South Florida Palm Society Spring Sale

[Tim McKernan]

South Florida Palm Society Spring Sale

              March 15 and March 16

                 9:30AM to 4:30 PM

    The Montgomery Botanical Center

               12205 SW 57th Avenue

                    Coral Gables, FL

Free seedlings to every visitor while supplies last

                      Free Admission

There will be a special event on Friday, March 14th from 5:30PM to 8:30PM. Members can see the huge offering of palms prior to the sale and some vendors will offer the chance to tag plants to be purchased the following morning. There will be awards  given for several catagories of palms and cycads as well as light refreshments and live entertainment. This is an event for SFPS members and we encourage everyone to attend. Membership is available at the event. Please join us-it's a great time!

THE SPRING SALE ISSUE OF THE PALM REPORT appears below- This is an early look at the palm list for the show. The hard copy will be mailed out on Monday the 9th.

We hope you to see you there.

[Tim McKernan]

[Tim McKernan]

[Tim McKernan]

[Tim McKernan]

[Tim McKernan]

[Bruce in San Diego]

Can you put me in touch with Ron Croci?  I am trying to track down some Chambeyronia Houailous.

Thanks,

Bruce

bcochra2@san.rr.com

[Tim McKernan]

Bruce,

I PM'd his number

[Bruce in San Diego]

Who is in booth #93?  They also show that they will have Houailous.

Bruce

[Tim McKernan]

Gerry Alvarez is vendor #93 but he won't be making the sale this time around. I'll PM you his # too.

[Scott Cohen]

see you there Tim!!

[Palmarum]

Just before Jeff and I left after partially finishing the booth, I was able to take a few photos on Thursday afternoon.

- A quick view of Show Chairman Tim McKernan's booth in mid set-up. He had just left to go get another load.

- The nursery's first landscape truck and the white trailer of the Rainforest Collection. We were trying to figure out today how long Jeff Searle has had it. We can not imagine the total number of palms it has carried over the years.

- I only had a few moments to photograph, so I did a run-by shooting. This is the back of Jeff's booth, with some more palms on the way on Friday.

- A peek inside the tent, with some of the shade palms that we brought on down.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The middle of the booth, awaiting more palms.

- Vendor #26, Susan Casey has this giant Old Man Palm, Coccothrinax crinita in her booth for sale. It is quite large and comes complete with a disguise. The tag read $1,400.00 and should get some ooh's and ahh's.

The grounds at Montgomery Botanical Center look great, and I can not wait to see more of them during the weekend. The Friday Members Pre-Sale is tomorrow night, and I hope you are all able to come. The idea of shopping for palms during the twilight hours is unreal. If you are not a member, you can sign up when you arrive. This is a great opportunity to get some rare palms before the weekend. I will be sure to bring a few lights for the booth.

Ryan

[Tim McKernan]

I'm looking forward to seeing your photographic legend of this weekend's event Ryan.

One correction- the Friday night event will NOT have cashiers set up for purchases.  I personally am allowing guests that come to the event tag the plants that they want for purchase on Saturday. Each vendor can decide how they would like to handle that.

[Palmarum]

Soon after I posted I noticed the mistake, but the time limit to edit had just gone by. I am sure we can think of some way to tag plants for tonight. Flagging tape and a marker is the standard for 'holding' a plant, but we shall think of something. It would still be a great way to get a rare species before the sale starts on Saturday, particularly if there is only 1 or 2 plants available.

Ryan

[waykoolplantz]

Nice morning...got there at 9:25...good to see other palm addicts there before me. Got some new palms...some replacements to try again....and just some additional cool things you cant have enough of

Got two beautiful Licualas fron Jeff Searle..a L.Beccariana & L. Wilailak...and from another from Dr Brown..a L.Galabra.

And..

Iguanura Spectabilis

Calyptocaylx forbesii

Joey Altifrons & Parahensis

Ptychosperma nicolai

Wallichia mariannae

Satranaka decussilvae

Chamadorea hooperiana

Thrinax morissii

Dypsis hovitra

Euterpe precatoris (varigated)

[bubba]

Post 13;The Old Man Palm-It's alive!

[TikiRick]

Can't help but to drop a couple hundred there. So many palm species, so little in checking.

[Tim McKernan]

I got a chance to meet a  quite a few of you from the forum. Thanks for coming by and saying hello.

I saw a lot of nice palms go out of my booth and I found a few others that I just had to have. Jeff Searle had a really cool Pinanga sp. "Thai mottled" that I got and I found a Heterospathe cagayanensis that will get planted in the garden.

I'll add a few pics of the show-

Ellis and Rusty Brown getting their booth ready

Steve Stern and a nice Coccothrinax azul

Buddy Poulsen and his award winning Thrinax radiata growing out of a coral rock

Central Florida Palm Society President Bob Johnson Begins to unload a truck full of palms

[Tim McKernan]

Jeff Searle unwraps his entries for the palm show

Scott Cohen brought just a few things...ALL of which I wanted! He won best overall palm with a beautiful Areca dwf catehu

Me and Gaby, George (SFPS Treasurer) and his wife Iliana alvarez

Leslie Veber's Chambeyronia shows a red leaf while Max and his friend tag plants as the night falls.

[Tim McKernan]

Well earned cold drinks after a long day of setting up- Claude Roatta, Travis Searle, Hardworking volunteer, and Rick Johnson

Gangs all here

Kitty and West Palm Beach Society President, Betty Ahlborn

Shirley Romney found a good spot

[Tim McKernan]

Artist Linda Apriletti, SFPS President Bill Olson, and Carribean Palms' Nancy Pobiack

Christian Faulkner surveys some of Ron Croci's palms while Ron talks to a customer

Artist Hal Moore stands in his booth among his paintings

Linda Apriletti at her booth

[Jeff Searle]

Once again, this very popular palm sale was a huge hit. I just can't believe the wide range of species that were offered and top quality grown. From talking to many of the vendors late in the afternoon on sunday, everyone was very pleased with the turnout. Also, many of the buyers that came out, it was their first time there and was glad to get in for free and take one of the many tours that was being offered. I heard this over and over again all weekend. It was definitely another well organized event. Thanks to all that helped!

Jeff

[pdleft]

I also thought the sale was well organized and will look forward to going again. Everyone had outstanding plants and what a nice variety. It was a pleasure to be a vendor and to see all my old friends again and meet a lot of new people.                                                             Ryan, can we expect pictures soon.  

Betty

[Walter John]

That listing of palms for sale is nothing short of staggering. Thought there might be more Roystoneas listed though. Great to see the old Veitchia names used too. It is obvious to see that the availability of species there far outweighs the availability here , at least in Brisbane.

[Palmarum]

pdleft · Posted on Mar. 18 2008,16:54

I also thought the sale was well organized and will look forward to going again. Everyone had outstanding plants and what a nice variety. It was a pleasure to be a vendor and to see all my old friends again and meet a lot of new people.                                                             Ryan, can we expect pictures soon.  

Betty

Welcome to the Forum Betty! Yes, I have quite a few photos coming soon, including ones of your award winning variegated Rhapis. I have to start with Friday afternoon and evening, there was a lot going on.

- Friday, 4:37PM: After a bit of sorting and shuffling, Jeff and I finished the booth setup with plenty of time to kill before the party began.

- A huge spread of large material was available in Albert Livingston's (#31) booth.

- Travis Searle stands next to one of Albert's large Bottle Palms, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, that was on display. You could take it home for a mere $300.00.

- For $350.00 you can add a double Spindle Palm, Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, to your yard.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 4:40PM: An early pair of customers begin to look around the booths before the party began.

- Albert Livingston's (#31) booth was one of the first to be encountered as you walked around the big circle of vendors. The booths kept going into the distance.

- The society had free palms lined up to give to sale patrons. They were an assortment of a few different species.

- 4:43PM: One of Montgomery Botanical Center's staff members talks with SFPS Director Lenny Goldstein.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 4:48PM: A few vendors like #68 Ellis Brown, specialize in selling some of the rarest species of palms and cycads in small containers. This makes it very easy to add to one's own collection. I know I spent a good chunk of Friday evening in Ellis's booth.

- 4:49PM: I saw one tag that caught my attention and it belonged to this group of Johannesteijsmannia perakensis seedlings.

- 4:51PM: Vendor Rusty Brown (#68) continues to get the booth ready while Jeff, Ronnie Croci and I look though the selection.

- 4:52PM: Many of the Caribbean species of palms I often look for can be found in Mike Harris's (#16) booth. He had this large Gaussia spirituana situated on one of Montgomery's large rocks.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 4:56PM: Pseudophoenix ekmanii take up an important spot on one of Mike's tables.

- They are getting that short, stocky look to them.

- 5:01PM: A few more early customers arrive to attend Friday night's festivites and to talk with vendors about which palms are on their shopping lists.

- 5:23PM: I found an interesting hybrid in Mike Harris's (#16) booth, a Triangle, Cabada Palm cross, Dypsis decaryi X cabadae.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 5:23PM: It was a very interesting hybrid, it had the triangular-shaped leafbases of a Triangle Palm, and the coloration of a Cabada Palm.

- Vendor #16 and Forum member Mike Harris (Caribbean Palms) [center-right] describes the features on the Coccothrinax alexandri 3 gallons to SFPS Treasurer George Alvarez

, vendor #13 and FM. Chuck Grieneisen (chuck g) and vendor #25 Carol Graff.

- 5:37PM: Surprise! I caught SFPS member Trisha Frank looking through our booth.

- The judging began a little before 6:00PM and they reached Jeff Searle's entries to the show. Miami Herald Garden Editor Georgia Tasker

looks over a Pinanga sp. "Thai Mottled" along with SFPS Director Jeff Chait and a fellow judge.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 5:40PM: Vendor #92 and Forum member Scott Cohen (Scott Cohen) gives his best impression of a deer caught in headlights.

- Scott gets his booth ready by tagging plants while vendor #25 Carol Graff looks over what he brought.

- 5:46PM: The judges make their way to Scott's booth as I was taking photos. They seemed particularly interested in his Dwarf Betel Nut, Areca catechu cv. "Dwarf".

- I had Scott pose next to his show entry, only to jokingly say I will get another photo of him tomorrow with what ever ribbon he would win. I might have forecasted more than I knew.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 5:55PM: While continuing my Friday evening browsing, I noticed a new booth this year belonging to vendor #82 and long time Forum member Christian Faulkner (cfkingfish). He had a nice selection of species, some of which I have not seen for sale in a long time. I noticed the pair of Nypa fruticans he had from a distance, as they do not appear at sales very often.  

- On one of his tables, he had Lemurophoenix halleuxii seedlings, another palm that has not been seen at a sale in a few years. You can see the characteristic 'nub' that each seed has.

- 6:01PM: Down the line of booths, Steve Stern (#35) had a selection of large Pelagodoxa henryana specimens. This one in particular had produced a short trunk while in its container.

- One of the plants Steve had entered in the show was this bright Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:02PM: Vendor #35 Steve Stern also had this very nice Licuala orbicularis on one table. It was not for sale, yet it was not entered in the show. I think maybe he had smaller ones to bring in the morning that would be for sale.

- A very nice Zombi Palm, Zombia antillarum.

- 6:04PM: In the back of his booth, Steve had his entry in the Best Native category of the show, a Pseudophoenix sargentii.

- There was a wide range of variegated Lady Palms on display this sale. This one was entered in the Best Palmate Palm category on behalf of vendor #13 and FM. Chuck Grieneisen (chuck g).

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:11PM: Vendor #29 Shirley Mayotte had her usual assortment of oddities on display including this Sunset Palm, Calyptrocalyx albertisianus sporting a new red leaf.

- 6:16PM: Halfway down the left bank of booths, Claude Roatta (#67) had his tents set up and they were filled with unusual species. You can not help but look at this Mauritiella aculeata, as it does not look like a palm when first gazed upon.

-  It resembles some sort of glaucous papyrus which projects its water-loving nature.

- 6:20PM: Executive Director of Montgomery Botanical Center, M. Patrick Griffith, Ph.D., guides the show judges to each booth. They are listening to vendor #74 Buddy Poulsen describe his entry into the Most Unusual Palm category, a Thrinax radiata grown straight into a chunk of coral rock.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:21PM: I could hear in the distance more people arriving for the Members Party and I felt the need to seek out the spread before it was all gone. I turned around as I was heading out to capture SFPS Director and judge Jeff Chait taking a closer look at another one of Buddy Poulsen's show plants.

- 6:22PM: Inbetween looking at palms, party-goers stop by the tent to get a drink and a bite to eat.

- In the far upper-left corner of the photo, Jeff Searle gets attacked by a society member -- while palm biologist Dr. Larry Noblick gets in line for some good food along with some newly arriving members.

- 6:24PM: Vendor #4 William Olson, Sr. does a great job at being the bartender for the evening.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:30PM: The weather was flawless for such an event.

- Drink up! The selection included something for everyone.

- 6:41PM: To add to the ambiance, a cellist was invited to lighten up the evening. He was very good and had a lengthy play list of popular classical pieces.

- There were many members who I had not seen since the Holiday Party last December. It was not only great to see everyone again, but it was also nice seeing them having an excellent time. Popular conversation topics included the obvious, palms, cycads and the sale, but many also talked about the upcoming Biennial and the Palm Festival.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 6:54PM: The show judges had finished their duties and joined the rest of us for food and drink.

- 7:01PM: Sunset was almost upon us at this point during the party and some members were at the tent, while others were still looking through booths. I was trying to do a bit of both.

- 7:17PM: Many members had gone through and tagged what they wanted and rejoined us at the tent and together we had one great palm society party going on. It was fantastic to go from one palm rich conversation to another, talking about things you would never expect to hear outside of a palm sale. If you were unable to attend the party, you missed a great experience and I hope you write down the date for the next SFPS event and keep a note of it.

- 7:20PM: Attention was brought to order by SFPS President, vendor #4 and Forum member Bill Olson (Bill Olson)

. He welcomed everyone who came to attend the party and introduced SFPS Show Chairman, vendor #80 and FM. Tim McKernan (Tim McKernan)

. Bill acknowledged the hard word done by Tim and all the other volunteers and board members who made the sale at Montgomery Botanical Center a reality once again.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 7:20PM: On the far right, SFPS President Bill Olson went through a few more introductions and thanked Executive Director of the Montgomery Botanical Center, Dr. M. Patrick Griffith, Ph.D., [left of Bill] for again allowing the South Florida Palm Society to have their Spring Sale at the center. Bill followed by introducing palm biologist Dr. Larry Noblick [center in white] to all the members. Larry was one of two speakers who gave guided tours of the grounds focusing on specific palm genera. Larry gave his tour on Syagrus during Saturday afternoon while the other guide for Sunday was Dr. Scott Zona who in turn, did his tour on Ptychosperma.

- The floor was turned over to SFPS Show Chairman Tim McKernan

who then took a moment to return the adulations to Bill and thanked him for all his hard work for the past few years in getting the society to where it is and for forging a relationship with Montgomery.

- Tim brought out a short stack of ribbons and placed them on the table behind him. Everyone 'shushed' each other and it got quiet as Tim began to announce the show winners. <drum roll> First award was for Best Cycad and it went to vendor #71 & FM. Bob Johnson (Bob Johnson) for his Dioon angustifolium.

- 7:23PM: A surprised vendor #35 Steve Stern was happy to get a ribbon for the large Pseudophoenix sargentii in his booth which won Best Native.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- 7:24PM: The ribbon for Most Unusual Palm went to vendor #74 Buddy Poulsen for his Thrinax radiata which was growing in straight coral rock. I have photos of it coming up in the near future; it was quite 'unusual'.

- The award for Best Pinnate Palm was awarded to vendor #29 Shirley Mayotte but she and her husband Ziggy had left for the evening already. This was half of the party goers, with the other half standing around me.

- A very elegant Variegated Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa, was put out for the show by vendor #46 and FM. Betty Ahlborn (pdleft) and it won Best Palmate Palm.

- Vendor #57 Jeff Searle collects his award for Rarest Palm, which he received for his entry of a Heterospathe cagayanensis.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Last, but certainly not the least surprising, was the award for Best of Show, which was given to vendor #92 Scott Cohen for his Dwarf Betel Nut Palm, Areca catechu cv. "Dwarf". I knew I was forecasting a bit when I took his photo with his palm. Scott left early to catch a Miami Heat game so Jeff called him on his phone and let Tim tell him the good news.

After the awards were handed out, members continued to drink, eat and have a good time. A few die-hards broke out flashlights and continued to shop. I consider the party to be a great sucess and I would like to thank Bill, Tim and everyone else who helped put it together. It is a great way to begin a palm sale.

Friday ends...Saturday is next...

Ryan