Last Saturday, a friend and I visited the "Fall Plant Boutique" at my local botanic garden. This event replaced a more robust fall plant sale the garden used to sponsor annually. Although I buy plants nearly year-round, fall is my peak planting season and I admit I usually go a little crazy. As summer hasn't entirely released its grip on us here, I haven't gone hog-wild yet. The botanic garden event seemed a way to ease in. Plants offered by the botanic garden are reasonably priced to start with and, as a member, I get a discount on top of that.
The
Barleria obtusa (bush violet) I'd hoped to find wasn't available but I still managed to find a few things to take home.
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| Clockwise from the upper left, my plant purchases included: Pelargonium peltatum 'Marble Sunset', Peperomia (labeled as P. rubella but it doesn't have the characteristic red stems and leaf undersides), Aeonium nobile, Centaurea gymnocarpa, Kalanchoe humilis, and Aeonium 'Lily Pad' |
We decided to stay for the glass pumpkin exhibit and sale, which the exhibitors were in the process of setting up when we strolled into the main garden area. We didn't have long to wait but I used the opportunity to take a peek around.
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| The botanic garden has been working on renovation of its rose garden since February. It's supposed to be completed sometime this fall but it looked far from complete to me. |
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| There were still some sunflowers in the Volunteers' Garden but what most interested my friend and me were the overturned plastic flats, which it appeared were being used to protect seedlings. Like my own garden, the botanic garden has problems with raccoons but it was hard for me to believe that the empty flats would prevent those critters from rummaging. But, it may be worth a try! |
We entered the glass exhibit when it opened. The designs all came from
Walker & Bowes glass studios in San Jose, California and are part of their annual Pumpkin Patch exhibits.
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| I fell in love with that yellow pumpkin in the photo on the upper left but they were all pretty. Prices varied from $88 to $528. |
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| I didn't even bother to look for prices on the glass bowls |
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| Sea shells are another Walker & Bowes specialty |
The glass creations were pricey for me and I left without buying anything at the exhibit. I did think about that yellow pumpkin after we left the garden but, luckily for my pocketbook, it was a one-day event. More money left to spend on plants!
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I might have been tempted by those beautiful glass seashells, but at hundreds of dollars I would probably have left them behind. They are unusual, though, I haven't seen anything like that here. If you can find a way to anchor the flats to the ground they might work. I've used hardware cloth that has been anchored to the soil with earth staples (usually used to anchor weedcloth).
ReplyDeleteThe seashells were all at the upper pricing level, Alison, but I liked them too. Just not enough to shell out (no pub intended) $500+.
DeleteWow, back to back glass with you and Peter this morning! More money for plants though, always a good thing. Love your haul!
ReplyDeleteThe glass deals are far better in Peter's neighborhood!
DeleteGorgeous glass! I've only seen the shells once in these parts. It's always fun to look at expensive pieces then try to find similar ones at affordable prices. Hooray for more money to spend on plants!
ReplyDeletePlants are where most of my money goes, Peter. I have a small pension coming to me in several years (from the days when companies provided pensions!) and my husband jokes that it MAY cover my monthly garden expenditures.
DeleteThe Centaurea might be great on your back slope. Was just admiring Constancea nevinii yesterday, a CA native very similar-- silver plants are so striking!
ReplyDeleteAre glass pumpkin sales A Thing now? Amen for more plant money!
I had to look up Constancea, HB. It looks a lot like the dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima) I currently have, which I actually intend to dig up and replace with the new Centaurea to fill out the existing group of those plants. I'm going to take cuttings of the dusty miller, though, and maybe I will try them on the back slope if they root well!
DeleteGlass pumpkins DO seem to be a thing. Who knew?
Fixing a hole in the ocean, Trying to make a dove-tail joint, yeah Looking through a glass pumpkin... Nope, doesn't work, does it?
ReplyDeleteWell, fancy pumpkins worked for Cinderella, Eric!
DeleteI was referencing The Beatles, whoever they were. Coincidently I was listening to Glass Onion just before reading your post.
DeleteI liked the silver pumpkin and the seashells were amazing. There's a guy I saw at our fall festival last weekend selling glass pumpkins for $25 - a better deal, I think! But then again this is a rural backwater and not LA. ;)
ReplyDeleteI like your new plants, esp. the first aeonium and spotted kalanchoe.
That silvery blue pumpkin was $528, Eliza. At that point, my brain shut down and I focused on collecting photos rather than glass. Twenty-five dollars sounds like a real deal!
DeleteThat Kalanchoe is cool, isn't it? I hope I can propagate it.
I love studio glass, though those prices would certainly have held me off too - especially if there were plants beckoning on-site! I'm definitely intrigued by the Centaurea - hope to see more about it... By the way, my second batch of Barleria seedlings are coming nicely; the first were, inevitably, casualties of our well pump "incident" last June, but I think the autumn starts will have a much better chance anyway! Thanks for sending plenty of seed! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope the Barleria blooms for you, Amy. The plant is tough as nails here and has also worked for a friend who lives in a summer-hot inland valley. My plants, which seem inclined toward world domination, are just now producing their first blooms.
DeleteApril violets here, but not on your Northern half of the world.
DeleteYou got some interesting plants, Kris. I would rather save the money for plants, too, rather than splurge on glassware. It's our spring but our bot gardens also have sales at this time.
ReplyDeleteOur local botanic garden has a much larger spring sale, bringing in other plant vendors in addition to presenting the plants propagated by garden volunteers. Apparently, most local visitors prefer to see most plants in bloom before buying.
DeleteYou chose some interesting plants Kris and it looks like a fun place for a plant sale.
ReplyDeleteIt's only about 5 miles away too, making it very convenient to visit, Christina, especially when my membership gives me unlimited access.
DeleteIt's probably a good thing that you and I never get to go plant shopping together. Can you imagine how we'd egg each other on and come home bankrupt?
ReplyDeleteIt'd be fun, though!
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