The 20th Fall 'Ganza - Palms & Plants Bursting at the Seams

[Palmarum]

Saturday, October 13th

- 8:24AM - When I arrived early on the morning of the second Saturday, I found customers waiting for the gates to open. It has happened before, but it was nice to see plant enthusiasts in action. I proceeded to get the shadehouse ready, including the adjustment of plants on the tables. I faced and fronted what plants were out of place and spaced out the remaining groups of species. Some were spaced out a lot, as the gallons and smaller plants had been thinned out since the first Friday morning. (B) I heard voices (the good kind) and walked outside to see the gathering of customers and volunteers increase in size up at the front area...

- 8:26AM - ... then one of the voices got louder, yelling my name. It was Kylie, who saw me and proceeded to run right at me.

- 8:34AM - 8:40AM - A few of the early bird customers had plans on where to go and what to get. Candy helps one customer pick out some of the ground orchids. This led to an order for restocking. (B) There were just enough customers entering the sales area to call it a group and it was more than expected.

- 8:44AM - Beams of sunlight were streaming in at angle through the shadehouse and I couldn't resist taking detail shots using the morning light. The random pattern of spines on the larger 25 gal. Verschaffeltia splendida resembled safety pins sticking out of the leaf sheath. (B) The bright orange crownshaft of a 20 gal. Areca vestiaria did its job by bringing customers to its group. (C) Although not out for sale, the newly emergent leaf on a large Pelagodoxa henryana was perfectly back-lit by the sun.

Ryan

[BS Man about Palms]

9 hours ago, Palmarum said:

- 11:17AM - As the fourth day of the sale moved from morning to midday, I began to hear this distinctly heavy and 'guttural' aviation engine sound in the skies above. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as it got louder and closer and I thought 'that is not usual'. The area is frequently used for general aviation, but this sound was not general in anyway. As it got closer (and enjoyably louder) I moved to get the best view I could, but I was within the shadehouse. As it passed over the nursery I got a closer look, and it was a North American P-51D Mustang. It donned on me it must be out west practicing for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show. The sound of that engine was a welcome surprise.

 

Ryan

 

I would have been in Palm and plane overload!

 

[Palmarum]

Just now, BS Man about Palms said:

I would have been in Palm and plane overload! ...

It was a great mix of interests at the spur of the moment. One minute I am describing a palm, next I hear that engine over head. I had just finished a WW2 book a few nights before. There was another aviation surprise coming at the end of the sale.

Nice P-40 Warhawk!

I am still missing that one in my collection. I haven't seen one in person, or sat in one for that matter.

Ryan

[BS Man about Palms]

16 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

It was a great mix of interests at the spur of the moment. One minute I am describing a palm, next I hear that engine over head. I had just finished a WW2 book a few nights before. There was another aviation surprise coming at the end of the sale.

Nice P-40 Warhawk!

I am still missing that one in my collection. I haven't seen one in person, or sat in one for that matter.

Ryan

When I was growing up, the P-40 was my favorite because I could draw that "mouth" better and it was awesome to me!!  I found out later the Mustang was a better plane all around, but the rarity and uniqueness kept me a fan of the P-40 ever since.. and yes, a dream to sit in that plane! Turns out an "airplane brat" I met when I moved here and hung out at a local airport for a few years has become an accomplished pilot of some stature. He has been blessed to ferry several Warbirds around. I stopped by to see another plane friend in town in a plane I had helped a bit to start to restore some a loooooong time ago. It was a great mini reunion.

 

[Palmarum]

10 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

When I was growing up, the P-40 was my favorite because I could draw that "mouth" better and it was awesome to me!!  I found out later the Mustang was a better plane all around, but the rarity and uniqueness kept me a fan of the P-40 ever since.. and yes, a dream to sit in that plane! Turns out an "airplane brat" I met when I moved here and hung out at a local airport for a few years has become an accomplished pilot of some stature. He has been blessed to ferry several Warbirds around. I stopped by to see another plane friend in town in a plane I had helped a bit to start to restore some a loooooong time ago. It was a great mini reunion.

I drew WW2 aircraft, vehicles and equipment throughout all my years at school, and I kept trying to get better at it. I used some of it for projects in Drafting class. I still have them around somewhere. The P-40 will always be a signature aircraft as it was one of the first to make a difference in early WW2 combat. The last WW2 aircraft I was able to see and board was a B-24 Liberator, and it was a while ago, using film to cover the day.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 8:55AM - The morning crowd kept us on our toes as they represented the entire range of customers, from homeowners looking to replace a single tree, to collectors looking for the rare. One cart gets loaded with a mix of landscape plants, including 'Auntie Lou' Cordylines, a few Mandevillea, and some 'Lemon-Lime' Dracaenas, courtesy of Candy. As they continued to load their cart, I turned to the left (B) to look down the road.

- 9:01AM - Ground orchids getting restocked, again. I lost track how many times these plants were unloaded into this popular spot. I figured this might be one of, or thee last batch. (B) Travis grabs an orchid for himself from the few remaining plants on the table. He is picking out one of the very popular Oncidium 'Sharry Baby' orchids with the bamboo hoop. The fragrance of the flowers is so strong and perfect.

- 11:26AM - Later in the morning, the activity level picked up. For a short while it felt like one of the days from the first weekend. As I was making my rounds in the shadehouse, inquires brought me to the tables where I saw palm enthusiasts and collectors in their natural habitat. Palms of all sorts were finding their ways onto carts. (B) I followed one cart as it left the shadehouse carrying a 7 gal. Chamaedorea hooperiana among other palms.

- 11:32AM - One cart reached the front area, loaded to the sides with all sorts of plant goodies. The order consisted of mostly palms, but there were some rare Heliconias in there. Larry dives in, double checking the tags and collecting the tag ends. On the far left, that 3 gal. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookeri with the new red leaf (seen earlier in the topic) can be seen in the corner. Moving to the right, a 3 gal. Normanbya normanbyi sits next to a 1 gal. Pinanga javana in the near corner. Further to the right, a short, 7 gal. Cuban Petticoat Palm, Copernicia macroglossa waits for its tag to be counted. (B) Walking around to the other side, a 7 gal. Kerriodoxa elegans shades most of the cart, including a nearby 3 gal. Johannesteijsmannia, either a J. magnifica or J. perakensis, and a 1 gal. Chamaedorea geonomiformis.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:37AM - From one palm-rich order to another. While standing by the holding area, a cart full of palms began to head in my direction. It was on its way to join a stash already held in the holding area. (B) As it got closer, I noticed the C. hooperiana seen earlier was part of the load. Other palms joined it for the trip, including a 7 gal. Areca macrocalyx var. 'Mariae' and a 3 gal. Beccariophoenix alfredii.

- 11:41AM - The middle of the cart held a large, 20 gal. Neoveitchia storckii and to the left, a 3 gal. Licuala peltata var. sumawongii. (B,C) As the cart arrived, the plants were transferred to a waiting trailer and joined the other part of the order, held in the holding area.

- 11:43AM - The entire order entered the line for the checkout, moving up one space at a time, until it was Jeff's turn to start processing. Circling the trailer, he grabs the tag-ends and counts the plants to double-check before writing them down on the receipt.

- The bushy and very showy 15 gal. Ivory Cane Palm, Pinanga coronata (wide leaflet, broad form), was featuring a pair of new leaves, each sporting that distinctive light pink color. (B) Lit by the sun, the ivory crownshafts, petioles and rachises stand out. (C) At the front of the trailer, the Neoveitchia storckii and its leaf bases get their photo taken.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:44AM - With the order ready for checkout, the trailer moves up to be next in line for the registers. (B) I had to take one more shot of the 'Marmalade' Mussaenda as I did not know if this was the last plant we had or not. (C) The line moved steadily, from one customer to the next. One cart load held a variety of plants, from cordylines, to orchids, to flowering trees.

- On the back of the cart, a 7 gal. Cubanola domingensis rides along with a 3 gal. Simpson's Stopper, Myrcianthes fragrans, the popular native shrub. (B) When Cubanola reach this size, they seem to be in a constant state of flower production. This plant had a few flowers at different stages of emergence, followed by numerous buds.

- 11:46AM - 12:09PM - I could smell BBQ smoke making its way through the sales area, so I knew lunch was almost ready. As I headed over to place my order, I walked past the Fruit Tree section, noticing that most of the larger material had sold, leaving small groups of three-gallons of each cultivar. (B) Time to eat. The 'Ganza serves a BBQ lunch during the first weekend, but not on the second. We do have plenty of drinks on hand throughout all six days. We use lunch during the second weekend to use up any remaining hotdogs and burgers to eat ourselves so they don't go to waste. We usually have extra hotdogs, but this time we had more burgers left over, which led to... (C) "That's impossible!" One volunteer that shall remain nameless went all out and ordered a triple cheeseburger. With careful skill, Travis was able to construct the colossal burger.

- 12:13PM - 12:21PM - It was then my turn and proceeded to get my lunch ready near the back of the BBQ area. As I was opening a mustard bottle, I looked up to find strange things projecting out of the sides of the Mauritia flexuosa growing nearby. With shock and surprise, I figured out it was flowering for the first time. This led to me to forget about lunch and to go and find Jeff to surprise him as well. This turned into a palm-crazed event for us, so I started an earlier topic about it as it couldn't wait. The link below will take you to the topic, whose posted photos began and ended with the two below...

Link to topic: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/58264-surprise-surprise-mauritia-flexuosa/

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 1:42PM - 1:57PM - The rush of seeing the Mauritia in flower for the first time had an invigorating effect that lasted all day. The experience gives you an increased awareness for palm life. I was walking around checking other large specimens for inflorescences just in case. We were even telling non-palm people about it just for the fun of it, with mixed responses, as we bounced around the sales area for the remainder of the day. (A) We brought over another 25 gal. Dwarf Betel Nut Palm, Areca catechu cv. 'Dwarf', just because it looked cool. (B) Along the main road, Jeff and Travis chat with one of Travis's friends who was new to the 'Ganza. With that red shirt, I was worried he might get bombarded with plant questions.

- 3:27PM - Plants were not the only thing to sell during the second Saturday. Later in the afternoon, a customer came in to buy a pair of cap rocks for their landscape. With Travis at the controls of the New Holland and Larry doing the guiding, they worked together to get the lift strap on the first rock. With short, steady movements, the rock was raised and brought to the back of the truck...

- ... It was then raised and carried over the tailgate, moving slowly, until it was far enough into the bed of the truck. With Larry's hand and voice signals, Travis lowered the rock into place. The customers did not live far, so they decided to take two trips transporting one rock at a time. How they got the cap rock out of the truck remained a mystery. It was a smaller-sized rock, but it was still quite heavy.

- 4:10PM - One more large palm for the second Saturday. At the end of the day, a customer selected the 10 gal. Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda, for a specific landscape role in a large pot. It was going to replace a much larger C. renda specimen that was going into the ground, with this one continuing the role as a container-grown focal point near a pool. This lone 10 gallon plant was the anchor of the species group and was one of the last specimens to be sold. We almost ran out of C. renda in all sizes, as the popularity of this palm seems to go beyond that of the tropical plant world as more and more people seem to recognize the species without knowing much about it.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 4:27PM - After a long day of sniffing customers, tracking scents, searching for leftovers and burying a captured burger or two, it was time for Dumbo2 to take a nap. She jumped into the back of a golf cart and found a comfy spot. We spent the last half hour of the day hanging out with customers and trying to tempt her with other treats but she seemed too content to move. As soon as night falls, she will be back at it again patrolling the nursery.

 

 

Sunday, October 14th

- 11:23AM - 11:27AM - The morning of the last day of the 'Ganza opened with a higher attendance than usual, more so as it was a Sunday morning. There were a lot of events planned for the day around S. Florida so we figured many people wanted to get their plant shopping done early. (A) A couple checkout the display of Evergreen Giant Liriope among the gallon landscape plants. (B) Further up the main road, people gather by the Bromeliad section and by the holding area.

- 11:38AM - Volunteer Jeremy brings the tractor and trailer back to the staging area after taking an order out to the parking lot. (B) I turned around to find the receipt writers tent manned by Larry and Andrea, with donut in hand. Mmm... donuts. I had to got get one before they all vanished.

- Out in front of the Bromeliad section, Candy assists customers with their plant selection processes. She was running back and forth, picking plants up, laying them out on the road and going back into the section to get different plants.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 11:40AM - With added Bromeliads, not one but two carts get packed full of plants. Kylie decides to leave her mark on one of the palms shading the section.

- 11:54AM - 12:00PM - A long-time palm collector had made a pass through the shadehouse and emerged with a cart full of interesting species. I got this one photo of a unnamed Variegated Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa cv. 'Variegated' that was on the cart, but a set of questions asked by another customer took me away. When I returned, the collector and his stash had moved on without a trail to follow, denying me some added photos. Outside of the side entrance to the shadehouse, Jeff helps a customer looking for all sorts of different plants. She was very enthusiastic and wanted one of everything.

- 12:36PM - 12:42PM - The sales area was busy before and during lunchtime, as there was no lapse in activity when attendees tend to leave for lunch and then come back. Larry talks with friend Mike who came in to checkout something at the sale. You may recognize him from the first weekend, as he is one of the volunteer cooks in the BBQ area. (B,C) I was photographing a Variegated Ginger that was overflowing when I overheard a trio of customers walking through the sales area. They were giving themselves a tour, as if they were visiting a botanical garden. Not far from it, as the conversation was entertaining. (D) Jeff helps a sale goer with his numerous Croton choices.

- 12:43PM - I noticed a new leaf emerging on the Kentiopsis oliviformis that resides in the landscape in behind the holding area. This palm has been around for a while and it is quite tall. I usually do not notice it as there are other trees in the way. You have to stand in just the right spot to see it. (B) A 7 gal. Silk Floss Tree, Ceiba speciosa, balances itself on a small cart. I happened to be in the right spot to take another photo of one of the Carpoxylon macrospermum that had been sold to the Naples Zoo. The larger specimens were doing a good job selling the smaller 3 gallon-sized plants.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 12:49PM - The eager customer seen above asked another sale goer to help her with a palm she wanted. She just happened to ask a customer who was twice her size. He had no problems with the 7 gal. Gaussia gomez-pompae. He lifted and loaded the palm with one quick action like it was nothing. She was so thankful and left him with a smile on his face. As I was photographing this series, I swear I could hear jet aircraft engines in the distance.

- 12:55PM - A 3 gal. Vietnamese Gardenia gets carefully selected from its landscape block as the main road sees foot traffic coming and going. As I continue to take photos, the engine sounds get louder and closer in a hurry.

- 12:58PM - Soon the sounds get ear shattering and envelope the nursery, echoing on every surface. I looked to the skies once again to spot four F-16 Fighting Falcons flying overhead in a finger-four formation. They were in a holding pattern in the western part of the county. They had made a few laps around when I checked the time and figured they were waiting for the start of the Miami Dolphins - Chicago Bears football game to do a flyover.

- They did one more lap and then headed southeast towards Hard Rock Stadium. As they flew over for the last time, I noticed the armament was different between the aircraft. The outer two aircraft had AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles while the inner two aircraft had AIM-120 AMRAAM medium range missiles. Better to cover all the angles. The aircraft on the far left, or the leader's wingman has external fuel tanks, just in case.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 12:59PM - My ears were still ringing as my attention turned back to the last three hours of the Fall 'Ganza. I had expected a slow down for the day at some point, but it never came. There was a regular attendance throughout the day for the second Sunday. Up at the front area, plants were going out as customers were coming in. One had to bring their truck in for some reason. (B,C) A not-so-new plant at the 'Ganza was this Barleria repens 'Rosea'. We had had the plant before as smaller specimens, but this was the first time I had seen the plant sporting so many flowers. The 'Rosea' cultivar differs from the species in flower color, being lavender-pink rather than coral, orange-pink.

- 1:03PM - 1:09PM - The Caribbean Palms sign advertised one-half of the Full Sun palm section. I only know some of those flags. (B) I thought I had seen an old, old collector from the days of the Broward County Palm & Cycad Society but it turned out to be someone else. (C) Two customers look over the first palm table together, going from species to species, reading the descriptions and doing a good job pronouncing the names.

- 1:25PM - Just off from the sidewalk intersection, I had noticed a brand new inflorescence on a 10 gal. Drymophloeus oliviformis, but only after I took note of how many full leaves it was holding at one time.

- 1:29PM - The weather seemed to change in the afternoon hours, as clouds began to move in. It didn't slow down the sale action one bit.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 2:14PM - One order later in the day seemed to consist entirely of flowering shrubs and trees. The large tree on the right laying down is Fairy Petticoats, or Lily of the Valley Tree, Elaeocarpus grandiflorus. In the center with the white flowers is Asian Snow, Wrightia antidysenterica, and a small Dwarf Poinciana, Caesalpinia pulcherrima is mixed in with the plants on the left. (B) The large-leaved shrub in the near corner with the purple flowers is Tibouchina heteromalla or Glorybush.

- The sale continued unimpeded for the rest of the day, with more plants leaving and happy plant people leaving with them. We shared in some very interesting conversations with a few notable attendees from areas spanning the state, focusing on some of the great plant world history of S. Florida. During the middle of one of those conversations about west coast plant collections, Kylie came walking by, cooling herself with an ice-cold bottle of water. When four o'clock came, we left the sale exhausted but happy after another fantastic Extravaganza was in the record books. We look forward to doing it again!

Ryan

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