Plant swap events, A new era of social gatherings

Plant swap events, A new era of social gatherings

As many introverts would agree with me, socializing is hard. Ever since the COVID-19 lockdown, it has become even harder. Going to a party sounds exhausting, what topic to discuss there feels like an Olympic sport. Even for the extroverts or anyone, partying after 9 pm seems like a bold move as many of us have office/college in the morning or kids to drop off at school.Plant swap events can solve all these kinds of problems. 

What is a plant swap event?

As the name suggests, it’s an event where people bring different plants from home to swap with other people. One can get a single plant or as many cuttings as they want; there’s no limit. 

These events can be held anywhere be it a park or at one’s home. Sometimes, refreshments are kept, and other fun games and activities are also played. 

The new type of party: 

• Swaps of knowledge: 

It’s not just swapping plants but also swapping knowledge about how to take care of each living plant. 

Ones having years of experience share their insights with the newbies.  It’s so fun to learn something new! I sometimes find a group keenly listening to that one experienced person who’s talking about composting or about orchid care. Such an experience drives all plant lovers to join in and participate. 

• Bringing together the community:

Divided by worklife, united by plants. This has always been a principle of a plant community. 

The core of plant swaps is bringing everyone from different places, personalities, and kinds together with one similar interest, ie. plants! Even if you’re an introvert don’t worry,  I’m sure there’s enough to talk about plants. Plus, it doesn’t even feel awkward to approach anyone because everyone here is present with the same interest. 

• Everyone brings a plant back home: 

What could be better for a plant parent to bring home new plants? As a plant parent, if I come home with a new plant daily, I won’t need anything else! Jokes apart, it’s a fun experience where even someone new to plants can get a plant swapped or sometimes for free to start their journey. 

• Brotherhood begins here:

These events are a great way to build connections and make friends! I love how everyone is friendly and kind to each other! It strengthens the relationship and builds trust among each other. And this further helps build a healthy community and brotherhood. 

So how do we start? 

How to organize a plant swap event? 

As exciting as it sounds, there are a few things to keep in mind in hosting such an event.

• Community: 

  One simple rule to follow here is- more people, more plants. Having a large community is an essential factor in hosting a plant swap event. It makes the task of bringing people together easy. But do not fret, plant swap can be held within a group of 5-6 people, as long as there’s enthusiasm and plants…it’ll be fun. 

 Advertising by using social media, community forums, and local plant groups to make everyone aware helps a lot. Also, attractive posts create more interest among people. 

• Venue:

An important part of a plant swap event is location. As said, it could be held anywhere as long as it accommodates all the participants. Such as parks, halls, cafes, NGO centres or at home. The venue should be favourable to everyone’s location and convenience. 

• Date and time: 

A convenient date and time that works for everyone is a must. Ideally, weekends are preferable. Discussing within the group at everyone’s convenience is also suitable. 

• Setting rules:

No matter how much fun and ‘no restrictions’ apply here, a basic set of rules and guidelines should be made. This helps in the smooth functioning of the event. Like, everyone should bring at least 1 plant to swap, not litter the area and be polite with everyone. Many such sets of rules should be applied.

• Awareness and encouragement:

One should take advantage of such a gathering by raising awareness about environmental causes and demonstrating ways to overcome them. Encouraging people to grow more plants, swap more, and help the environment and ecological aspects of the earth can be taught here. Also, awareness about local problems can be made. 

This educates people and forces them to think and act about it. 

• Hosting activities and refreshments:

The more fun the better, right? 

Fun activities like card games with plant names or general plant trivia make things interesting and energise everyone. Activities like composting or potting mix tutorials spark interest for newbies to join.  

Providing refreshments, be it homemade or store-bought, definitely attracts more people and brings about comfort among people. Although it is completely optional. 

Now that we talked about how to host them,

what are the perks of these events? 

• You get to know more about plants!

No one here is a master of growing plants, everyone has something to share. We learn something new and give them what we have. From learning about caladiums, and foliage plants to different ideas such as vertical gardening. Just how these events came into existence. 

• Saving the environment!

With the help of awareness and such activities, it takes the process of environment conservation a step ahead. 

• Boosted Mood and Happiness:

Studies have proven that spending time with plants and nature reduces levels of stress and anxiety.  Plant swap events also act as a stress buster. Meeting other fellow plant parents elevates mood and a shared laughter with everyone makes the whole atmosphere lively. 

So if you’ve never been to a plant swap, I highly encourage you to attend one. Or if you’ve been going to one or holding one, it has been and will always be a great experience. It’s the easiest way to connect with our local plant parents and build a lovely and caring connection along with caring for plants.