The Greater Baton Rouge chapter of Wild Ones hosted their 4th annual seed swap October 19, 2025 at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Members look forward to this event all year because it is a wonderful opportunity to swap seeds native to our area and to donate local ecotype seeds to the Wild Ones seed library. Chapter members work diligently throughout the year to prepare the seeds which helps make for a well organized event.
During the swap event, Chapter President, Janine Kharey, pointed out that there are often different packets of the same species of plant, which is important for those wanting the ecotype closest to their location. She also explained that the chapter retains seeds from previous years for two reasons: Some plants didn’t do well in successive years and the seeds were not available, and, 2024 seeds are the main inventory at the moment for fall plants because these fall plants are blooming right now and we can’t harvest the 2025 seeds yet.
Janine also talked about the generosity of private land owners allowing the chapter to collect seeds, including some unique ones like the American Lotus and American Chestnut.
Attendees were excited to browse the boxes of seeds that spanned across the entire room and learn from each other about the plants and how to propagate them. Members and non-members alike are always welcome to the annual seed swap, and everyone that was in attendance was very enthusiastic.
