at PlantSwap and how it works. In it we asked very nicely if people could help us to reduce the number of PlantSwap mystery plants.

I’m pleased to report that you all took pity on us and labelled your plants splendidly. Special mention goes to the Kalanchoe Panda Plant instructions – they were simply the best!

Something we trialled at our last plant swap was separating house and garden plants to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for. We continued with this and Fay made some snazzy new blackboard signs that worked a treat.

Counting plant swappers!

We also devised a way to count people using a big flipchart with stickers. We love knowing how many of you come along, it gives us warm fuzzy feels – but it is notoriously hard to do, like counting cats!

It was not foolproof, not least the fact that there were multiple ways in or out but a big thanks to everyone who did count themselves in. We’ll keep doing this so keep your eyes peeled at the next swap.

Sheffield fame at last

Stories of PlantSwap’s awesomeness have reached the ears of BBC Radio Sheffield’s Kat Cowan. Kat came along and chatted to some of you lovely folk and took some plants home too.

What did you take home from Sheffield PlantSwap?

So how was your PlantSwap? What plants came home with you? Any that you were particularly hoping for? And what did you think of how we are organising PlantSwap now?

Don’t worry if you missed this swap, we’ll be back in September with Sheffield PlantSwap 12 at Hagglers Corner. And don’t forget you can sign up to our mailing list below to find out about all our future swaps.

Sign up to hear about the next PlantSwap and for tips to keep your plants thriving!