T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Gardeners peruse the options at the Spring Plant Swap on Saturday at the Marshalltown Public Library. For each plant they brought in the day before, they received a ticket, allowing them to “swap” for another.

A collection of plants were in one of the Marshalltown Public Library meeting rooms on Saturday, and people were lined up outside the door, waiting for it to open.

The Spring Plant Swap brought enthusiastic gardeners to the library, ready to see what options were available and what plants they could get their hands on.

Librarian Mara Edler said it was the third swap the library has hosted.

“People had a chance to bring in whatever they wanted – house plants, dividing up lilies, bringing in extra tomato plants – and they received a ticket for each plant they brought in,” she said.

Gardeners brought their plants, ranging from crown-of-thorns to wild plum saplings, from lilies and irises to tomatoes, to the library the day before and received tickets. They were able to then use their tickets to get in the door to the swap and get new plants.

The plants were divided into categories, such as house plants, vegetables and perennials. Edler said house plants and perennials tend to be the most popular.

“I think this year the most popular plant is the crown-of-thorns,” she said. “We got several of those.”

The crown-of-thorns is a hardy succulent with thorn-covered stems and flowers. Two reasons for the popularity of the plant amongst gardeners is it is low maintenance and also drought resistant.

After the gardeners who got tickets received their new plants, the swap was opened to the public. Edler said people were able to come and take whatever plants they wanted after the gardeners finished.

Another plant swap will be held in September or October, with a focus on house plants.

“We’re very happy with how it’s turned out,” she said. “People love plants. They love talking about them. They love talking with other people about them.”

——-

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.