Cure your Tax Day blues by going green at the Downtown Plant Swap! The event is free and open to all who love plants or who just want to look around and ask questions about plants. It runs Saturday, April 15, 9 am- 1 pm at 400 Crockett Street. The venue is covered and protected, so the plant swap will happen RAIN OR SHINE.
Dozens of vendors will be set up selling, trading, and giving away garden and house plants, vegetable plants, pottery and planters, garden art and garden-themed art, herbal goodies and local honey, wind chimes and sun catchers and more. You’ll be able to get tips from Slow Food North Louisiana, a free pot from T-Mobile, and loads of advice from the North Louisiana Master Gardeners, who will also be set up with plants for sale.
A ‘Free’ table will be available to bring your unused and unneeded garden goods; it is always filled with interesting objects that will live another day in another home! In years past, the gardeners have sold and shared everything from local Louisiana irises to tropical plants, to rabbit manure, worm tea, and sparkling wind chimes made from reclaimed items.
All parking in the block is FREE for the plant swap, courtesy of our friends at Douglas Parking and Jason Cram, Architect. Come hungry and thirsty and enjoy a Mimosa or Bloody Mary or other beverage at the bar at Shreve Station, or some fresh-brewed coffee & honey from the Back Porch Gypsy (booth #19). The full menu of the Brewteafull Café food truck will be available- fresh baked coffee cake, muffins, cinnamon rolls, smoothies, specialty coffees and more!
The Downtown Plant Swap got its start the year of the great Snowmaggeddon (2021) when it seemed everyone lost thousands of dollars of garden plants in the prolonged freezing temperatures. DDA Executive Director Liz Swaine wanted to bring gardeners together so they could save money by sharing plants that had survived with others. “Though I’m not a serious gardener, I love plants and I lost a bunch of them that year.” says Swaine. “I lost many of my remaining plants a couple of months ago when we were hit by our most recent below-freezing weather. I can’t wait to see the options to replenish my garden at this year’s plant swap. The plants are great, and ‘plant people’ are SO friendly and helpful. It is a great event, across the board!”
Selling, swapping and vending will begin promptly at 9 am. Hope to see you there!
More information about the Downtown Plant Swap can be found at: www.downtownshreveport.com/plantswap
