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The 11th Annual Fall Searle Brothers Plant Extravaganza


Palmarum

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- 11:44AM: The clear skies meant higher temperatures as the day was heating up in a hurry. Customers were taking advantage of any available shade around the sales area, in this case the shade over the bromeliad section. I asked a few customers about the weather and they said they would rather have the heat than a downpour.

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- I noticed that some of the newly arriving customers would head straight for the barn as soon as they caught a whiff of the BBQ. I knew I was getting hungry myself...

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- 11:46AM: Occasionally, the receipt writers would get ahead of the registers but the wait was not that long.

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- To the left of above, the loaded trailers were next in line to venture out to the parking lot while more customers were coming in down the road.

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Ryan

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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The lady in the purple shirt at the check out register has great ranch hand potential. :blink:

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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mmmmm. I'm hungry now.... :D

There seems to be crotons on every cart that is checking out :blink:

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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But I'm also posting here so Ryan will start a new page so folks can download those multi-meg shots easier! :lol:

I can always look at 'em really small on my phone now, or else wait 'til I get home... :)

Some great footage though Ryan! :D

Brandon, FL

27.95°N 82.28°W (Elev. 62 ft)

Zone9 w/ canopy

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BS Man about Palms Posted Yesterday, 11:41 AM

But I'm also posting here so Ryan will start a new page so folks can download those multi-meg shots easier!...

Anything to add to your total amount of posts, Bill... The photos added together would be more than one MB, but individually they average about 220KB each.

- 12:58PM: A spot opened up near a table behind me and I was able to back up more to take a wider shot of the hungry mass eating their fill. Those green pots attached to the shelf on the right held assorted orchids as of Friday morning. They were overflow for the area further down...

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- 1:02PM: ... Flipping around 180º you can see the continued orchid section down the left and towards the back. There were still a few orchids left for those customers coming later on Saturday. When I photograph the barn during the lunch days I always get asked a ton of questions by customers I helped earlier in the day. "You know that palm I got earlier..."

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- Any port in the storm... Sometimes its better to make your own seating area than to wait for one under the barn. These customers may get an impulse to get a Royal Poinciana, Delonix regia while eating. "Mmm... Diet Coke."

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- Volunteer Crafton Clift dazzles customers with his wealth of knowledge about all plants, but especially in tropical flowering trees. The customer he is explaining the plant to came prepared with heavy gloves.

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Ryan

South Florida

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- 1:02PM: As I grabbed a soda, I headed back towards the shadehouse to answer questions and to check on what needed to be restocked for Sunday morning. I also started to get in a habit to check on the display signs to make sure they were not missing.

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- 2:12PM: Over an hour later of heavy activity in the shadehouse, I broke free real fast to take some more photos outside as it seemed the flow of customers was not slowing down. The main road was still the hub of fast-paced plant hunting for landscape plants...

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- [to the right] ... and bromeliads.

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- 2:13PM: The tent on the extreme left serves as sanctuary from the heat of the day for the receipt writers who appear as soon as a loaded cart or trailer approaches the registers.

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Ryan

South Florida

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- 2:14PM: Volunteer and FM. Jim Glock (jglock1) split his time between the crotons up front and with the palms along the sidewalk; as he is equally knowledgeable with both. The customer on the left was asking him about the various plants on his cart, including the Plumeria sp.

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- 2:19PM: Meeting Forum members from near and far is always a key benefit of the Extravaganza. We were fortunate to know ahead of time to expect FM. Peter Beatty (Peter Pacific) as he was traveling in from Southern Guatemala, and it was great that he was able to attend. He is posing with a Dypsis crinita that was recently pulled.

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- 2:37PM: We all shared a wonderful time talking with Peter and his friend as we all had a great amount of palm talking to do. He had great stories to tell of his place in Guatemala and he had a strong enthusiasm in finding certain species to bring back with him. Just look at the cart...

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- 2:59PM: With two hours remaining in the Extravaganza on Saturday, Jeff, Jim and Judy took time to find a place in the croton area to rest their feet.

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Ryan

South Florida

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- 3:51PM: This customer came in late on Saturday with a very unique interiorscape situation in which he needed a palm to fulfill. He wanted a tropical, water-loving palm for a large, indoor walk-in shower. Not the typical gardening scenario. We walked up and down the sidewalk going over various species that might work until he decided to get most of them to try.

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- 4:29PM: The second day of the Extravaganza was drawing to a close. Customers were heading for the registers via the holding area with their stashes in tow. Judy Glock was very helpful in creating the large empty spaces that now dominated the Croton selection so I had her stand at the back and pose. The remaining plants were spaced out along with the available cultivars that were able to be restocked.

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- 4:32PM: Everyone leaves the sales area with something... Guard dog Dumbo helps herself to BBQ steak that was left over from one of the volunteers own lunch orders.

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- 6:06PM: "Munch!" Back at Jeff's house for the late afternoon walk and talk, I spied his tortoises out on the prowl for whatever may be edible. This particular African Spur-Thigh Tortoise, Geochelone sulcata found a Barbados Cherry, Malpighia glabra that had just hit the ground two seconds earlier. The palm in the right of the photo is a Dypsis carlsmithii with a well-polished trunk.

RDG2009-10-03_18-06-26.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 6:08PM: <plays the theme from Jaws> As soon as this one saw me near the edge of the enclosure, it made a straight line to where I was standing.

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- 6:12PM: He/she made the way to the edge of the fence then Kane came over to check out what was going on.

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- 6:14PM: The work done in the yard is continuous and Jeff will welcome any assistance. Volunteer Pfc. Shane Tanner shows off his height while pulling a weed out of the Giant Staghorn Fern, Platycerium sp.

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- 6:18PM: Shane poses with the pulled Ficus weed in the last photo from Saturday. Jeff said he could keep it.

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Ryan

South Florida

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Time to let the plant crazy people back into the nursery. This Fall, the Extravaganza had a record number of palm species (381 final count) and croton cultivars (135) out on display and for sale. In addition to these two groups of plants there were an incredible variety of tropical species to choose from. Forum members and collectors came from far and wide to attend, including northern and central Florida, Georgia, Arizona and even Guatemala. Jeff Searle, myself and the other volunteers got to meet new people, talk plants with fellow enthusiasts and enjoyed the opportunity to see old friends again. The Extravaganza represents a unique situation for photography, as I am constantly looking for shots while talking about plants. I try to capture everything that transpires during the weekend, but I haven't been able to get close to doing that yet.

- Friday, 7:31AM: The short time in the morning was spent doing last minute stocking, signage and the usual details we often need to do. This includes getting a donut or two. While eating my glazed donut I made a final inspection of the sidewalk within the shadehouse. The front table at the intersection was primed and ready for the collectors with the rare of the rare.

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- One of the 3 gallon Chambeyronia macrocarpa had this new leaf and I knew it was not going to last long.

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- 7:32AM: Another new red leaf, this time on a Dypsis crinita down the sidewalk a few feet.

Hi Ryan,

It was so great meeting you and Jeff, and Jim and Judy...next time I want to go on Friday with all of the collectors!! Congratulations to all of you for your hard work and amazing palms. We just got back to Guatemala and I can´t wait to get to the beach.

Best of luck to you all and I hope to see you at the next extravaganza!

Peter

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- 7:34AM: Frank "Pops" Searle takes a golf cart and drives down to the holding area to get it in line. At this point in the morning, 26 minutes before opening, I started to notice customers beginning to gather at the gate.

RDG2009-10-02_07-34-32.jpg

Ryan

Peter

hot and humid, short rainy season May through October, 14* latitude, 90* longitude

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The lady in the purple shirt at the check out register has great "ranch hand" potential. :blink:

Dear Ron :)

Iam very glad to know that you are also my type ! :mrlooney: Since even i thought so...

Lots of love,

kris :winkie:

love conquers all..

43278.gif

.

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The morning on Sunday was spent in typical Extravaganza fashion, restocking plants, re-arranging, spacing out palms along the sidewalk, eating donuts and muffins, etc. Certain plant groups had sold out so some last minute pulling was needed to fill holes along the sales area walkways. The gate was left open and while we were scattered around the nursery grabbing plants, I noticed customers beginning to trickle in before the normal Sunday opening time of 9:00AM. The early birds didn't mind the rampant morning activity of speeding golf carts and tractors pulling loaded trailers. They were too involved with browsing. For a change, I started shooting photos on Sunday while using my telephoto, 70-300mm lens to try an capture details from a distance.

- Sunday, 9:48AM: Throughout the frenzy on Friday & Saturday, volunteer Crafton Clift mentioned to many tropical flowering enthusiasts that he was going to give a class on grafting trees early on Sunday morning. He had a group of interested customers who came back to learn everything there is to know about grafting, as his knowledge about the subject is legendary throughout South Florida.

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- 9:52AM: A morning photo session. Jeff does his best to keep his eyes open against the morning sun as he stands with his daughter Rachel.

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- 9:54AM: The easy way to see everything is while riding in a cart. You do not need to be a kid neither. Andrea Searle tows her grand kids around as the shadehouse starts to fill up with the morning crowd.

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- 10:07AM: I practiced holding my camera steady as I took this shot of the remaining small Licuala peltata var. sumawongii that were on the sidewalk near the intersection. I was far away by quite a bit...

RDG2009-10-04_10-07-03.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 10:26AM: Crafton begins his class as Jeff comes over to check on "what" cultivar is going to be grafted onto "which" plant...

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- 10:27AM: For purposes of the lesson, Crafton and his students are going to be grafting one of his favorite Chorisia (Ceiba) cultvars named 'Elsie Page' onto regular Floss-Silk Trees, Ceiba speciosa.

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- 10:33AM: The smaller containerized Floss-Silk Trees had either been grabbed from the sales area by customers or they were brought from home after being purchased in the days prior to Sunday. Crafton supplied the 'Elsie Page' cuttings for the class from one of his own trees.

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- 10:36AM: It all starts with the first, steady cut. One of the students begins to cut into his small Floss-Silk Tree under Crafton's supervision. For those who may not be aware, a specially designed knife blade is required for grafting so any old sharp edge won't work properly. In this case, a Swiss Army grafting/budding knife is being used.

RDG2009-10-04_10-36-17.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 10:36AM: Crafton has incredible attention to detail and it is a product of his many years of acquiring knowledge. He quickly digs right into the stem like he is trying to cut the entire thing in half, but is actually making a perfect cut down to find the cambium layer. He has done this many times...

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- 10:38AM: With the rootstock Floss-Silk Tree already cut and waiting, the student on the left prepares the 'Elsie Page' scion for the graft. Specifically, this is an example of side-veneer grafting.

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- 10:39AM: "Pickles!" I figured I had to break up the class series with a photo of food. It was already time to start getting ready for the day's BBQ lunch so these pickles had just been taken out of a large jar. In roughly three hours from now, all these will be gone. I didn't eat all of them.

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- 10:40AM: A 7-gallon Areca vestiaria heads towards the holding area along with one of the small Licuala peltata var. sumawongii I photographed earlier...

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Ryan

South Florida

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- 11:20AM: The Heliconia rhizome selection was located not far from the grafting class so I could not help but keep an eye on the customers browsing and sorting through them. Almost every variety had a cut flower on display next to their corresponding card and 'bin'. These rhizomes were fresh as they were dug out of the ground as of late Thursday and even Friday morning.

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- 11:21AM: It was almost an hour after the grafting class had begun and all the students were busy cutting into their Floss Silk Trees. One of the customers/students purchased one of the larger, 7-gallon sized trees and you can see the graft location near the top tied with a slice of rubber inner tube.

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- 11:22AM: The same 7-gallon Floss Silk Tree gets its graft finished by its new owner. There was one more important step in the procedure that still needed to be done to finish the class.

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- 11:30AM: The Extravaganza is very fortunate to get such a diverse supply of volunteers to help on all three days. On Sundays, volunteer and well-known horticulturist/plantsman/landscape designer David McLean stops by to answer questions better than anyone. Jeff and myself see David on a regular basis at the Broward County B.U.S.H. Club meetings...

RDG2009-10-04_11-30-46.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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Ryan, great pics as usual. Again, I wish I could have made it, but I've been busy increasing the size of my family this year which means less time for palms. Although I recently notified my wife that next year I plan on increasing my palm collection again.

Jacksonville, FL

Zone 9a

 

First Officer

Air Wisconsin Airlines (USairways Express)

Canadair Regional Jet

Base: ORF

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- 11:31AM: In the tropical flowering tree section, a customer reads the display card belong to the Verawood, Bulnesia arborea trees. I think she was looking for a flower color that goes well with pink...

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- The last step in the grafting class was to cover the graft locations with plastic to keep them dry. The number one reason why grafts do not take is usually from moisture penetrating the graft point. The Chorisia (Ceiba) 'Elsie Page' is a very bright, neon-pink variety that flowers in October and becomes completely deciduous when it flowers. Grafted plants are usually never available. Crafton Clift is a world authority on Chorisia (Ceiba) varieties and has even written a book about them.

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- 11:32AM: If you ever have the opportunity to talk with Crafton you will learn not only does he know quite a bit, but he also has a peculiar sense of humor that he works into every situation. He thanked everyone for learning to graft today and they thanked him in return.

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- Walking back around to the side road, I walked past Crafton and photographed the area getting busy as it was lunch time once more. For the second day, the smoke wafted its way through the sales area reminding everyone it was time to eat.

RDG2009-10-04_11-32-36.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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This time "I" can spot the Ranch Hand! :) (See the picture above...)

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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- 11:34AM: "Grrr... Burgers I have you now..." Lunch on Sunday was now in high gear and the hamburgers were next to be brought over to the window...

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- This one tray's worth of hamburgers will last a few minutes. I know, as I was hanging around to get my lunch as well...

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- 11:37AM: One family double checks their cart to make sure they got everything they came for. I took this photo one handed, as my other hand was loaded with food. Multitasking...

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- 12:07PM: By the middle of lunchtime, there were a few dark clouds that had appeared and began to shade the Extravaganza from the mid day sun. They were not threatening to create a downpour, so few if at all, were worried. At the shadehouse intersection, the display cards for the Licuala peltata var. sumawongii and Pinanga coronata groups get a good workout by a pair of enthusiastic customers. They both had been at the nursery since the early hours.

RDG2009-10-04_12-07-23.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 12:45PM: The shadehouse saw a large influx of customers right about when lunchtime was winding down. They all seemed to slowly flow down the sidewalks, while heavy with BBQ. There were a few 3-day customers that were doing their multiple numbered trip through the selection looking for anything else that might catch their eye. Even at this time on Sunday I met one collector who had just managed to get to the nursery after a busy weekend with his family. He had a short list of palm species he was looking for and I was able to direct him to one group that still had plants left, the Neoveitchia storckii group.

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- 1:04PM: Out along the main road, the sun had come out again and many customers didn't mind the rays of sunshine. I saw one or two that had an umbrella and many were lathering on coats of sunblock.

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- I turned to my left to see the side road busy with customers looking through Cordylines and Gingers. The customer in the center pulling the cart had just moments earlier grabbed that Dioon spinulosum. They wanted a cycad that resembled the King Sago, but would not get the snow scale. There was roughly three hours left in the Fall Extravaganza and customers were making the best of it.

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Ryan

South Florida

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- 1:04PM: The side of the holding area facing the main road is the busiest hub of activity during the Extravaganza. All customers entering and leaving the sales area have to pass by here; and those who required room in the holding area use this passage to load their plants onto the next golf cart or tractor. Like a well-oiled machine this happens smoothly and hundreds of times during the weekend...

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- 1:09PM: Braden's job this time was to lift all the heavy stuff onto the trailer and rest it on the support bar behind him.

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- 1:10PM: The receipt writers check every plant and every tag carefully for name and price before writing it down on the receipt. The landscape plants are on a combined price sheet to save from tagging each one and many other plants that are hard to tag, such as Bromeliads, have the price written on the pot. Rachel writes down the customer's batch of Bromeliads on the left while Katie Tanner sorts through the plants on the trailer.

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- Randy Searle noticed I was taking his picture and smiled as his dad, Frank "Pops" Searle talks with customers while they were keeping things organized in the holding area.

RDG2009-10-04_13-10-29.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 2:12PM: The Forum member attendance this Fall Extravaganza was a wonderful bonus to an already great plant sale. On the left, FM. Tom Jones (weldertom) could have the record for furthest 'traveling' Forum member. He lives here in Melbourne Beach, Florida but travels extensively back and forth to Saudi Arabia for work. One of those trips could easily smash the record. Volunteer and FM. Rob van der Borg (Borgy230) had been in Colombia on a business trip during Friday and Saturday and had just gotten back Saturday night.

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- Tom wanted to be in a photo with the "head honcho" so he got next to Jeff for this shot. For a brief moment, Jeff felt taller than usual and it seemed to cause him to stretch a little bit...

RDG2009-10-04_14-12-35.jpg

- 2:32PM: Customers were making purchases up to the last minute on Sunday, including a few "instant landscapes" consisting of large material. Jeff answers questions about the Carpoxylon macrospermum plants on the left to customers that were installing said material. Even with only an hour and a half remaining in the day, additional plants for sale were still being pulled. This constant restocking causes Jeff to always have to carry a roll of lavender tags with him every where he goes.

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- 3:14PM: The customers featured above had been choosing plants for a long while until the day's time limit caused them to start gathering them all up into one big stash. Workers and volunteers, including Thomas (obscured by the Alocasia leaf) combined their efforts to start grabbing all their plants.

RDG2009-10-04_15-14-35.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 3:14PM: In addition to the Alocasia featured above, this one load so far consisted of an Alocasia var. "Borneo Giant" and a Hyophorbe indica. After they turned the cart around it was now heading for the holding area. I decided to follow them to see the last half hour of activity by the holding area and registers.

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- 3:33PM: Right across from the holding area, a trailer load gets its last minute giant add-on Bromeliad.

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- The majority of the plants were Green Malayan Coconut Palms, Cocos nucifera cv. 'Malayan Green' and they were accompanied by a few small Bromeliads and one big one, which I think is an Aechmea cultivar of some sort. I know there are many 'Bromo' enthusiasts on this Forum that know what it is. To round out the collection, a single Miniature Cymbidium ground orchid was placed on top.

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- 3:34PM: Here is the same collection viewed from the back as it works its way to the registers. The impending last minute of the Extravaganza was quickly approaching and the customers still in the sales area behind me got an auditory notice.

RDG2009-10-04_15-34-52.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 3:41PM: The Bromeliad section had be restocked a few times during the 3-day weekend, with emphasis on the full sun selection of cultivars which seemed to be extremely popular.

RDG2009-10-04_15-41-42.jpg

- 3:48PM: In the last minutes of the Extravaganza, one more cart load of assorted plants takes the path down the main road on their way to a new home. When I saw the Verschaffeltia splendida in the back of the cart, I was reminded that practically any species of palm can be bought throughout all three days, rare or common.

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- 3:50PM: "Ten Minutes until closing!" Even with the notification, customers did their best to shop through the sales area as fast as they could. The customer on the left with the cart was in a full trot towing the cart down through the landscape plants.

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- I didn't get to take any special 'Sunday afternoon' of the Extravaganza photos this Fall, as everyone was scattered all over helping customers at the registers, outside in the parking lot and closing things down through 4:00PM and even past closing time. I noticed this customer wearing a Miami Dolphins t-shirt making her way to the register with a full cart and I had to take this photo, for more than one reason. She had a large Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa, a White Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia nicolai and a collection of other plants -- and I am also a fan of the Dolphins, regardless of their current record. I know many people, including myself, were waiting to watch the Dolphin game that started on Sunday at 4:00pm, so a few were in a hurry to get to a TV.

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I know, from my point of view during the 11th Fall Extravaganza that not only was it a success, but also an important and special occasion for families, friends, palm and plant enthusiasts who volunteered and attended. It was great to see all the Forum members who came from near and so far to go palm crazy together in one spot. I still kick myself for missing a few important people that I forgot to photograph and they should have been mentioned here in the topic, but at times it gets so busy. If you see a photographed plant that I didn't mention or name, let me know and I will try and get the name, and then get it posted. We hope to see everyone again at the 12th Spring Extravaganza next March...

Jeff and myself will be at the SFPS Fall Sale at Fairchild TB Gardens the first weekend (7th & 8th) of this coming November for those of you going to get even more palm pandemonium.

--<

Ryan

South Florida

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- 2:12PM: The Forum member attendance this Fall Extravaganza was a wonderful bonus to an already great plant sale. On the left, FM. Tom Jones (weldertom) could have the record for furthest 'traveling' Forum member. He lives here in Melbourne Beach, Florida but travels extensively back and forth to Saudi Arabia for work. One of those trips could easily smash the record. Volunteer and FM. Rob van der Borg (Borgy230) had been in Colombia on a business trip during Friday and Saturday and had just gotten back Saturday night.

- Tom wanted to be in a photo with the "head honcho" so he got next to Jeff for this shot. For a brief moment, Jeff felt taller than usual and it seemed to cause him to stretch a little bit...

Indeed I see Jeff stretching a bit - He didn't have too, I am usually shorter than most...........

I think the stretching might have been more related to our mid-section ( I was doing it too....lol)

Thanks for the opportunity, Jeff. It was a pleasure to meet you and Ryan.

As a side note - I found out one of our Clients here in KSA owns a date farm. I plan to chat up Fahad and see if I can't get us an insiders look at this....

Masalama... Weldertom

Melbourne Beach, Florida on the barrier island -two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and 6 homes from the Indian River Lagoon

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I've been meaning to bring this up.....

I count FOUR sets of legs and THREE torsos.... MY GAWD! What HAPPENED at that sale? Was their carnage!!?? :bemused:

post-27-1256093175_thumb.jpg

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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weldertom Posted Yesterday, 12:33 AM

...Thanks for the opportunity, Jeff. It was a pleasure to meet you and Ryan...

It was great meeting you as well Tom, I hope you had a great and safe trip back. I am sure that date farm will be a nice experience to visit, take photos if you can.

BS Man about Palms Posted Yesterday, 10:53 PM

I've been meaning to bring this up.....

I count FOUR sets of legs and THREE torsos.... MY GAWD! What HAPPENED at that sale? Was their carnage!!??...

Its called too many plants in the photo blocking people while they move down the sidewalk. If someone was half-eaten by a plant, then I missed the photo opportunity.

I received a PM that reminded me that I still have a few sale booklets left over from the Extravaganza. If anyone would like one, send me a message with your address.

Ryan

South Florida

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  • 2 months later...

is it March yet?

"Randy" IPS member # 150229

Dover, FL (West of Plant City, FL)

120 feet above sea level

Average Yearly Rainfall is 51.17 inches per year

Average Summer Temp 83F

Average Winter Temp 62F

USDA Zone 9a/9b

Dover.gif

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