The 19th Spring 'Ganza - Palms & Tropical Plants Shine in S. Florida

[Palmarum]

- 6:06PM - Turning around from the pool, it is impossible to ignore the giant specimen Hybrid Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys sp. 'Hybrid', growing as its own focal point near the edge of the patio. Tim, along with Ray, Jeff (and Dexter) provide scale and pose with the incredible palm. It has grown so fast and with so much vigor, it is hard to know how large it could become. This is the more orangey/red color form, that I have noticed among the hybrid 'pool' of offspring.

- It tends to have more orange than red, often lightening to some yellowish-orange near the top of the leaf bases where they meet the petioles, with red blushes at the bottom.

- 6:08PM - We left the Hybrid behind to continue into the yard. We left the patio and entered the full sun area, however briefly, while walking under a Copernicia fallaensis that shades this spot.

- It has been a few years since it was relocated to this spot and has slowly increased in growing rate. In full sunlight or even moonlight, it glows ever so brightly.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:11PM - A welcome surprise among the full sun palms. A recently matured, twin-oriented specimen of Syagrus cearensis displays an infructescence of fully ripe fruit...

- The light brown to tan, large ovoid fruit were soft to the touch and ready to harvest. You could just barely smell them as you walked past. The spathe was thick, rock-hard and would make an interesting conversation piece or blunt weapon.

- 6:13PM - The first blooms of the Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys, begin to appear right on time for our tour. The photo is landscape oriented as I was half-climbing the pergola to get the shot.

- The bracts were still unraveling themselves and beginning to fan out into the familiar, turquoise-colored array.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:13PM - We continued through the yard, weaving in and out different pathways and plant collections. We made it to one prominent fork anchored by this fast-growing Sabal mauritiiformis. It has been working its way through the canopy, making larger and larger leaves on ever lengthening petioles. It was forming the beginning of a trunk, still shrouded by the characteristic dark green, split leaf bases.

- As we walked past, we noticed it was flowering for the first time. It was difficult to photograph the entire palm, but it was easy to see why this is a favorite species of many.

- 6:14PM - Another palm that is hard to capture all at once, a signature specimen of Attalea cohune, (one of) the American Oil Palms. It has grown so large, it has become a garden marker, giving reference and navigation to the yard. 

- Passing close to the A. cohune, we came across one of the newer landscaped areas of the yard. It includes a seating area and features several Licuala species, either planted or containerized, displayed with colorful river rock.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The mysterious, yet easy to admire Licuala sp. 'Pre ati'. This dwarf Licuala has been a quirky little gem of a palm for some time. It is very rare in cultivation and has a limited and rather brief history and is possibly an undescribed species. It is fun to grow and remains small, possibly a couple feet in height and width. It has those unique, deeply bifid (almost snake-tongue like) leaves. Specimens this size have been known to flower in a pot. It is hard to see, but the leaves have an extended costa running the majority length of the leaf blade. It is one of those Licualas that when you fold the leaf segments together, resemble a juvenile Johannesteijsmannia leaf. The inflorescence is rather unique and resembles those found on other small Licuala species.

- An exceedingly rare variety, Licuala sallehana var. incisifolia, or basically the split-leaf version of L. sallehana.

- The leaves have only three segments, with a much larger apical, or center segment.

- And now the standard, Licuala sallehana... A rather bushy specimen.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:15PM - I took a break from photographing the Licualas to snap this shot of the nearby Coccothrinax sp. 'Azul'. The low light doesn't do it justice as it quite silvery-blue on both sides of the leaf blades.

- A recently planted juvenile Licuala mattanensis var. 'Mapu' claims its new spot. I thought about using my shoe as a 'Dave' type scale object, but I didn't want to step on the palm. The newer leaves are about 8-inches (20cm) across.

- 6:17PM - Further long the eastern edge of the garden resides this always tour-worthy Orania palindan.

- This is one of those palms that catches tour-goers new to the yard, off guard.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:18PM - With their drinks in hand, Tim, Jeff and Jim discuss the Orania palindan while standing under one of its leaves. The tour continued towards the back corner of the yard known as Palm Circle.

- 6:19PM - "Well?" Zoey and the rest of the canine troop were never too far away, keeping pace with us as we moved through the yard. She was giving me that look, as I momentarily stopped scratching her butt.

- Further away from where we were trekking, a robust Pelagodoxa henryana emerges through the darkness. 

- 6:21PM - A pot-bound Johannesteijsmannia magnifica minds its own business while denoting the entrance to Palm Circle. We paused for a moment to look over other containerized Joey Palms in the vicinity.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:21PM - A presidential look over. Ray gets cozy with the Johannesteijsmannia perakensis to get a closer look at the potted palm and plants further on.

- Upon entering Palm Circle, the first palm to greet us was the remarkable White Elephant Palm, Kerriodoxa elegans.

- 6:22PM - Tim holds up a leaf, as He, Jim and Jeff inspect the emerging inflorescences at the base.

- The palm routinely flowers, but since it is a female with no males around, it doesn't bear fruit. 

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:23PM - I included another shot of that fantastic leaf, because I wanted to. We were losing daylight fast so we tried to pick up the pace, as we knew a great dinner awaited us later.

- Immediately across the path from the K. elegans, resides this large clump of Calyptrocalyx yamutumene. It is mature, very striking and rather cold tolerant, as we have found out.

- 6:25PM - With the tour attended with Croton people, the plant group became part of the ongoing conversation. This large-leaf individual marked our exit from Palm Circle as we continued on along the back edge of the property. I think its name is 'Monarch' but I could be wrong.

- 6:26PM - A tall specimen of Ptychosperma sp. 'Wotoboho' flowers all over itself as we walk past.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:28PM - We continued along the back side of the garden, looking for what is new, what is flowering, etc. The group paused for a second to admire the crotons growing the bed in front of them, and an unknown palm located at the back of the bed. A tall Hydriastele dransfieldii anchors this particular spot.

- Ray found a clustering Philodendron that looked familiar to him and asked Jeff for a section to take home...

- 6:29PM - Jim tells Ray it will probably root in his hand if he isn't careful. As he laughs, Jeff double checks where Ray found the plant, as he wasn't sure as to the name.

- Here is the unknown palm mentioned above. It is a Hydriastele but of what species we are not sure. For a short while I thought it may be H. montana, but it is not.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:31PM - We headed west along the back trails, stopping now and then where we still had light to see. The large leaf of a Variegated Swiss Cheese Plant, Monstera deliciosa cv. albo-variegata, caught my eye.

- A clustering of a thin leaf Calathea was slowly taking over this spot.

- 6:34PM - A small, but large for its rarity, specimen of Orania ravaka. It was growing extremely slow for a while, but has recently picked up speed.

- A nearly mature Cyphophoenix elegans grows in the space between a trail and the turtle pens. It exhibits a fair share of that unique blue-green color, hard to see with the flash.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:35PM - A palm seldom seen in collections and gardens, Cryosophila nana takes up this spot at the intersection of two trails. It has been easy to grow, just a tad on the slow side. It handles any cold we would get and produces a decent crown. Notice the unique bifurcation in the leaves, dividing the leaf blades in half, and the rather thin leaf segments.

- 6:37PM - We exited the system of trails and pathways and entered the open western section of the yard. This Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. 'Houaïlou' is growing in full sun and seems to enjoy it. Too bad I didn't catch it with a new leaf, it has an interesting color.

- Around a corner or two, lies a newly planted area in the section. It contains a variety of different plants, including an extremely fast growing Teddy Bear/Triangle Palm Hybrid, Dypsis leptocheilos × decaryi. I think it was planted to provide a little bit of shade to allow certain plants time to adapt.

- An attractive and probably mature Lanonia dasyantha grows in the same area.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:39PM - We were just about out of light, but we needed to make a few more stops before heading inside. The Tahina spectabilis has grown so large, I cannot fit the entire palm in the frame from across the trail. Ray gets directions as to where to go next.

- I moved further away to try and get more of the palm in a photo. It has gotten massive.

- 6:41PM - This palm appears to be a common clumping Licuala, but is actually the very rare Licuala merguensis. I didn't get a photo this time of the entire palm, but I did get a closeup of the leaf, which shows the tell-tale costa extension unique to the species.

- 6:43PM - In the dying moments of sunlight, we ran around to the front yard to check out a few things. We basically ran past this juvenile Borassus flabellifer growing near the pond.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:45PM - We ran across the front yard to check out a few unusual flowering shrubs growing under this Borassus aethiopum, or possible hybrid Borassus.

- It has some nice color, and heavily armed petioles to boot.

- 6:47PM - The last stop of the tour included this smaller, recently relocated, Hybrid Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys sp. 'Hybrid'.

- It was growing in a heavily shaded area of the yard and was moved to this spot by the front door a few months ago. It didn't skip a beat from the move and has since continued to churn out leaf after leaf. This is the more red, striated color form of the hybrid.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:52PM - The group of tour-goers entered the house, welcomed by the scent of great food and the sounds of others who had since gathered in the living room. We got a refill (or two) on our beverages and took a seat in anticipation of dinner. Chef Judy Glock puts the final touches on the dinner spread before we devour it.

- Oh yum. There were two main courses, a wonderfully prepared Baked Ziti dish in the foreground and a personal favorite of mine waiting just beyond, Buffalo Chicken Sliders. The baked ziti was made with several kinds of cheese. The sliders comprised of pulled chicken marinated in buffalo-wing sauce and a bleu cheese infused coleslaw. You grab a slider bun and load it with the chicken and the coleslaw, and keep on eating them until you explode. They are so good. I could have eaten that whole pan myself.

- 6:53PM - A second after Judy said she was finished, a line formed in the kitchen. Travis Searle attacks the pan of ziti, taking a long string of cheese with his fork. It was certainly cheesy. We spent the rest of the evening discussing the day, filling our faces and preparing for what might come tomorrow.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

Saturday, March 4th...

- 8:05AM - "You're late Scott!" The morning of the second day of the 'Ganza starts the same way as the first, perhaps a bit less hectic. We spent the hour before opening restocking where we could and getting the barn area ready for the lunch crowd. After we got the barn ready, we turned to find volunteer and FM. Dr. Scott Cohen (Scott Cohen) arriving nearly an hour late. He was approaching us with an excuse at the ready. In his defense, there was a brush fire near one of the highways that morning.

- 8:25AM - There were a few people waiting to come in when the sale opened. As the first thirty minutes went by, the level of foot traffic increased, a typical Saturday morning. We continued to finish sales area preparation where it was needed.

- 8:29AM - One of the first sales of the day was a large mess of Crotons. The two customers filled the cart with the 3 gallon-sized colorful plants. Amber Searle proceeded to pull tags and write up the sale.

- 9:09AM - We were looking for whatever palms we could get to fill holes along the sidewalk. The restocking team grabbed a single 1 gal. Serenoa repens var. 'silver' just for giggles. It sold before noon.

Ryan

[Jeff Searle]

Ryan.....your photography is amazing! Nice to see all the people shots showing all the fun and interest in plants. I look forward to more!

[Palmarum]

- 9:13AM - I was making my way through the shadehouse and the tables looking for species and sizes to restock. When I find a restocking possibility I would relay it to the restocking team, where ever they may be in the nursery. I photographed this loaded cart as it moved past.

- 9:16AM - I was counting the remaining members of the Areca vestiaria group, looking for whatever sizes we may be able to restock. The gallons as you might guess, were the popular size.

- Ray and Judy make their way through the tables, spacing out the gallons and other smaller-sized plants. The tables, once packed the morning before, now had more space to work with.

- 9:18AM - Scott swings by a minute later, doing the same thing and possibly searching for a certain species. If you ever want to know the proper way to lift anything, ask Scott.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 9:19AM - Restocking team inbound. A family learns about certain palms to the left, as Jim heads towards the white tent carrying a pair of 3 gal. Arenga undulatifolia. Jim shouts ahead to either myself or Judy behind me in the tent, as to which tags to write.

- 9:21AM - After they get written, the tags get placed by Travis onto the waiting palms on the right. The palms then get transported to their spot along the sidewalk, hence completing the restocking cycle. This procedure went on throughout the day. The customer with the cart seen above, pauses for a moment to ask questions to the group. He had a diverse assortment of plants on his cart, including (right to left) a 7 gal. Necklace Pod Tree, Sophora tomentosa, a 3 gal. Indonesian Wax Ginger, Tapeinochilos ananassae, a 7 gal. Rainbow eucalyptus, Eucalyptus deglupta, a 1 gal. Aiphanes horrida, and a few others I can't quite make out.

- 10:01AM - "Ryan!" I hear my name echoing down the sidewalk and turn to find Kylie Searle heading towards me like a missile. In addition to restocking, we spent the hour before opening to quickly clean the sidewalk. It got a bit messy on Friday.

- 10:05AM - Setup for the days BBQ lunch begins around ten in the morning. I went outside the shadehouse to answer a question or two and found myself in need of more caffeine. The drinks get iced down as bottles of water, off to the left, get loaded into their coolers.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:06AM - The allotment of food, ice and supplies for the day's BBQ lunch roll in to the front of the barn.

- "Dive in." Travis checks on the ice in one cooler, while cooling his face at the same time. This was part of one day's supply of ice.

- 10:07AM - To the left, one loaded cart gets guided away as another empty one approaches in behind, heading for Larry...

- Larry Searle was loading one 'Black Magic' cordyline after another as customers came down the side road with that plant in mind.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:14AM - "Wow, look at that one." The first-timers reaction to some of the rarer and more unusual palm species on the table is often priceless.

- 10:15AM - Escorted by Ray, FM. Raney (raneysurfs) heads past me carrying a 7 gal. Dypsis psammophila.

- 10:25AM - I came across a customer who had a question about a plant she saw way out by the nursery gate. I headed out with her to the nursery entrance and passed by the busy checkout area. Amadeo was about to take an order out to the parking lot.

- 10:27AM - I kept pace with Amadeo and the tractor as he reached the gate. The customer had spotted a juvenile form of a plant in production. We already had full-sized plants pulled in the landscape plant section, so she proceeded back inside to the sales area.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:27AM - Since I was out this far, I might as well check out the early afternoon parking situation. We time the mowing of the grass just before Friday, to try and get it as short as possible before the vehicles get a chance to flatten it down, along with cart, tractor and trailer traffic. This lot down to the edge of the property line was already full.

- 10:28AM - Taking my chances, I crossed 172nd Avenue and made it to the small crossing, where I stood up on a K-Rail to take photos. In the center of the photo you can see the first in a series of speed 'humps' meant to control speed along this busy roadway. They kinda work, people still race down the avenue making the loading of plants sometimes problematic.

- No gators that I could see, usually just turtles lining the edge of the canal.

- Time to head back across...

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:29AM - A loaded golf cart and trailer crosses my path as I walk back inside to the sales area.

- 10:31AM - As I got closer to the front area, I noticed a palm-laden trailer waiting on the left...

- It had a nice selection of large palms, including a brightly colored 7 gal. Areca vestiaria at the front, bordered on the left by a 10 gal. Neoveitchia storckii, and on the right with a 15 gal. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookeri...

- They shared the trailer with a grouping of smaller palms and other plants, including a 3 gal. Copernicia alba and a 7 gal. Chambeyronia macrocarpa.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:32AM - Back to the organized chaos. When I made it back to the sales area after my brief walk, it seemed more upbeat that before...

- The crowds began to move from one section to another, seeming to spread customers more evenly throughout the sales area. With more customers coming in behind me, I made course for the shadehouse...

- 10:33AM - The entrance to the shadehouse was busy as usual as I headed to the white tent and sidewalk intersection. I didn't make it far until I was answering questions and pointing out species to customers.

- 11:17AM - A busy stretch went by before I could pick my camera up again as I headed out to the full sun palm section to help a customer. We kept pulling plants for the day and potentially for Sunday. The main road saw increased traffic as late morning approached midday.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:20AM - Hmm, looks like a traffic jam. I wanted to head over to check the lunch situation but my path through the shadehouse was blocked...

- A quick turn around and I headed down the main road instead.

- 11:22AM - The side road was divided among shoppers grabbing plants...

- ... And those in line for lunch. It didn't take long for the barn to fill up with hungry customers.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:24AM - Near the main intersection, Andrea Searle keeps a close watch over everything, including the holding area, which was getting crowded with both plants and people.

- Within the Holding Area, plant stashes were marked by flagging tape or just as a self-contained group of plants in one spot. Some customers had a favorite location, others just liked having their stash near the orange fence or near the entrance, for quick deposits.

- 11:26AM - The side road in front of the barn became both sales area...

- ... and parking lot for carts as customers took a break to get a bite to eat.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:27AM - I took the back way into the barn to bypass the crowd. I was thinking about grabbing my first lunch of the day, but it was too busy, the line was back across the road. The food was being picked up as fast as the cooks could deliver it.

- We added a few other tables outside the barn, as the seating inside was at a premium. The remaining orchids decorated the tables in the back.

- 11:31AM - A pair of familiar plant world aficionados made their way up from Key West to check out the 'Ganza. I first noticed the 3 gal. Hydriastele pleurocarpa, with its butterfly-like leaves and glossy shine, being carried down the sidewalk. As I got closer, I noticed it was being carried by collector, garden creator and FM. Andre Joris (dre joris).

- 11:33AM - Andre, along with wingman and fellow conch Jamalito, came up from Key West to do a bit of palm shopping for themselves and other interested parties from the key. Jim was describing the size of a plant with his arms outstretched, displaying the width.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:47AM - It didn't take long for the duo to start filling a large cart. The H. pleurocarpa was joined by a grouping of Licuala grandis in three sizes and a mature, large for the pot, 10 gal. Burretiokentia hapala, that was currently displaying a new inflorescence.

- The specimen had been pot-bound for a while, but has shown no signs of slowing down. In addition to the multiple rings of trunk, the palm had managed to push out this large and fuzzy inflorescence.

- Andre poses for a second next to the cart, as Jamalito approaches from behind me with another palm. In addition to his own botanical creation, 'Dre Gardens, Andre works with other gardens, collectors and plant collections in Key West.

- 11:49AM - Within the span of a few seconds, Jamalito drops off a 10 gal. Kentiopsis oliviformis onto the end of the cart.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:51AM - Time for some careful and steady navigation. With his cart loaded, Jamalito began to guide it past customers, tables and other plants on his way out of the shadehouse.

- One inch at a time. He still had to get the load under the shadehouse door, which was waiting for him.

- 12:17PM - This was the scene along the side road, just past high noon on the second day of the Extravaganza. I went outside the shadehouse to check on the weather, as the wind had increased with momentary periods of cloud cover. One shopper must have really liked Vriesea bromeliads...

- The wind had slowly increased throughout the day, but it didn't damper the sale. As many people enjoyed it as it kept the temperature comfortable. A tall clump of Golden Hawaiian Bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris cv. vittata, shrugs off the wind and remains upright in a cart.

Ryan

[palmfriend]

Ryan

 

A great report (again) and wonderful, inspiring pictures of beautiful plants -

thank you very much for sharing!

best regards

 

[Palmarum]

- 12:17PM - "Decisions, decisions..." When it comes to selecting that one plant for that one spot, having numerous choices can sometimes make it more challenging. The plants in and around the main intersection were rotated with different material, as one type sold out.

- More customers came in as others left with their new charges. On the left, Andrea looks over a customers phone, potentially identifying a plant while in the center, Andre and Jamalito load their plants onto the waiting trailer. Jeff sorts them out and writes up the receipts. Carlos positions the tractor and trailer to be next in line to be loaded. This was just one moment in the daily mechanics of the sale.

- In addition to manning the Bromeliad section, Candy is also a landscape designer. She is often helping customers with design ideas, matching colors and textures together for their yard; often walking around with a drawing or plan in her hand.

- 12:19PM - During a brief pause in the action near the receipt writers tent, Travis talks with his cousin, Michelle Searle. Oh, and Scott was there as well.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 12:20PM - A trailer loaded with Bromeliads, landscape plants and Heliconias heads out to the parking area, as more customers enter the nursery. I turn to...

- ... the right to follow the activity in front of the holding area. The visitors on the right behind the cart, (with one pointing) were looking at the deluxe specimen of Rainbow Eucalyptus that shades the holding area. They were looking over the block of 7 gal. Rainbow Eucalyptus on the far right, when someone mentioned the large tree behind them.

- 12:23PM - Jeff was doing double, or even triple duty as it was getting busy up front. In between writing up orders, he directs a duo to a specific part of the sales area.

- 12:25PM - This was another case of far traveling palms and plants needing special protection for their trip. Jamalito finishes the wrapping on one palm, while assisted by Jesse and Carlos.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 12:25PM - Jeff dives head-first into a cart filled with palms and other plants. The selection spanned the palm family, including (left to right) a 1 gal. Calyptrocalyx yamutumene, a 3 gal. Heterospathe longipes (prev. known as the old collectors favorite Alsmithia longipes), a 1 gal. Licuala paludosa var. aurantiaca, and a 3 gal. Pinanga disticha. He was tearing off the tag ends to add up for the receipt.

- Almost done. One last palm, the Kentiopsis oliviformis, gets wrapped for transport to Key West.

- 12:27PM - I made it back to the shadehouse to find a cart near the entrance being used as a portable holding area. That was a 3 gal. Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti being carried on by there on the right.

- The cart was filled with all sorts of plant material from all over the sales area. What caught my eye first was the 7 gal. Dioon mejiae that occupied most of the rear-half of the cart.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 1:00PM - The large and imposing specimen of Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda, certainly did its job for promotion of the species. Those red crownshafts would reach out and grab people as they walked by. Those who had this palm on their want list found it quite easily and those who didn't, added it quickly.

- 1:18PM - "Hmm..." The Thinker. Forum member Rich (_Rich) does his best impersonation of the famous statue as he looks over the first table.

- 2:00PM - Three signs for one species might seem a bit much, but what a species. The Licuala sallehana group was fawned over regularly during its display on the first table, and it worked; as plants of both sizes were popular and had to get restocked.

- 2:01PM - What started as a list of a dozen or so species was systematically reduced to one, for use as decoration for a special location along an entrance corridor. After the long selection process was over, two 7 gal. Hydriastele beguinii var. 'Obi Island Form' were grabbed and placed on the cart.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 2:13PM - The cart got full. The portable holding area extended to the area 'around' the cart and now included a 7 gal. Heterospathe elata. This was one of the first palms to enter S. Florida cultivation that had a reddish new leaf.

- 2:15PM - The level of attendance remained steady for much of the afternoon. We had increasing levels of wind to deal with, which was creating gusts that would blow over most any top heavy plant.

- Colorful leaves, check. Two cart-load of plants wait to get sorted and written up along the main road. On the left, that behemoth Aechmea odorata was a highlight of the show. That Bromeliad was extremely popular and had to get completely restocked a few times.

- 2:17PM - Carlos and Travis wait on stand-by mode to help the next customer.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 2:17PM - Certain sections got hit harder than others, one being the Tropical Fruit Trees, there on the left. Every time I walked past there were a few unused signs to pick up, representing sold out groups. Empty carts that did not fit up front by the registers are often brought further down and placed along the main road near the holding area.

- Kylie was just about out of gas...

- 2:23PM - Carlos views a traffic jam from the holding area, as a trailer gets filled with material by the intersection while reloading efforts take place across the road.

- 2:26PM - "It's my palm now..." A customer holds onto a rather tall Ptychosperma sp. to keep it from falling over. The wind had been increasing throughout the day, and was now becoming a real pain in the ass. We were all taking extra time just picking up plants around the sales area.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 3:22PM - I had to put the camera down for a while just to stand up plants and help customers with their plants. When I made it back outside, it was still windy as some of the late day restocking was under way. The Heliconia and Ginger section was also greatly depleted. Jim, Jeff and Tim had just finished unloading a batch of plants when they began tagging them.

- With a little reorganization, the mobile holding area became a full cart once again and headed for the holding area. Towards the right in between the 7 gal. Heterospathe elata and the 7 gal. Dioon mejiae were a tall, 7 gal. Zamia variegata and a 3 gal. Encephalartos trispinosus.

- 3:24PM - It was later in the day and the 'Ganza hectic afternoon began to subside a bit. Eleanor smiles for a moment...

- ... as she was being carted around the side road by her grandmother Andrea.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 3:26PM - The last hour and a half of the day focused on restocking plants, fighting the wind, and watching the kids take over the sales area. It did not take long for Kylie wanting a ride as well...

- The two were carted around as Kylie pretended to shop as the day came to a close...

Ryan

...the wind followed us to Sunday...

[Palmarum]

Sunday, March 5th...

- 8:11AM - Early Sunday morning, about an hour before opening. It was cool and already breezy, preceding the wind we were going to get later in the day. I went around picking up plants and straightening signs that had gotten loose or fell off, as others continued to do morning procedures. The Tropical Flowering Trees section was thinned out by the morning of the third day. A few groups were completely sold out, with most others represented by a single individual or two.

- There wasn't enough time to water yesterday afternoon, so it was decided to use the morning to turn on the sprinklers. The wind was drying out material faster than usual, so it became a necessity. Sunday mornings are typically slow, so no reason to worry about a wet sidewalk.

- 9:47AM - The remaining orchids were brought from the barn to the shadehouse alcove, as they would all fit on one round table. Phalaenopsis are easy to grow in S. Florida and are often grown attached to palms and other trees.

- 10:46AM - Customers had entered the nursery since we were open, but usually only a few here and there. They are the early crowd, often perusing the selection still with their morning beverages in hand. By this time, the activity had picked up and the pace was picking up to normal Sunday levels.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 10:47AM - A few late-morning orders in a row featured palms of several different species.

- A pair of Variegated Christmas Palms, Adonidia merrillii cv. 'variegated', lay down together on their way through the checkout.

- 10:51AM - A standard A. merrillii gets chosen from the block section on the right as customer traffic begins to increase.

- 11:22AM - Even without a species epithet the unknown palms were a popular group during the sale. A 10 gal. Pritchardia sp. gets carted by the white tent. Other such palms were sold with just a 'spuh' next to the genus and with no sign or added info.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:22AM - After restocking twice over the first two days, we were down to our last two 3 gal. Red Sealing Wax Palms, Cyrtostachys renda. We anticipated the demand and it still wasn't enough.

- 11:25AM - The genus Ravenea saw some action during the sale, via a few different species, including the 7 gal. Ravenea dransfieldii; whose feather duster appearance, appealed to a collector or two.

- 11:35AM - A cart shared by two customers, as one had their stash towards the front and other towards the back. One of the remaining C. renda and a 1 gal. Areca vestiaria var. 'Maroon Leaf' occupy the front along with a 3 gal. Chinese Perfume Tree, Aglaia odorata. The latter two and a 1 gal. Licuala grandis occupy the back.

- 12:13PM - It quickly became noon as the BBQ grills were fired up and lunch was served.

Ryan