Social events and parties do not have to be elaborately planned and orchestrated.  In fact, some of the best parties are rather spontaneous.  The fall season is the perfect time for an outdoor social event.  A great idea for building community is a Perennial Plant exchange among the neighbors.  This is especially a welcome idea if there is a new home in your community or if new neighbors have moved in. 

It is easy to organize a Perennial Exchange.  Plan a time for people to gather.  Ask people to bring a dessert or if you are interested in having a meal, ask folks to bring a dish to pass and make it a potluck. 

You can either decide to ask people to bring plants to share right away at that event OR you can go on a neighborhood tour to visit the yards of people who have plants to share!  Just request a couple of guys to serve as “shovelers” who can split the plants that neighbors want to share.  Each visitor should be asked to bring some plastic grocery bags for the plants that they want to take home.  Have a couple of Sharpie markers available for people to write their names on the bags of plants that they will take home. 

We have included plant labels that you can run off and deliver to the families who are participating before the event.  This will allow the resident to decide on  the plants they are sharing and complete the forms so your neighbors will know as much as you do! 

Hosting a neighborhood perennial tour will encourage sharing and build a much more “Welcoming Community”!

This article and the accompanying resource is one of the articles from the Welcoming Community email newsletter.  This newsletter is published about 8 times a year by the EXODUS Network in order to support churches, Christian schools and neighbors in their desire to become more welcoming communities! The newsletter provides articles and ready to use tools to ensure that families who are moving and are new to schools or churches are warmly welcomed. 

The EXODUS Network is a Christian community relocation service that offers a free service that connects moving families with information about the Christian community and with REALTORS in local communities who are Christian community specialists.

The EXODUS Network has also created a national directory called ChristianSchoolSearch.com. Be sure to create a free account for your school at www.ChristianSchoolSearch.com so that families who are moving will be able to find your school! You’ll want to add your information even if you have your own website –in fact you can put a link to your own website along with your         OVER

School’s information.  This ChristianSchoolSearch directory will soon be available on many REALTOR and Christian business websites.  It is FREE MARKETING for your school! You can sign up to receive the next issue of Welcoming Community when you add your school.

The Christian School Directory along with a nationwide church directory (USAChurchSearch.com or CanadaChurchSearch,com) are free because they are sponsored by local REALTORS who are Selected Agents of the EXODUS Network across the country.  Hopefully, when you know of families from your school who may be moving, you will encourage them to call the EXODUS Network so they can be connected to the Selected Agent (there is NO CHARGE).  These moving families will be able to use a wide variety of tools and resources, including lots of Moving Resources and a complete move organizer that helps you get everything organized for your move. 

EXODUS Network selected agents are from the various real estate companies.  We thoroughly prescreen individual agents for professionalism, service and commitment. 

 Label for Plant Sharing