14th Annual Spring Searle Brothers Plant Extravaganza!

[Palmarum]

The 14th Annual Spring

Searle Brothers Plant Extravaganza!

March 2nd, 3rd, 4th - 9th, 10th & 11th - 2012

South Florida

Friday, March 2nd

- First morning of the sale, a half hour before opening, those of us in red shirts are running around getting the usual details ready. A few last minute signs being placed, some plants being pulled and tagged, etc. Inside the shadehouse, I started taking photos in prep for the morning. I captured event faithful and Forum member Jim Glock (jglock1) looking over the tables for anything he didn't already have. The grouping of Licuala peltata var. sumawongii was primed and stocked full of gallons.

- Out on the main road, the last minute refinement continues. The carts are lined up on the left, tractors, golf carts and trailers are hitched together... The current weather and its outlook for the day was impeccable. In the center, Amadeo waters down the gravel road surface to cut down on the dust, as it was expected to get a little windy.

- A few specimen palms were pulled for purchase to decorate the sales area, including this fairly large and mature, female Blue Latan Palm, Latania loddigesii. The palm was pulled late the day before, so Jeff Searle was tagging it this morning.

- It had been in the pot for a long time, but was perfectly happy. The palm did a great job as a focal point for the beginning of the main road, surrounded by Magnificent crotons and Xanadu plants.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The full sun Palm section on the side of the shadehouse held a selection of both common and rare species for gardens that receive lots of sun. This large double Thatch Palm, Thrinax radiata, was added to get peoples' attention.

It was close to opening time, so Jeff came by on the golf cart and we headed towards the gate...

- As we were speeding down the main road, I took photos of the different plant groups as we passed them. A little glare creeped into this shot of the landscape plants as I photographed off the back of the golf cart.

- [zoom] We picked up Andrea on route to the gate. As we took off again, we sped past the Bromeliad section. We were going the max limit on the golf cart so it blurred the shot a little.

- Larry Searle pulled as many Bromeliads as possible and made the largest display yet.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Carts o plenty, at the ready. The nursery keeps adding a few new carts to the collection every year but when it gets busy it doesn't seem to make a dent in the demand.

- The crowd notices the golf cart approaching and they start to gather at the gate. Some customers prefer to wait standing inches from the chain link fence, while others relax in their vehicles.

- Randy Searle takes his post under the gate tent, surrounded by Podocarpus. Blueberry muffins and orange soda, breakfast of champions. Yum!

- Customers, start your engines. Jeff pulls open the gate latch and customers ready their muscles to be mobile.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Jeff opens the gate and the customers begin to stream forth, a minute or so before 8:00AM...

- There was a delay at the gate and I was not able to get ahead of the crowd again. From behind, the crowd stayed together until they passed the holding area, many with carts in hand.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- As soon as customers reached the fork in the road they split off in all directions. I usually like to capture the crowd as they begin to separate but I was not able to get there fast enough.

- The majority made a left turn, heading towards the shadehouse; where they began searching through the palms and crotons.

- Inside the shadehouse, the first customers began browsing. Some prefer to head to the tables first, while some head to the end of the sidewalk and work their way back to the entrance. The focal point of rarity is usually around the tables and sidewalk intersection, but certain species can really end up anywhere along the concrete.

- At the shadehouse entrance, customers dive into the crotons. With the warm winter we had, the croton selection was the largest it has ever been for a spring Extravaganza.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- A customer grabs a pair of Dreadlocks crotons.

- The familiar 'parking lot' of carts begins to form at the shadehouse entrance.

- She really likes Dreadlocks. Those considering a change in hairstyle should take note.

- With list in hand, collector and author Paul Humann browses the croton selection. His yard is unbelievable and I cannot imagine him having much room left to plant anything.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- At a plant sale, one must never hesitate. Words to live by if you want to get what you came for. This customer is a regular at the Extravaganzas and she gets what she wants, quickly. At this point she has a 10 gal. Carpoxylon macrospermum, a large 3 gal. Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, and an Anthurium faustomirandae. She spent the morning making runs back and forth to the holding area.

- This croton enthusiast got her full of Dreadlocks and then added others. She now had to navigate the cart through the parking lot to get out of the shadehouse...

- A few minutes and some repositioning later, she made it through.

- Greg K. makes it past with a Dypsis hiarakae in hand.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- More customers began to arrive and the sales area began to fill up quickly. The croton section was no exception.

- In the center of the photo, Andrea Searle takes a minute to talk with FM. Rick Leitner (TikiRick). Rick had running shoes on and had already done a mad dash through the crotons.

- The sidewalk in the shadehouse was getting crowded and the time hadn't reached 9:00AM yet.

- The early customer with the loaded cart was making a trip back to the holding area. When she went by I noticed she grabbed the second 10 gal. Carpoxylon macrospermum, a large Areca vestiaria var. 'Maroon Leaf' a tall Chamaedorea sp. and a few aroids. She had also switched out the 3 gal. Joey for the 7 gallon one, now at the front of the cart.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- I forgot my stepladder so I had to improvise shots like this. I wanted to get the depth of the shadehouse so I had to hold the camera up in the air, and above Jim's head. It was a challenge to keep it somewhat level and to clear Jim, as many may know... he is tall.

- Looking towards the shadehouse entrance, the twin Cabada Palms on either side of the sidewalk overlook all who may enter. They too will get their time in the spotlight.

- When you think a cart is full, room for one more plant can always be made. The same early customer found a 7 gal. Verschaffeltia splendida and she squeezed it onto her cart.

- A California Aralia finds its way into the hands of a customer as the sale slowly grew into the late morning hours.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- I always seem to capture the customer on the left in photos and post them as he is a frequent visitor to the Extravaganza and other palm sales. We talk about it whenever I see him, as he reads Palmtalk on a regular basis but is not a Forum member. I keep urging him to join so I can attach a Forum name to him, but alas. Today, his cart holds a 7 gal. Ptychosperma caryotoides and a 10 gal. Betel Nut Palm, Areca catechu.

- The Betel Nut Palm had some height to it, so we had to make sure it cleared the Rainforest Collection sign at the entrance to the shadehouse.

- Obscured by the shaded cart of crotons is a grouping of Black Bat Plants, Tacca chantrieri, positioned on a round table. The two customers in the center were looking them over but did not want to leave their loaded cart too far away.

- Croton ID test. If you can name them all your in the top echelon of enthusiasts.

Ryan

[Walter John]

Dry run, excellent..

[Palmarum]

- I knew this plant wasn't going to stay in its group for long. At the corner of the cart is a rather large and showy Triostar Stromanthe, Stromanthe sanguinea cv. 'Triostar'. It stood out like a lit light bulb.

- On its way to a new home, via the holding area.

- The line at the registers began to back up a bit. This trailer was next to the holding area, but was also at the end of the line.

- The capacity stays constant for a short while as the customers make it through the register at a good pace. In the center, Larry Searle writes the receipt for the next one in line.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- This being the 14th year of the Extravaganza, the nursery has the sale processes down pat. There is always that background desire to improve upon things so certain procedures might change in the future. But for now, the motions of the 'Ganza work fairly well.

- "Hmm, who's cart is this?"

- The time was still in the later morning hours and the gathering of plant material showed no signs of slowing down.

- Veteran collector and grower Bob Beatty was hard at it loading his cart and grabbing what palms he wanted.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Large leaf traffic jam. A Neoveitchia storckii on the left vs. a Beccariophoenix madagascariensis (sp. windows) on the right.

- Carts of landscape plants get parked next to the white tent. A temporary holding area.

- A pair of 3 gal. Licuala grandis and a Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda, leave the shadehouse via the side entrance along with a large, red-tinged Verschaffeltia splendida. It does not occur often, but sometimes a Verschaffeltia will develop a pinkish-red emergent leaf.

- "Look out!" I had to get out of the way to let this cart go by. It was making its way to the holding area. It was being pushed by Carlos, who you can barely see. I can't ID everything on the cart, but on the far left is a 7 gal. Pinanga fractiflexa, immediately to the right is an Orania ravaka (7 gal.), followed by a bushy 10 gal. Licuala sp. 'Wilailak'. An Arenga sp. is in there somewhere.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Heading towards me on the left, Jim Glock follows a customer while she leads him to an interesting palm while Bob Beatty follows another cart load of his palms on out.

- Out along the main road, it was business as usual among the landscape ornamentals.

- I turned around to capture the same place and time, in the opposite direction.

- Many hands make light work. Teamwork got this Pinanga coronata onto a waiting cart. The clouds moved overhead for a short while, but they didn't threaten any rain.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Another load makes it way down the sidewalk. The silver undersides belong to a shade-grown Allagoptera caudescens, formerly in the genus Polyandrococos.

- Carlos paused for a second so I took his photo, but the flash made him blink. In addition to the A. caudescens, the cart held a 7 gal. Kentiopsis oliviformis, Caryota cumingii (10 gal.), a robust Hyophorbe indica 10 gallon, and a 3 gal. Metroxylon vitiense.

- Palms or crotons? Easier to just get both.

- Even the decorations can get bought. One customer came right in and grabbed both of the framing Cabada Palms, Dypsis cabadae, from the shadehouse entrance.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- "1.. 2.. 3.. Heave!" With a little momentum and a lot of elbow grease the 45 gal. Cabada Palm gets lifted onto the tree dolly.

- A quick pivot and push later, its out the door...

- ...down the side road and into the holding area. The holding area was getting a bit full and they had to repeat this process a few minutes later with the other Cabada Palm.

- The action along the main road as the clock got closer to noon on Friday.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Carts move out on the right while newly arriving customers enter on the left. This was the typical scene along the road for most of the day.

- One large group of plants got loaded, freeing up space in the holding area. It was getting tricky keeping everything organized, but it was done... thanks to flagging tape.

- It was turning into a very warm day. A welcome weather selection over the wet kind. Jeff and Jim get some water while discussing crotons with Shirley Mayotte.

- Watching the trio above talk plants, was Ziggy Mayotte who was seated not far away. He keeps an eye on everything. He was with Shirley selling palms way back when I first started visiting palm sales over 25 years ago.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The entrance to the shadehouse looked so different after the Cabada Palms were sold. A short while later two more specimens were pulled and placed in the same locations.

- Forum member Ron Kiefert (moose knuckle, Moose) arrived to check things out. He was discussing something interesting with Jim, partially obscured on the left.

- The selection of tropical flowering trees was limited this spring. We had a few popular species and some interesting exotics out for sale, including Brownea grandiceps, the leafy tree on the cart. It had a few open blooms on it, conveniently on the opposite side from me.

- As soon as the tractor and trailers pulled up in the waiting spot, a customer was ready to go.

Ryan

[DALION]

Why are we looking at this thread? This a typical nursery with an incredible selection of rare and hard to find palms and plants that people wait for months to have access just to load their carts up with great finds. Who cares if seeing all those great plants makes you wish you lived within 500 miles of them and were able to attend the sale. We don't need places like this! If we want to see great palms we don't have access to we can look at books or on the internet. If we want to be around like minded collectors and hobbyists, we can start a forum on the internet to talk about palms. That's right Mr. Searle... we don't need all your perfect plants and great prices. We can always buy seeds if they ever become available and hope they greminate and not rot in their liners. Or, we can buy the "royal" flush of palms from Home Depot: Kings, Queens, Majesties, and the occasional Royal palm too. So, the fact I live 2800 miles away and can't attend this sale and missed the last one due to rain is not the reason I am ranting to no end. No, it is. Sorry I can't attend another sale.

[Palmarum]

Hmm, 72 photos in. Almost a new record...

- The soon to be Forum member got his group together and made his way to the check-out. This is a side view of the same Brownea grandiceps seen above. It has the typical leaning and sprawling habit that Brownea's sport plus it is showing the two popular features of the plant. The flower is the first feature, which is that red area under the high arch in the branch, and above the orange flagging tape. The second feature is the lightly colored, softly textured leaf flush. The leaves emerge in a group, seen just above the pot, and feel almost like thin leather.

- The Bromeliads were popular as always. They are simple yet colorful plants that accent any location in any garden and exist in so many varieties. I need to start learning more of them. Towards the left in red, Candy assists those needing help with the Brom's.

- The Cordylines known as 'Red Sister' were flying out as fast as we could stock them. They are very common plants but their broad distribution throughout cultivation makes them instantly identifiable, even by non-plant people.

- "It will reach this tall, and more." FM. Ron Kiefert (moose knuckle, Moose) can not go long without describing and selling a plant to someone showing interest. It is a common affliction among us plant faithful. Listening in, wearing the tropical shirt in front is Palmpedia member and collector Chris Mayhew (pocomo).

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- In the croton section, the selection got thin. FM. Randy (palmisland) strikes up a conversation with Jim, probably croton or palm related. In the background on the right, Ron was deep into describing crotons.

- Ron, Chris, Jim and Judy welcomed a late arriving pair of Forum members. David and Nyssa (SunnyFL) got caught on the highway by a huge traffic jam and arrived much later than they wanted. They went to the croton section first and still managed to find a few of their 'must haves'.

- [yoink!] I had just sat down after getting back from eating lunch when I lifted my camera to capture the selection process in front of the tent. There is just something irresistible about that Licuala peltata var. sumawongii.

- One of Nyssa's favorite group of palms is Dypsis, especially the bright white crownshaft-covered species like the Dypsis albofarinosa that made its way onto their cart.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Jim Glock has many years of experience growing exotic palms, in two different locales around South Florida, and is always eager to pass on the knowledge. He is seen here describing the differences between the two Licuala species on the cart next to him.

- One of our volunteers, Chris was wearing a hilarious t-shirt. When he was walking through the shadehouse it caught the eye of Jim and everyone around, including collector and FM. Ray Gompf (Ray G) on the far left. Jim just had to take a photo of it. If you have been to the Extravaganza on the weekend days, you will recognize Chris as one of the guys who cooks all the food for the BBQ.

- It was getting close to the end of the day on Friday. With one day of hectic activity behind us, we were looking forward to Saturday and what it may hold. As it was slowing down, we took advantage of the time and restocked what we could, including these Anthurium faustomirandae.

- One of the last groups of plants to go out for the day, with a little of everything. As I was taking photos I was thinking of the 'Post Tour' to happen at Jeff's house in a short while.

Ryan

[palmcurry]

Great pictures and storytelling Ryan. Looks like fun to be part of the extravaganza If I was anywhere in Florida I would sure as heck attend! Looks like a great nursery.

[Palmarum]

- "Hey Ryan, take this pic!" As soon as we were able to, a large group of us left the nursery and made our way to Jeff's house for the Post Tour and dinner. When I walked into the living room, Jim was heading to the chair and plopped down, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

- Poor Jackie... We had out of town guests scheduled to arrive over the weekend to attend the Extravaganza. The first two to arrive on Friday night was FM. Rich Ebinger (rpebinger) and his wife Jackie, a.k.a. SentChuUs, to those of you who frequent the Forum chatroom. I walked outside to start taking photos and Kona decided to make friends with Jackie, by doing his trademark hard push almost knocking her down.

- Mounted on a Pigmy Date Palm just outside the patio door was this spectacular Cattleya orchid. It had started blooming not long ago and Jeff was telling me about it all week leading up to today. The flowers are huge. It does have a tag with the name, but it wasn't immediately legible. Regardless of the name, it is a fantastic plant and this was my second time seeing it in bloom.

- A closer view of the flowers, with Judy Glock's hand for scale.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Let the tour begin. As we started to walk the yard starting by the pool, more friends and family members began arriving at the house. Right behind the pool, was this elaborate, near solid-leaf form of Hydriastele beguinii known as the 'Obi Island' Form.

- Rawr! Jeff's newer dog Brindle and his Cane Corso, Kane came over to join us on the tour. The two of them were constantly playing with each other and sometimes with Kona, much to his dismay. The slower Kona can't quite keep up with the two other dogs so he was comforted by Jackie and Andrea instead.

- Brindle and Kane became this intertwined moving blur of fur that moved around erratically and kept bumping into people, mostly Jackie.

- "Kane! Take a break!" -wags his nub of a tail-

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Coccothrinax borhidiana, enjoying its small spot on the lava rock.

- Encephalartos horridus, one of my favorites within the genus. The whole plant says "Try and touch me, I dare you."

- Let's play a little of the popular Forum game, 'Name that Dypsis.' Try and guess what it is... Give up? Then scroll down...

- It is actually a hybrid, Dypsis madagascariensis x cabadae. A unique cross with tons of landscape potential. Describing it as fast would be an understatement. It is hard to see in the photo, but the upper crownshafts and leaf bases have a triangular shape, reminiscent of D. madagascariensis.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Kona takes a break as the tour went off in different directions.

- One of the Kentiopsis pyriformis in Jeff's yard. This specimen gets all the attention due to its open location near the turtle pens. This one is just screaming out of the ground with growth.

- The leaf bases, up close and personal.

- Another angle showcasing the height. Each leaf it produces is significantly larger than the last one. This palm is still too rare to test thoroughly, but I am sure it will be a winner for South Florida and elsewhere.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- A nice Dypsis sp. that was grown from seed collected a few years ago. It is probably close to Dypsis onilahensis.

- The obligatory and mandatory shot of the larger Mealy Bug Palm, Dypsis mananjarensis. It gets larger every time I see it.

- The sales of Brownea Trees today, Brownea grandiceps, made me take a closer look at the specimens in Jeff's yard. This one by the west side of the house had a new flush emerging.

- The full view of the tree. It has low branches going off in different directions.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Got Blooms? This ball of Dendrobium stems are all in bloom, producing a sphere of pink.

- Bright, variegated color... and lots of it. I took this photo specifically because it was getting dark, to get the almost black background. This is an impressive specimen of the Variegated Swiss-Cheese Plant, or Variegated Monstera, Monstera deliciosa cv. 'albo-marginata'.

- We heard the call for dinner being shouted in the distance so it was time to head in to fill our faces. Before leaving the yard, I noticed this Teddy Bear Palm, Dypsis leptocheilos and others nearby, beginning to flower.

- Dinner consisted of a huge buffet of great food provided by Jim & Judy Glock. It was very good and there was plenty of it. This is one distraction I had to deal with while eating, Brindle was never far away. She is more of an inside dog.

P.S. - She is also a bread dog, hence my missing bread.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Beware of the black cat. After dinner we took our choice of dessert, relaxed and talked about the day. We were watching the weather on TV when Andrea's black cat decided to jump up onto David's lap. There were about 15 people in the room and we all got quiet to watch to see what would happen. David really, really dislikes cats...

- Falling asleep around a crowd like this is not recommended, as Larry found out courtesy of Travis Searle.

end of Friday, March 2nd...

Ryan

[Palmarum]

Saturday, March 3rd - 8:10AM:

- Saturday morning is the slowest time during the second day of the Extravaganza. The gate was left open so no one had to wait. The morning traffic flow of customers was slow but gradually began to increase. We used the time to restock, clean and reorganize.

- Cordyline 'Aunti Lou' is a larger, better growing cousin to Red Sister and was just as popular during the sale. This was the third time restocking the group and was not going to be the last.

- Judy Glock lends a hand in the morning and tags a group of Brazilian Red Cloak, Megaskepasma erythrochlamys.

- I heard a cart coming towards me from behind, so I turned quickly but not quick enough. I captured part of FM. Jeff Cramer (street124) as he was hauling his cart out of the shadehouse. The cart held a Dypsis carlsmithii (7 gal.), a 10 gal. Neoveitchia storckii, and a Ravenea sp.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- I was taking photos of a few of the earlier customers when someone popped into the shot.

- Students of a local college media class came in early to do a short story on the nursery and the sale. They originally wanted to interview Jeff, but ended up using Larry for the video.

- It quickly got busy so I left the main road and headed back into the shadehouse where the collectors might need assistance.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Early morning group conversation. Jeff and Jim talk with each other with Judy listening in, but the 'What?' award goes to FM. Rich Ebinger (rpebinger) as he tries to hide from the camera.

- Here they come. Customers began to quickly populate all the roads and walkways.

- Foot traffic was going in all directions, up, down, left and right.

- Late morning was upon us and it was time to get ready for the BBQ. A cart load of chips, hotdog and hamburger buns makes its way to the barn.

Ryan

[DoomsDave]

MY CRYING TOWEL OVERFLOWETH . . .

SOB!

(SQUISH!)

WHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA . . .

[Palmarum]

- I was manning my post inside the shadehouse when the first whiff of BBQ smoke came drifting on by. I was hungry almost instantly so I made my way back up the sidewalk.

- I ran into Travis as he had the same idea, so we got in line for food.

- Operation Dog Drop is a go.

- The smoke attracted everyone from all over the nursery. Soon it was needed to run all three BBQ grills to keep up with demand. Lunch time entered high gear.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The seating area under the barn was reaching capacity. We added a few more tables outside but they were still in the sun at this time. The Orchid selection was almost depleted by this time on Saturday. Those green pots along the back and side walls held the orchids originally.

- After we were done with lunch, Travis and I were given a mission. We had no choice but to accept it. A few full sun palms were pulled and tagged for a customer, but they were located out in a far section of the nursery. It was up to us to go and get them. We walked across the intersection, heading over to the next vehicle waiting in line, which was a tractor and trailer.

- I took a seat on the trailer and Travis fired up the tractor and took off. I was seated for this part of the ride so I figured I might as well keep taking photos. People were looking over in my direction because the tractor is rather loud.

- We headed north down the side road, avoiding carts and customers along the way. When we got close to the shadehouse, I noticed Rich standing off to one side. He tried hiding again.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Rich was trying to use the Force to influence me, but he failed.

- As we drove past the barn I felt like I was part of some strange parade.

- I saw customers who I had just talked with earlier getting a bite to eat, so I waved. This didn't help crush the parade illusion.

After leaving the barn, we turned east and went to where the palms were located. We put them on the trailer and headed back upfront to the registers, taking the long way around to avoid foot traffic.

- We took the road separating the two big shadehouses and who do we run into again? Rich was showing a customer around to the palms in the landscape when we went past him for the second time. He could not hide this time so he did the 'photo taking' emote.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Our trip took us through the back roads, service and storage areas of the nursery. We went by the fill field and Travis had to take a minute to 'visit' the old field. This area was once used as a paintball field back when Travis and Jeff first started playing the action sport. Lots of memories and tons of photos.

- As I was waiting I looked over our charges, an Old Man Palm, Coccothrinax crinita, and another Coccothrinax species. When I zoomed in, I saw Jim getting more supplies out of his car.

- Several minutes later, he returned lighter and we continued the mission.

- We took the road that borders the edge of the nursery, and followed it until we were up front. Another tractor and trailer just passed us on its way back in line.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- We arrived back up front near the registers and waited for the customer to make his way through the obstacle course. We did not know how long it was going to be, so I photographed the action along the main road. It was mid afternoon and it was quite busy. In the center of the photo, Jessica Searle writes up a large grouping of cordylines.

- A customer enters carrying an umbrella, which was not needed at all for the day. Sunday was a different story.

- The cadre of receipt writers kept the flow organized and made sure every plant was accounted for. From left to right, in the center donning red shirts, Mandy Searle and Missy (Melissa) write up multiple orders on the same two trailers. Just to the right of Missy and down the line, Amber Searle and Michelle Searle are writing up the next two customers in line.

Ryan