One of the great things about gardening is that there are usually plants to share with others. If a specimen is doing well, invariably there will come a time when it needs dividing or thinning. Sometimes a particular plant does a little too well and spreads itself to places you don't want it. That is when your garden clean up can be another gardener's boon.

Last year a friend in my neighborhood mentioned she wanted to start some Mayapples. Since I really hate to see someone spend their money on plants that are so prolific*, I mentioned I had some and would share some when I had a chance. This spring I dug a few out for her so she could get a patch started. 

As I was digging, I got to thinking about my Mayapple plant's history.

Back in 1968 my family was camping in the West Bend area. I was also volunteering that summer at the Milwaukee Public Museum in the plant department. We were working on a Wisconsin Woodlands exhibit and my boss, Roberta Plumber needed some Mayapples to make a vac-u-form type mold from. My mother and I, avid wildflower enthusiasts, noted that at the campground there were lots of Mayapples. We asked the owners if we could have some and they were willing to share. So 4 Mayapples traveled from West Bend to Shorewood.

Mom and I planted 2 in our shady back yard and I carried the remaining 2 in a bucket (on the bus) to the Milwaukee Public Museum.  Mrs. Plumber made her plaster molds of the large umbrella type leaves and was able to vac-u-form many plastic leaves from those molds for the display. The Mapples stayed in the bucket for weeks to serve as a sample for color and structure until the exhibit was finished. (We added wire and beeswax stems and then sprayed them with acrylic paint. They looked quite real.)

Talk about tough, those 2 plants survived in the bucket in the museum plant department for weeks. When we were finished with them, I trucked them home again on the bus (talk about a conversation starter!) and planted them with the others.

When I got married in 1977, I brought some to my Riverwest home to start a wildflower shade garden. When we moved out here in 1986, I brought a few with me to start some Mayapple areas here.

Now, 40 years after the first transplant, they move on again to my friend's. Who knows where they will go next?

There are lots of plants in my garden that have come from friends and neighbors. I remember the story behind each one. You could say my garden is not only a garden of plants but of memories too. It is one of the many things that make gardening enjoyable to me.

If you admire a friend or neighbor's plants, I think a polite way to ask for a plant is to say, If you ever have to thin them, and you have extras, could I have a start? Most gardeners will be more than happy to oblige.

Next time you are at the Milwaukee Public Museum, look for the Mayapples in the Wisconsin Woodlands display. You now know a little bit more about them!

Mayapples are considered to be a thug of the garden by some (they take over), but I have not had that problem. Their unusual large leaf makes a nice contrast in shady areas, and they are tough!

Mayapples are used for medicinal purposes by some in the medical field. They are not to be used by lay-people, as parts of the plant are poisonous!

*Last year at the Mary Knoll Weed Out, one woman told me she purchased Wood Violets. I told her to give me a call, I have plenty for free! I have seen them for sale for around $4.00 each. 

A reader reported she has hostas with a traveling history too and "can picture them in three states, with a number of friends and neighbors." She also noted the Trillium in the photo. That Trillium was native to Kinsey Park Drive (my street), but not my home. My great uncle was a home builder in the late 1940s - 1950s and built several houses on my street. One site had trilliums in the excavation path. He dug them up and gave the plants to his daughters and nieces (one was my mom). She planted in Shorewood at our house. I took some to Riverwest when I married and eventually back to Kinsey Park Drive in Brookfield. So my Trilliums literally went full circle--just a block west from their original location!

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Today is Tuesday, and I must make my monthly pilgrimage to Alterra coffee at Mayfair Mall. (It is usually the only reason I venture over to Mayfair!)

In case you did not know, Tuesdays are double punch days at Alterrra Coffee. That means they give you 2 punches for every pound of coffee you purchase at Alterra Cafes. They also have a drink card if you purchase brewed coffee to drink there.

When you fill the card with 12 punches, you can turn it in for a free pound. But that is not the end of the freebies. On the reverse side of the card, if you fill in your name, address and birthday, Alterra will send you a birthday greeting with a coupon for another free pound of coffee!*  Now, I call that a bargain.

Alterra is great coffee. It is a local company that roasts right here in Milwaukee. Photos are from their roasting operation on the East side at 2211 N. Prospect Ave. (It is fun to watch the roasting operation and it smells wonderful in there!) It is a Fair Trade company if that matters to you. I like supporting local companies, especially when their product is great!

The coffee I purchase at the actual Alterra stores at Mayfair Mall or on 92nd and North is REALLY FRESH. Much fresher that even the Alterra coffee from Sendiks or Pick 'n Save, I think because they go through it so fast at the cafes. 

Coffee is one area I am picky about. I would rather drink 1 cup of really good coffee than a pot of bad, cheap coffee. In fact, I do not drink regular coffee much at all; my husband and I switched to espresso 20 years ago. (Warning: Once you acquire a taste for espresso, all other coffee pales in comparison.)

Over the years we have tried many different coffees. We found Starbuck's beans
too burned tasting. Used to use Victor Allen's but they closed the Brookfield store long ago. Then we stumbled onto Alterra and have used only theirs for years. Sumatra is our favorite for espresso. 

The stores also offer a discount (50 cents, I think) if you bring in your own 1# Alterra bag to refill.

I purchase my coffee in the bulk 5# bag, which they offer an additional 10% off on.  This brings my total cost down to about $42 for 5#. Add to that the extra 2 punches for 1 additional pound to fill the card, and the card is then ready to turn in.

That comes to about $51 for 8# of coffee: $42 for bulk 5#, 1 more pound @ $8+ to fill the punch card, then 1 free pound when card is turned in, and 1 free birthday pound.

Really good coffee just became more affordable!

* Only one free pound per name. Because I buy so much coffee, one helpful Barista told me to fill in a name/birthday/address for each family member or even fill out with a coffee loving friend's name, birthday and address to send them a free pound.

(I am not affiliated with Alterra in any way.) 

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Someone brought to my attention that Wauwatosa Schools puts their school board meetings on Google video.

What a great idea!

I don't have cable TV (I just can't justify the cost) and I don't think I am alone it that. So I have often wondered why Elmbrook doesn't put their meetings on their website so all residents can view for free. But this Google video option would suit me just as well. 

I searched on Google video for Elmbrook, just in case our school district already was uploading to the web. I did not find any regular board meetings, but I did stumble onto Elmbrook HG&D discussion from Sept. 11, 2007 in case that would interest you.

So, how about it Elmbrook? The board meeting could be uploaded to Google video just as easily as to the public access cable channel, couldn't it? And best of all, it is free!

While we are on the subject of free access to public meetings, how about Brookfield doing the same with their Common Council meetings?

I Googled Brookfield but only found video of the sermons from my church. (If the council meetings are already on the web, I apologize that I am not a better Googler.)

This type of free public access to meetings will become more popular as time goes on. I just wish it was now.