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Edison Estate Garden Festival - Ft. Myers, FL - Nov. 23-24, 2019


Palmarum

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Edison & Ford Winter Estates

Fall Garden Festival

November 23rd & 24th, 2019

Fort Myers, Florida

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Link: https://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/events/garden-festival/

For the second time, Searle Brothers Nursery, Inc. & The Rainforest Collection® will be a vendor at the upcoming Fall Garden Festival held at the historic Edison & Ford Winter Estates; the fourth weekend of November. Our first time at the festival last year was an incredible experience. It is a large scale event with vendors and exhibitors from all over the state and I was surprised at the range of plant material on display. We were also treated to a tour of the rare plant collection of the Edison Estate, which is also worth the trip. I took a lot of photos of the event last year but was not able to make a topic. The weekend included much more than just a garden festival, as I got to meet many key people in the plant world (a few I had never met before and some I had not seen in years).

The nursery's plant selection for the Festival has begun. Jeff is currently moving plants around and putting others away from a plant sale we attended last weekend. It is still early so I do not know what plants he will be bringing (as usual) but it will primarily focus on Palms and Crotons, with strong secondaries in other plant groups. As soon as some of the other groups are selected I will post the info here. If I get an actual list of plants I will try and post it here. The nursery will also be taking advance sales and Pre-orders on plants we will deliver to the event or to our 'booth'.  If you would like to place an order, or would like to request certain species, cultivars, etc. we should bring to the festival, you can post the names here or contact Jeff Searle directly at:

phone: (954) 658-4317 (or) email: palms@rainforestcollection.com

Any other questions or information you think may be relevant, please post it here. For added event information, follow the link above or for directions follow the link below. I do know there will be a lot of vendors. In addition to growers and plant-related vendors, they had many craft and decorative item sellers and of course, food vendors in the form of booths, displays and food trucks.

Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/RPRekH4pDQK2

 

Ryan

  • Like 1

South Florida

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  • 2 weeks later...

The plant selection process continues...

In addition to plant suggestions for the sale, I have been getting inquires as to what other vendors will be in attendance. I do not have a vendor list and don't know if the Estate staff ever posts or publishes one anywhere. If I happen to get a vendor list I will post it here or if I learn about a specific vendor that will be at the Garden Festival, I will post the info as well.

Ryan

South Florida

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  • 2 weeks later...

A small sale update...

Jeff and crew continue to select, pull and tag plants for this weekend's Garden Festival. The focus has been on Palms and Crotons, which includes an increase in the number of plants and taxa from last year's appearance. They were the two most popular plant groups from last year and they have represented the majority of the pre-orders and advance sales so far. I know other plant groups will be making a showing, when I know which, I will let it be known here. The nursery will also be a vendor at this weekend's Key West Garden Club's - Fall Plant Sale & Art Show - down in Key West at the West Martello Tower. Both sale crews have been deciding on who takes what, in regards to plants, materials, chairs, you name it. The group heading down to Key West will be bringing a little bit of everything, with a focus on Bromeliads. When I get more info, it shall be posted here.

In regards to a list of vendors, I haven't found one yet. I do know that Tropiflora should be in attendance, along with Gardino Nursery. I learned last year they are both regulars at the sale. There is a good chance Freund Flowering Trees should be a vendor.

I hope the old fashioned ice cream vendor will be there, they have an antique churn. That was some good ice cream.

Ryan

South Florida

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What a strange twist in the weather for a plant sale. Or two actually. It was cool and crisp this morning.

Out at the nursery today, I was taking photos here and there as we prepped and loaded plants for not one but for two separate plant sales. This is certainly a first. We have had plant sales in different locations on back-to-back weekends, but not two on the same weekend; especially in two different corners of the state.

- The shadehouse sidewalk became one of the staging areas for both sales. This group of plants were part of the sale selection headed for "The Fort" a.k.a. the West Martello Tower, home of the Key West Garden Club and their plant sale. Some of the plants were part of many different pre-orders and various advance sales. Even the bag of fertilizer was part of a pre-order. (B) The roads were a buzz of activity all day, and all week. On the right and not perfectly lit, was a group of full sun Palms headed to Ft. Myers and the Edison Estate Garden Festival.

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- A trailer loaded with Palms headed to Key West. I stated earlier that the nursery's appearance at the KWGC sale would feature a lot of Bromeliads, but the selection was shifted to feature more Palms as a primary group. Bromeliads will still be there, along with other plant groups, but most will be showcased as secondaries.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- The Mystery Palm. What could it be? It was wrapped tight with multiple layers of protective burlap for the trip to Key West. It looked like a giant tamale. It was going to ride down in the back of the landscape truck. You would probably want one if you knew what it was. (B) The Full Sun Palms had some Cycads mixed in for fun.

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- Crotons. The colorful garden jewelry were a prominent plant group for both sales. These were part of a pre-order headed for Key West. The Crotons going to Ft. Myers had not been pulled yet. That is going to happen tomorrow.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- Palms headed to the Edison Estate Garden Festival. The pulled selection of plants were mostly Palms gathered in and around the sidewalk intersection. Most were sitting on the sidewalk with others nearby.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- Many of the gallons and smaller-sized Palms were waiting on the sidewalk. The mental puzzle of figuring out how many species, of which sizes and what quantities can fit in the trailer, had begun.

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- More were being pulled at this time, so it is hard to say how many plants will be transported to the sale.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- More Palms, both large and small destined for Ft. Myers. Every time we thought of a cool plant to bring, we would pull them and then leave them as a group. Then run off and do it again.

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- A lot of gallon Palms were pulled to cover many species and genera. I hope they all fit in the trailer.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- It was good 'people' weather today, 76ºF (24ºC) and a low 40% humidity. Not the best 'palm' weather, though. Water was vanishing as soon as it hit the potting soil. (B) A group of pre-ordered Fishtail Palms, Caryota mitis, get transported out of the shadehouse on their way south to Margaritaville.

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Ryan

South Florida

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- Dypsis utilis - 7 gallon - $100.00 - I just had to photograph that new red leaf. I was amazed at the color. I should post it in the main subforum. The entire shadehouse seemed to be erupting in new red emergent leaves.

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- That leaf (and the second newest one behind it) is the reason the palm was pulled today and why it will be on its way to Ft. Myers.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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A correction...

The price of the Dypsis utilis posted above is $150.00. I had 'jumped the gun' when it came to photographing and posting the photos. That red leaf had hypnotized me. The tag on the palm was old, from another sale over a month ago, and was rewritten today.

We are all packed and heading west tomorrow. Today was extremely busy. I didn't get to take any loading photos as a result. We were stuffing plants in everywhere they would fit. We even had to make room to squeeze in the spare tire at the last minute. A lot of pre-orders to take care of, some rather complex, but they are all ready. A few of those making pre-orders and advance sales were routinely calling and messaging Jeff all day long; adding, changing, mixing things up. I thought his phone was going to explode.

We ought to have great weather for the weekend. See you all there.

Ryan

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South Florida

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Hey Ryan, it was great to see you & Jeff at the sale today. Looked like you guys were swamped. Thanks again for setting aside the 4 palms I requested. I'm really thrilled with my purchases. Also, a call-out to the Glocks for their kind welcome. Tim & I enjoyed chatting with you again.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Looks like a great selection. I hope you all can make it back to Sarasota (or Tampa Bay) again soon. 

Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

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On 11/18/2019 at 5:52 PM, Palmarum said:

... I hope the old fashioned ice cream vendor will be there, they have an antique churn. That was some good ice cream.

Mmm... Strawberry. They were there and the ice cream was very good.

South Florida

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On 11/23/2019 at 6:36 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

Hey Ryan, it was great to see you & Jeff at the sale today. Looked like you guys were swamped. Thanks again for setting aside the 4 palms I requested. I'm really thrilled with my purchases. Also, a call-out to the Glocks for their kind welcome. Tim & I enjoyed chatting with you again.

Likewise Meg, it was great to see you and talk with you both at the sale. I am glad we had the species you wanted and in the right sizes. Jim & Judy Glock are true palm nuts and are always up for a plant sale. They were also our hosts for the weekend and assisted us in unloading on Friday, which was a tremendous help. They cut the unload and setup time in half.

The Garden Festival was fantastic. We sold quite a few plants throughout both days and we had a light load for the trip back east. The event staff was very pleased with the customer turnout and vendor attendance. There were more vendors this Fall. It was very busy all of Saturday and Sunday afternoon so I didn't take that many photos. I was planted in a chair for the first-half of Saturday just running the checkout.

Ryan

South Florida

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On 11/23/2019 at 7:35 PM, RedRabbit said:

Looks like a great selection. I hope you all can make it back to Sarasota (or Tampa Bay) again soon. 

As of now, we plan on attending Tropiflora's spring open house sale in Sarasota. It is their Spring Festival and is planned for the first weekend in April, 3rd to the 5th. I will probably start a different topic as we get closer to the event. I still have photos to post from the Fall Festival in October. So many palms and so many events...

Ryan

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South Florida

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