A free pollinator plant swap, Southern Ideal Home Show and more

Southern Ideal Home Show

The Southern Ideal Home Show runs this weekend, with special guests Dave and Kortney Wilson of HGTV’s “Masters of Flip”; Geralin Thomas, local and national home organizing and decluttering expert; and a showcase of local artists that include Clara Johnson, Katrina Brown, Randy Chapman, Diane Knesovich, Simone Barbe, Allen Montague, Seton McGlennon, Robyn Johnston, Mary Snowden and Mary Stella Cronberger.

The hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, April 7; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, April 8, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 9. You’ll find it at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. Admission is $10 (check the website for info on special discounts).

Info: southernshows.com/hsr

Plant Sale

Don’t miss the Raleigh Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale, Thursday through Saturday, April 6-8.

The sale takes place noon-5 p.m. on Thursday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, at Campbell Road Nursery, 2500 Campbell Road, Cary.

The club will have all kinds of plants available, plus advice on what to plant, how to take care of the plants and where to plant them.

For more information visit raleigh-garden-club.org.

Pollinator plant swap

Simple Gifts Community Garden in Apex will hold a free “Pollinator-Friendly Plant Swap” on Earth Day, April 22.

To participate, pot up plants from your yard that you’d like to divide and drop them off between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. that day and get one ticket per plant. From 1-2 p.m., trade your tickets for other donated plants. The remaining plants will be given away from 2-3 p.m.

The swap will include an organic section, which pollinators love, and there will be experts on hand to talk about pollinators. Visitors are also welcome to trade gardening tools, books and seeds.

To get more information, visit simplegiftsgarden.org/events.

Strawberries survive

The crazy weather in March had everyone worried about the state’s strawberry crop, but the leaders of the North Carolina Strawberry Association say the season should be just fine. They predict the season will start on time (typically mid-April through mid-June) and produce an abundance of fruit.

In a press release, the association also pointed out that the timing of ripening berries can vary by as much as two weeks due to the weather conditions, location of the farm and other factors, such as the plant variety.

If you’re looking for a strawberry farm near you, visit NCstrawberry.com and click on Farm Locator. The results give you the address and contact information for the farm and its location on a map.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "A free pollinator plant swap, Southern Ideal Home Show and more."