Members of the community exchange seeds, cuttings and greenery – and leave with a sense of joy

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

Tri-coloured frangipani cuttings. A blueberry plant. Daisies and begonias, oregano and basil. And a lawn edger that was snapped up in a jiffy.

These are just some of the plants and gardening paraphernalia sitting on an arched shelf at the Carshalton St Plant Exchange in Croydon Park, in Sydney’s inner west; all are free for neighbours and passersby.