While plant swaps — akin to a swap meet for gardeners — may not have caught on elsewhere in Utah, downtown advocates are hoping city dwellers catch the fever.
Saturday the Downtown Alliance will convene the city's first ever plant swap as part of the inaugural Live Green festival, billed as "an eco-exchange of ideas and resources."
The festival, a bazaar of commodities and knowledge for the hip and environmentally friendly, hits downtown Saturday, setting up shop for a one-day festival encompassing Temple Square, the downtown malls, Library Square and Gallivan Utah Center.
The free jubilee, produced by the Downtown Alliance, features some unique events — including the plant swap — not seen before in Salt Lake City.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is participating, offering free tours of Temple Square from noon to 3 p.m. to discuss the square's horticulture history and spectacular floral arrangements. Such tours are normally not given on Saturdays, but the church is making an exception for Live Green.
At the Gallivan Center, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., people can bring their excess bushes, ground cover, grasses, seeds, flowers and even garden art to swap with other gardeners in the city's initial plant swap.
Participants can dig up any live, healthy plant, place it in a pot and exchange it for tickets, which attendees can trade for other used plants. House plants are OK too.
"It's something that's never been done before" in Salt Lake City, said Amy Durham, program coordinator for the alliance. While other states and cities have huge annual plant swaps, Salt Lake City has missed the boat, Durham said.
"Utah has such a huge niche for gardening so it's something we hope people will get into," she said.
If shrubbery isn't your thing, Gallivan will also feature a chic thrift market with clothes, furniture and knickknacks from hip secondhand stores, also from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Live Green attendees can also gain a sneak peak of the city's immensely popular Farmers Market, which will officially open at Pioneer Park June 12.
The preview market opens from noon to 5 p.m. at the Center Court of the ZCMI Center selling flowers and crafts, with classes on planting drought-tolerant plants.
On Main Street, a group called Avenues for Artz will display 10 seagull sculptures made by local artists. Throughout the summer some 60 or more gulls will be spread throughout downtown in a public art display known as Seagull Fest.
"We just wanted to do it for the fun of it, mainly," said artist Renee Shaw, who organized Seagull Fest. "We just want to bring people downtown and have something interesting and festive downtown."
Across Main Street, Crossroads Plaza mall will assemble health and wellness workshops with teachers demonstrating yoga and Pilates, also from noon to 5.
During that same time The Gateway will hold an Environmental Fair featuring 28 vendors including craft booths, book sellers and the Salt Lake City Bike Collective.
Mayor Rocky Anderson will speak on maintaining a green community at the City Library Amphitheater at 2 p.m., while the "shops at convention corner" on the south side of 100 South between Main and State will have festivities including live music and origami.
All events are free and open to the public.
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com