With the approach of warmer weather and the spring planting season, community gardeners are invited to take part in a spring plant swap at Historic Poole Forge (HPF) on Friday, April 12. Setup will be at 6 p.m. in the HPF pavilion. The swap will begin at 6:30 p.m.

A plant swap is an opportunity for gardeners to come together and exchange plants and plant clippings as well as seeds and bulbs. The event is designed as a way for people to share plants; no money is exchanged.

At HPF, participants are invited to bring annuals, perennials, shrubs, rooted cuttings, vegetable plants, seeds, vines, trees and houseplants to share with others. The plants should be in containers and labeled with growing instructions if possible.

"Our local gardeners from the community bring items that are mostly perennials, small shrubs, houseplants, seeds and lots of bulbs," said Dawn Ekdahl, HPF executive director. "It's an opportunity for everyone to share the bounties of their garden with each other."

She noted that local nurseries have also been known to support the plant swap by donating annuals that people may take home with them.

HPF holds both spring and fall plant swaps. "(For the spring swap), we get people who have had plants in the house all winter and they multiply, and they bring them," she noted.

As people arrive on the day of the event, they will be directed to tables where they can place their plants. Tables will be marked with different categories such as sun perennials, shade perennials, annuals and others.

Ekdahl emphasized that once the swap begins, people make their selections very quickly. "The setup starts at 6 p.m., so it's important to arrive early. (The plant swap) is very fast, so you don't want to show up late," Ekdahl added.

Historic Poole Forge is located at 1940 Main St. (Route 23), Narvon, 3 miles east of the Shady Maple complex. For more information about the event, call 484-797-5302 or visit www.historicpooleforge.org or www.facebook.com/pooleforge.