Indy residents are encouraged to bring their non-invasive plants, seedlings or seeds including divided perennials, bulbs, tubers, pond plants or indoor plants, vegetable or flower seeds or seedlings to share. Likewise, anyone is welcome to take what he or she needs from the wide variety of plants at the exchange. Small donations will be accepted from those who don’t bring plants to share, but are NOT required. If possible, residents bringing plants should arrive fifteen minutes early and label their plant donations (perennial, biennial, annual, herb, seeds, bulbs, indoor, etc.) and note whether the plant thrives in sun or shade as well as flower color, if applicable.

If you’d like to donate plants but need help dividing the ones in your yard, please contact Sarah Wiehe at indytilth@gmail.com or at 317.797.3392. Volunteers are needed to dig perennials the two weekends before the Plant Exchange (April 24- 25 and May 1-2). Additionally, volunteers are needed to organize the plants and give advice on plant care during the Plant Exchange (May 8, 1-2 PM). If you’d like to volunteer or drop off extra plants prior to the event, contact Wiehe ASAP at the number/email address above.

More than 80 people from around Indianapolis participated in last year’s inaugural Plant Exchange. “Last year’s exchange was a big hit with far more interest projected this year,” stated organizer Sarah Wiehe, a MFC resident and MFC Unity group member. “Several other cities around the US are already doing very successful annual free plant exchanges,” noted Master Gardener and Plant Exchange committee member Dawn Marie.

Additional information and promotional flyers to pass to your friends and neighbors can be found at the IndyTilth website at http://www.indytilth.org/plantexchange.html. If you would like a brief presentation made to your organization, please email indytilth@gmail.com.

The MFC Unity Group consists of an informal collection of neighbors from all parts of the MFC area served by the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, including the Historic Meridian Park, Watson-McCord, traditional Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhoods, and Haywood Park. The Plant Exchange grew from discussions held at neighborhood-wide Unity Forums staged to develop camaraderie, cohesiveness, and engagement. These forums were made possible through an IMAGINE grant from the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative.

HMP residents cheered, chalked streets, made more than 50 inspirational signs, and played music to motivate the 2,945 runners and walkers participating in the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 7. The half marathon participants ran and walked through HMP along Washington Boulevard and Pennsylvania Street between 30th and 34th Streets.

Many participants expressed their appreciation to neighbors for their warm welcome. According to one participant who contacted HMP through its website: “…it was such a pleasant surprise and so uplifting to see the welcome messages, yard signs, chalk drawings, and cheering neighbors as we trudged through your streets. Thank you so much for supporting us, and please know how much it means to the runners and walkers to hear your words of encouragement and to see your waves and smiles. What a great way to get your community together, and we all appreciated it so very much. Thank you!”

“The day was beautiful and the cause — our public schools — was a wonderful reason for us all to come together,” said long-time HMP resident Lorraine Phillips Vavul. “We feel very lucky that the half marathon chose to come down two of our three main thoroughfares.”

“We love the opportunity to show off our neighborhood,” summarized HMP President Doug Day. “We truly appreciate the support of neighbor Gretchen Turner who spearheaded our neighborhood’s supportive efforts for the marathon.”

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The 7th annual Helping Hands Festival takes place on Sunday, November 15 from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM at St. Richard’s School, 33 E. 33rd Street in Historic Meridian Park. Local church groups and community organizations will display and sell the work of artisans from countries as diverse as Niger, El Salvador, Vietnam, and Haiti.  Merchandise for sale at the Festival directly benefits developing world artisans and producers who struggle to meet their most basic needs. Watch international performances, enjoy a global meal or snack, observe the creation of exquisite Tuareg jewelry or buy holiday gifts…there’s something for everyone at this FREE, family-friendly festival presented by Global Gifts and St. Richard’s School. For more information, visit www.GlobalGiftsIndy.com or call (317) 917-1836.

Master Gardner Dawn Marie (far left) joins Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity Group members and Plant Exchange organizers (L to R): Scott van Kirk, Sarah Wiehe (founder IndyTilth.org and master-mind behind Plant Exchange), Josh Kupke, Sarah Blandina, Lorraine Phillips Vavul and Doug Day.

More than 130 people participated. They came not only from the Mapleton-Fall Creek area but also the entire city of Indianapolis. They exchanged not only plants of many varieties, but also information on a wide range of subjects in addition to gardening tips and techniques. The plants, dug up from homeowners’ yards and destined for the back (or front) yards of others, ranged from seeds and seedlings to herbs and mature plants which had overgrown their original placements and needed to be separated.

Information exchanged ranged from plant names and cultivation practices to personal interests and ways to support and explore them. Some people traded contact information so they could meet later to pursue other common interests such as biking, hiking, photography and, of course, more about urban gardening.

The goal of the event was to bring together people who could then, if they chose, form linkages with each other based on their shared interest in urban gardening. The Unity Group wanted to provide a no-cost venue where people could meet each other, talk about a shared passion, and participate in a “neighborly event.” Participants, as envisioned by the planning group, would include people from all walks of life who were different in their occupations, backgrounds, and identities, but could find commonality in their love of gardening. Organizers hoped these friendly encounters would lead to continuing connections among participants and that these connections would eventually expand to include others with similar interests and perhaps a broadening menu of commonalities.

Master Gardner Dawn Marie labels one of the donated sun perenials while participants pick out the "perfect" plants for their yards.

Almost all the exit polls were positive, with mention of “free plants” along with “community spirit” and “opportunity to socialize” ranking near the top in the “liked best” category. Members of Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity Group continue to be excited about the success of the event. According to Sarah Wiehe, who spearheaded the initiative, “Given that this was the first of what we hope will be an annual event, attendance was outstanding. People came from all over the city as well as from our own neighborhood.”

Josh Kupke was impressed with the participation: “There were all kinds of people who came: young, old, big, small, some who knew a great deal about plants and some who knew little; but they were all talking with each other, no introductions needed.”

Master Gardner Dawn Marie and Mother Macaria discuss plants at the MFC Unity Group's Plant Exchange.

The event had been planned to last 2 hours, but 90 minutes after it began, all the plants had been given away and the crowd had thinned so much that the organizers decided it was time to clean up and shut down. Several plants had been set aside to be planted at the homes of senior citizens in the area. By 2:30 PM, volunteers had packed up those designated plants for seniors in their cars or on their bikes, shouldered their shovels, donned their gloves, and set off for the next and final phase of the 2009 Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity Group Plant Exchange — spreading the joy of people’s generosity to elderly neighbors.

Mapleton-Fall Creek Unity Group is a loose congregate of individuals living in the Mapleton-Fall Creek area who are working together to unite neighbors through their collective strengths, passions, and common interests. They are dedicated to helping stakeholders in the community build relationships that contribute to the common good. The group has no hierarchy, no regularly scheduled meetings, no standing committees, and no dues. It has presented a series of neighborhood forums featuring opportunities for people to share information, insight, and excitement about topics such as “Arts and Roots,” “Going Green,” and “Youth.” Its next offering has yet to emerge.

The Mapleton-Fall Creek (MFC) Unity group is hosting a city-wide FREE plant exchange within the HMP neighborhood. The exchange takes place on Saturday, May 9 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, rain or shine, at St. Richard’s School’s open-air courtyard next to the school gym. The school is located at 33rd and Meridian Street at 33 E. 33rd St. Ample parking can be found in the large parking lot north of the school or in IPS School 60’s lot.

Organizers are encouraging residents throughout Indianapolis to bring their non-invasive plants, divided perennials, bulbs, tubers or indoor plants, vegetable or flower seeds, or seedlings to share. Likewise, anyone is welcome to take what he or she needs from the wide variety of plants at the exchange. While not a requirement, small donations will be accepted from those who don’t bring plants to share.

Organizer Sarah Wiehe, a MFC resident and MFC Unity group member, lived in Seattle for 6 years and appreciated plant exchanges held there. “The Seattle plant exchange really brought people together from across the city who were interested in sharing both plants and ideas about urban gardening,” says Wiehe. “It was purposefully held in a community whose residents may have had more difficulty buying plants and with less access to transportation, so this community could both benefit and interact with the surrounding communities on a shared interest.”

After the exchange, a crew of volunteers will plant leftover donations in the yards of nearby elderly residents. “We want to be able to share the joy flowers and plants bring to people by turning this event into a service opportunity for seniors or other neighbors within MFC who are not able, due to any number of reasons, to plant flowers or vegetables on their own, but would appreciate and could care for these plants,” adds Wiehe.

“We timed the plant exchange to start after the conclusion of the May 9 Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (INPAWS) annual plant sale held inside St. Richard’s gym, so anyone going to the INPAWS sale is encouraged to drop off their divided or unwanted plants outside the gym for the our exchange,” notes Lorraine Phillips Vavul, HMP resident and MFC Unity member. The INPAWS sale starts at 10:00 AM with a live plant auction beginning at 11:15 AM and features a wide collection of reasonably priced, quality native Indiana plants. “INPAWS always offers a first rate plant sale and we are happy to be building a synergy between the events to encourage both overlapping participation and interaction,” adds Vavul.

According to Scott van Kirk, Watson McCord resident and MFC Unity member, “The plant exchange grew from discussions held at last year’s “Going Green” Forum, one of three Unity Forums the MFC Unity group staged to develop neighborhood camaraderie, cohesiveness, and engagement.” The MFC Unity Forums were made possible through an IMAGINE grant from the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI). The MFC Unity group consists of an informal collection of neighbors from all parts of the MFC area including the Watson McCord, HMP, traditional MFC neighborhoods, Haywood Park block club, and the MFC Development Corporation.

Anyone willing to volunteer to plant plants in the MFC neighborhood on May 9 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM or know an elderly or disabled MFC resident who needs help with planting, please contact Sarah Wiehe. Volunteers are also needed to dig perennials the weekend before the Plant Exchange (May 2 and 3) and to give advice on plant care during the plant exchange (May 9, 1:00 to 3:00 PM). Anyone needing help dividing their plants for donation, please call or email the address above as soon as possible. Additional information, including promotional flyers to pass out to friends and neighbors, can be found at the IndyTilth website.