"Does anyone have the phone number, email, or web address to Garden Treasures?" "If I had to guess Garden Treasures is just a repackaged product" I have a GT pump from Lowes--model PP675--that's only a year old and just 'died' on me... so I pulled it out of the pond to troubleshoot it. Anyway... able to get a good close look at the pump, this is what I found. The only company name on the pump is Geoglobal Partners. The following excerpt sheds more light on this company... "In TARGET Intelligence Report, Volume VIII, Number 190, published on October 6, 2006: Since December 2003, Peaktop International Holdings Ltd has been doing business with Peaktop Technologies (USA) Hongkong Ltd, selling gardening and water-gardening products, with Geoglobal Partners, being a distributor of the products, which have been manufactured by companies within the Peaktop International Holdings Group of Companies or via sub-contractors in the employ of Peaktop International Holdings..." Huh?... or, in other words, these GT pumps are made--who knows where--by who knows who... distributed by Geoglobal and marketed under Garden Treasures! Buyer beware... I'll not purchase another! I also found the following schematic page for my GT pump searching by the 'model number' on the pump, 'lowes' and the word 'pump.'... www.silkroadgifts.com/Media/59086_PP675_pump.pdf Hope this helps! Good luck!

PLANT SWAP DETAILS THE 20006 SPRING PLANT SWAP is APRIL 29 from 12:00-3:00 at the SOUTH PAVILIION OF WILL ROGERS PARK in northwest OKC at NW 30th and Portland. This is the same location as last years spring and fall swaps in "the castle." A map to the sited is linked at the bottom of this post. It looks like it may rain, but the "castle" has enclosed areas. EVEN IF IT RAINS THE SWAP IS STILL ON. I got the key yesterday, and checked to make sure it worked. My interenet access outside of work is limited. I may not be able to answer emails after 5:00 today. So if you have questions about the swap your are welcome to email me, but it is recommended that you post here. There will be someone who can answer your questions. Hopefully, I've covered most questions with this post. I wouldn't want anyone to not come because they were unsure about something. The swap is an informal get-together. Most gardeners bring plants they have in excess or extra seedlings they have started as they prepared their gardens. Many people arrange trades in advance, but it is not required. Don't worry about not having much to bring. There are always "extras". Bring what you can and enjoy some gardening talk. There will be refreshments potluck style and door prizes. The picnic tables will be used for both refreshements, plants and most importantly People! There are power and water available. Stocked restrooms are on site. Help with food/set-up and clean-up are always welcome. Remember, we're calling it a plant swap, but it's really about GARDENERS. Experienced gardeners and newbies. Don't worry if you don't have a lot to trade. Come meet us and enjoy some garden talk. Your garden will probably grow a little too. There haven't been a lot a posts as to what everyone is bringing to eat, but with potlucks it is always fun to be surprised. There is always plenty of food. If you can't decide what to bring, just bring your speciality or whatever travels well (chips, cookies, etc). We still need a VOLUNTEER to bring ICE. If anyone can think of anything that has been forgotten- just volunteer to bring it! For those who have posted, here's a reminder of what you are bringing: soonercel: soda and a potluck item mrsfrodo: chicken salad and some rolls. Diane: paper plates and plastic silverware WSG: cups and paper towels Robin: soda Sheri: main dish and dessert Sheila: cake As for door prizes, we can expect: WSG: bird house Robin: garden goves or other item mrsfrodo: two gardening books. Sheri:TBD Sheila: TBD If you haven't been to a swap before, we would like to meet you- don't worry about not have enough plants. The most important and fun part is talking to other gardeners--- so one more is always welcome. Happy Gardening and See you at the SWAP! Here is a link that might be useful: MAP TO SWAP

TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A PLANT AHOLIC OK Prairiemoon2 here is a slightly abbreviated list of what I brought home yesterday from Avant Gardens. Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Ceramic' A miniature Golden Hinoki Cypress. aka Golden Ceramic, and Lynns Golden. Tight undulating golden evergreen fronds slowly form a darling miniature sculpture. New! Chamaecyparis psifera 'Tsukumo' A miniature bun-shaped evergreen with fine textured fern-like blue-green foliage. Cryptomeria japonica 'Tansu' This miniature evergreen reminds one of a sea urchin with its textural spiny green foliage. Slow-growing, it ultimately forms a 15' mound, and therefore is good in troughs.New! Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gold Fern' A unique form of Hinoki Cypress displaying golden fern-like juvenile foliage on a mounding compact shrub. We found the foliage color is best in part shade. Growth rate is slow, only 3" or so a year. Ultimately a shrub of 4' x 4' Ilex crenata 'Jersey Pinnacle' Valuable for it's upright, dense, yet irregularly branched habit and it's glossy dark green evergreen foliage. 6-8'. Magnolia grandiflora 'Edith Bogue' Considered the most cold hardy of the evergreen magnolias, 'Edith Bogue' has survived -24° F albeit with some defoliation. It has a tight pyramidal form, reaching 40' or more with a width of 15' and narrow, lustrous dark green leaves with brown undersides. In June and July, the creamy 9-12" blossoms fill the air with a sweet, lemony fragrance. Hydrangea anomeles petiolaris 'Miranda' Description: Hydrangea petiolaris 'Miranda' is a new variegated selection of the popular Climbing Hydrangea. Leaves have a gold margin in the spring that fades to creamy white as the season progresses. White Lace cap type flowers. Bark has an interesting exfoliating quality. Slower growing than the species. Zone: 4 Code: hydapm Exposure: sun/pt shade Sedum telephium 'Bon Bon' Pink flower clusters and chocolate colored fleshy foliage adorn tidy 16" clumps. Blooms Aug-Sept. Plant in poor soil and full sun for best results. New! Sedum sieboldii October Daphne. A tidy blue gray hardy succulent with rounded foliage on sprawling wiry stems. The leaves take on pink tones when the cold weather arrives, which compliment the clusters of rosy blossoms in Oct. Prefers lean well drained soil. 6"H x 12"W Regularly $6.95 Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' This Sedum forms compact mounds of rounded blue to bronzy-red foliage with terminal clusters of starry budded pink flowers in late summer. Sedum telephium 'Red Cauli' A compact sedum, smaller than Autumn Joy with bright red flower clusters above blue-grey, purple tinted fleshy foliage. 12" Sedum platycdus zone 4 sun/pt shade A distinctive Sedumthat forms rosettes of fleshy-blue-gray foliage that has delicately notched edges. Pale yellow flowers in summer on 4" plants. Slowly forms colonies to 15". Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae Grow this Euphorbia in a protected site with well drained soil in sun or shade. It will reward you with handsome somewhat glossy evergreen daphne-like foliage and airy sprays of yellow green flowers in spring. Mulch in colder zones. Cunninghamia unicanaliculata- Known as Chinese Fir. Leaves are steele blue. Huge triangle leaves to 2 ½ inches long. Can take shade or full sun. This tree is in question by taxonomist. They believe it to be just a variation on the species cunninghamia. Zone 6 height and spread in ten years 12ft 8 ft. Acanthus spinosus Tha hardiest of the "Bear's Breaches", this bold accent plant has large shiny green thistle like foliage and 3' flower spikes with soft mauve blossoms. We have found that siting it in a well-drained protected spot and a winter mulch encourages blooming. Orostachys fimbriata A curiosity for the rock garden or troughs having narrow gray quilled succulent leaves with a purple flush. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Treasure Island A yellow, miniature, globe of Port Orford Cedar. Found as a sport from Treasure Very tight little ball with yellow foliage. Found in Southern Holland by Wiel Linssen. Height and spread in ten years 1ft by 1 ft zone 5 part shade. Chamaecyparis obtuse Golden Sprite a miniature bun form of Hinoki Cypress with tiny golden yellow leaves on twisted stems. Height and spread in ten years 4" x 1 Chamaecyparis obtuse Emelie a miniature variety of Jap. Hinoki Cypress. Nice green foliage on a small bun shaped plant. Propogates well and looks great. Plant named in 2005 in loving memorie of Emelie Snyder, wife of Marvin Snyder ex-president of American Conifer Society. Height and spread in 10 years 10inches by 10 inches. Chamaecyparis obtuse Leperchaun A miniature variety of Jap Hinoki. Leaves emerald green and very small. Plant is a squatty conical form. Leaves have a tuft appearance. Plant found and introduced by JW Spingarn of Long Island NY. Height and spread in 10 years 1ft x 14 inches zone 5 The beginnings of a tender succulent collection that I wont embarrass my self further by listing. kt

This is one swap I would not want to miss, there are lot's of nice people,food, fun and plenty of plants to swap. The last one I went to we had time to mingle getting to know other gardeners, check out the plants for the round robin to see which ones we want to go for. There were plenty of seeds, good magazines, I don't remember all that was set out on the table but there was plenty of thing's to choose from and everyone went home happy with their new found treasures. I have some organic books that I will be bring to set on the table, these have good info for vegetable gardening. Plants I'll bring for sure are Ice plant, this is the wide leaved type they have a high gloss to the leaves, great ground cover, easy to care for, they have to be over wintered inside but very well worth it. I also have dwarf canna (yellow) black blue salvia, Henry Duelberg salvia. Have to poke around the garden to see what else I'll have to bring. Seeds, Salvia's lot's and lot's of salvia seed, these grow easy just lay the seed were you want it to grow and pat it in the ground-don't cover it or you can start it in doors but they grow so fast there really no need to. Just plant after the last frost date.