A friend and I paid a visit to my local botanic garden last Saturday for its annual Spring Plant Sale. We drove through the gates only minutes after the garden officially opened to find the parking lot was already full. We managed to squeeze into a spot on the outer edges of the lot along with several other drivers, crossed our fingers that no one would decide to impound my car, and headed to the sale. It was well-attended but, as it turned out, the big draw early that morning was the
American Parkinson Disease Association's Optimism Walk.
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| Most of the plants offered for sale were propagated by South Coast Botanic Garden's own volunteer staff; however, there were a few outside vendors, as well as representatives from various plant societies |
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| Here's what I brought home: Dendrobium kingianum, Pelargonium 'Coholo'*, Homalocladium platycladum (aka tapeworm plant), and a noID Tillandsia. (*I've been unable to find any information on a Pelargonium under this name.) |
After tucking our purchases into my car, we did a quick round of the garden. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. The bright sunlight made picture-taking difficult but here are some of the highlights I captured:
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| Lots of California poppies in bloom in the Mediterranean Garden |
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| Healthy specimens of Salvia africana lutea in the same area, covered in the plant's unusual blooms |
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| A few cherry and other fruit trees still in full flower |
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| Penstemon eatonii, which grows really well in the garden yet I've been unable to find the species for sale in local garden centers |
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| Not the best photo but this noID Magnolia looked lovely in the bright sunshine |
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| The Living Wall is still looking good |
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| Echium and Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica), currently blooming in spots throughout the garden. I know Spanish bluebells are considered a scourge in the UK as they compete with the native English bluebells but they're the only species that performs relatively well in our Mediterranean climate. |
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| Watsonia, aka Bugle Lily, a South African native, just beginning its bloom cycle |
We stopped by my local garden center on our way to lunch. I picked up a few plants, selected to fill a portion of the bed featured in
my last Tell the Truth Tuesday post. I'll share the results of that update when it's complete. I passed on this fellow on display in the indoor plant area, although both my friend and I found ourselves drawn to him.
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| He was pricey but strangely appealing even if he is an improbable shade of blue |
Other than the orchid, the plants I picked up at the Spring sale still haven't found spots in the garden. Nonetheless, I plan to attend the cactus and succulent show and sale at the botanic garden this coming weekend. In case you haven't realized it, I have a plant addiction problem.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
