“It’s official, Gulfport’s first community plant swap ‘stand,’” wrote Leslie Skinner on the Gulfport, Florida Facebook page Wednesday, July 29, along with a picture of a two-tiered, custom-painted stand.
Between Skinner, who is hosting the stand on her property on 52nd Street between 25th and 26th avenues, Deb Thomas Adkins who supplied the stand, and Karen Love who decorated it, Gulfport has already made this a flourishing addition to the community.
“I saw an example of a community plant swap stand made out of a pallet on social media,” said Adkins. “When I shared it to the Gulfport FL Facebook page with a comment about having one here, many commented that it was a great idea.”
Adkins, who has two very vocal guard pups and works from home, decided that her house wouldn’t be the best place to set up the plant swap. That’s where Leslie Skinner comes in.
Skinner keeps the plants healthy and hydrated until they get adopted by their “firever” family.
There are no restrictions or requirements. However, Skinner is asking that the plants be healthy and labeled.
Plants that are carrying diseases or bugs might spread to the others. Although Skinner does love a good challenge when it comes to taking care of the plants, she doesn’t want something that could potentially do more harm than good.
“I am enjoying this stand,” said Skinner. “Love seeing everything that people drop off, and I like working with the plants when they need a little help. And with this heat, I water them every day.”
“My goal was just to have something informal that the community could share in,” said Adkins. “Anyone who gardens usually enjoys swapping plants or just sharing the extras. We have the pantries and the little libraries, so this seemed like a perfect fit for our community.”
There isn’t a designated Facebook page or other social media outlet for the plant swap. However, there have been conversations on the Gulfport, Florida Facebook page about swapping herbs and plants.
