Can somebody tell me the name of the Crinum we can see on the tractor? ( the 2 last pics)

Thanks

Philippe

Philippe,

It is called 'Queen Emma', a very colorful and robust growing Crinum lily. They get very showy when they grow larger, when they flower and exhibit a burgundy-red base.

Ryan

- The sun was going down towards the horizon in a hurry which signaled the end of the second day of the Extravaganza. We were betting if we would have to stay open late.

- Certain holes began to open up along the side road. We began to run out of some plants, namely some of the shade loving foliage plants.

- Newly opening sheath belonging to a 10 gal. Pinanga dicksonii. Creamy white flowers packed together in a perfect order.

- Even with closing time approaching, customers continued to stroll through the shadehouse. We don't rush them or anything. There were a few I can safely say were around all day.

Ryan

- The shadehouse had its holes as well, and presented an even harder challenge to keep filling those empty spaces. The majority of the rarer palms within the shadehouse represented a finite amount and were not able to be restocked.

- On the left, FM. Ron Kiefert (Moose) employs his duties as ambassador to the plant world as he both informs and educates those afflicted with the tropical plant addiction. He is talking with FM. Rick (rick) on the right.

- Almost there... closing time almost upon us. The day did fly by in a hurry.

Ryan

- The last two photos were taken at close to 5:00PM, we did end up staying later, but it was fine. It was a long afternoon, but it was more than worth it to stay late. The one customer in red coming towards me was in a hurry, she knew what she wanted and she knew we were closing.

- She got her Dioon spinulosum and was happy.

Saturday slowly closed and we got ready for a warmer and shorter Sunday...

Ryan

- Sunday, March 3rd, 9:02AM - Sunday morning, much slower paced. I entered the shadehouse to find much warmer temperatures than the previous two days. it was already in the mid 50's.

- Crotons: depleted. They were spaced out and moved up to the sidewalk.

- Tropical shade foliage material was brought up to a smaller size, using the tree ferns to cut off and box the end.

- The gate was left open and a few early birds began to wander in to the sales area.

Ryan

- The Tropical Fruit Trees were hit hard, with many groups reduced to none or one-of's or a few small plants to hold up the sign.

- An early customer in the shadehouse. I was sitting down when I took the photo, organizing the media. Made it look like I was two feet tall.

- The smaller sizes of Licuala peltata var. sumawongii sold very well. What was left this morning, was all we were going to have for 4 more days.

- Three gallon sized Red Sealing Wax Palms, Cyrtostachys renda, was the size of choice this weekend. They were all gone but one.

Ryan

- I hand watered everything yesterday afternoon, a few plants were getting dry and we need them to look their best.

- The early birds are a mix of everyone across the board. Some are collectors, enthusiasts and homeowners looking for another plant or two. A few are just browsers who want a place to look at plants while walking with their Starbucks coffee or McDonald's breakfast.

- A big Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa, gets snatched early.

Ryan

- That Lady Palm gets a friend.

- Jackets and sweaters were still the attire of choice for the morning, but they were quickly being shed.

- The tables were thinned and restocked as much as possible. We condensed the plants together and took one of the tables down.

- The tables were still an instant attention getter for those looking for the rarer of the rare.

Ryan

- Sunday morning quickly became the afternoon, with more and more arrivals of the plant seeking public. The sun was just about 90º straight up, casting vertical shadows on everything and messing with my exposure.

- The BBQ Crew. For Sunday afternoon, we were slightly shorthanded in the volunteer department, but luckily the ones we did have were the best.

- Beans! Simmered and warmed up with spices and seasonings.

- George starts off the early lunch time with a single grill before needing to fire up the others.

Ryan

- In the attempt of keeping the side road stocked, Jeff went and pulled more flowering trees, including these Verawood, Bulnesia arborea specimens. The customer on the right seemed to have needed a small flowering tree.

- Lunchtime cometh. The assembly line of free burgers and hotdogs began to heat up. No pun intended.

- The customer continued to describe her planting situation with Jeff after she selected one of the Verawood trees...

- Which was being carried by her son.

Ryan

- Candy took up position in the Bromeliad area to assist with Bromo' related questions but also with landscape design ideas. She was explaining the importance of fertilizing plants when they need it the most.

- A visit by the legend himself, plantsman, teacher, landscaper, botanist elite of the realm, Mr. David McLean takes a brief spell to visit the Extravaganza. He is often stretched thin between many different plant related events during any single day. Every botanical garden, nursery, college, school, garden club and plant society in S. Florida has him in demand for all sorts of activities. He talks with Jeff about all sorts of things, as they go way back. David was once Jeff's horticulture teacher in college.

- "Think we should go back and get a cart."

- That is the universal hand gesture for 'plant for this spot'.

Ryan

- The food portal, frequently stocked with burgers, hotdogs and the accompanied buns and utensils.

- Hot dogs and a few sausages and peppers for some lucky individuals.

- Larry Searle getting in line real fast to get a bite to eat. I don't know if he is smirking cause of me taking the photo, or something else. Knowing him, something else.

- Through the smoke screen, a customer carries off a Lignum Vitae, Guaiacum sanctum.

Ryan

- A quick flip of the spatula, [voosh!] and we have a cooked burger.

- It got busy enough to fire up the remaining grills.

- Larry interrupted his own lunch to put more drinks into the big red cooler.

- Inside the shadehouse, there was a short run on Fishtail Palms, Caryota mitis, as they kept flying out the door.

Ryan

- I was not able to take as many photos on Sunday as I would have liked (as during the entire 'Ganza as well). In the afternoon hours it got real busy during the last hours of the sale; leading up to 4:00pm. Larry was continuously busy in both the Bromeliad area and up front in the check out.

- The last photo from Sunday shows how the activity was during the latter part of the day, busy.

...first weekend is in the books, one more to go...

Ryan

Boy what a thread !

Looks like fantastic opportunity to stock up on your palm collection.

Lucky fella with the Allagoptera caudescens

- Second Friday, March 8th, a few minutes after opening: The second weekend carried with it no expectations as to how busy it will be and does not have the same rushed feeling as the first weekend. All the plants are out, and what was able to be restocked, was done in the days between weekends; so it is a more laid back experience. Long time croton collector Lamar arrived early to go through the croton section and grab what he wanted of what was left.

- His cart loads were combined onto a trailer for easier sorting and transport.

- A customer here and a customer there, was the norm for the day. The second Friday is often the least busiest of the six days of the Extravaganza.

- Even though the Extravaganza is open and on going, the nursery still continues to function as normal, selling to wholesale customers.

Ryan

- A landscaper arrived to get a large amount of Dwarf Trinette Arboricola.

- This can and usually does happen during the Fridays of the 'Ganza. It is usual business hours for many of the wholesale customers. They might have to fight with the traffic to get their trucks in however.

- [zoooom] I went back to the shadehouse to put out the brochures and lists, etc. and Jeff flew past me on his golf cart carrying more plants.

- Jeff stops short of the croton section to avoid hitting customers and to unload those Rudy Bachman crotons.

Ryan

- Jeff takes the long way around this time to drop off another batch of crotons. They were called Veitchii I think.

- Two customers exchange pleasantries as they pass each other on the sidewalk. The far one was complimenting the near one on his selection of a 3 gal. Kerriodoxa elegans and a rather tall 3 gal. Chamaedorea deckeriana.

- There were periods throughout the morning and afternoon where we had at least a single customer for hours.

- Spindles and Thatch Palms, by the trailer load. Further down the main road, Kathy keeps an eye on everything.

Ryan

- Candy arrives and gets things organized in the Bromeliad section.

- And then there was another group of crotons appearing out of nowhere. Jeff was bringing in another batch of crotons he found in the second shadehouse when his phone went off, like usual.

- Discussing palms, fishing and everything in between, Jeff and FM. Jeff Cramer (street124) hop from subject to subject. They were talking around the remaining supply of orchids, moved out from the barn to fill up the shadehouse.

- They slowly moved over to Jeff Cramer's cart, loaded with palms and crotons.

Ryan

_{What an amazing thread, i almost feel like i was there. Oh boy, how i wish to have been there! And to bring back my car full of palms!}

_{Aloha Jeff! And Ryan!}

Edited March 14, 201313 yr by rafael

- Before I was even able to start posting again this week, I received a number of messages in summary "What is that palm on the back of Jeff's cart!". Well here it is in close-up. It is a 7 gal. Dypsis hovomantsina exhibiting a new leaf in that upright, highly-keeled leaflet arrangement it is well known for. Its leaf bases dwell deep in the pot and have no petioles. It shares the cart with a 1 gal. Licuala peltata var. sumawongii, a 3 gal. Licuala cabalionii and a mix of crotons.

- Candy was in charge of the Bromeliad section, and most of the plants along the main road for much of the day. She is seen here restocking said section.

- She was also doing landscape designing for customers, so she was all over the place on the second Friday.

- Candy describes a possible placement idea for that Ficus dammaropsis.

Ryan

- With Candy's direction, the customers figured out how many Ground Orchids to get so a trailer was summoned to carry them.

- They added a couple of Lady Palms, Rhapis excelsa, to plant in a shaded area.

- Oops. Someone left the door to the second shadehouse open again... We pull all the plants for sale out of the second shadehouse and place them around the sales area. Usually there is no reason for customers to go in there, but if the door is left open, they will be drawn inside.

Ryan

- Jeff: "I bet ya as we move closer, he take's a photo."

- George: "Yup, there he is, ha."

- Taking time to visit the 'Ganza during his spring easterly visit to South Florida, FM. George Sparkman (George Sparkman) rides through the sales area via Jeff and his golf cart. I got them to actually stop for this photo.

- Earlier in the week, I noticed this particular specimen of Pelagodoxa henryana growing inside the shadehouse. It was not for sale, it was just looking spectacular, so it got its picture taken.

- The remainder of some groups of bedding plants were moved up front to attract customers.

Ryan

- The second Friday was winding down as a few customers took some late day trips through the shadehouse, escorted by Candy. Closing time had come and gone, it was in the minutes past 5:00pm, but we were still here planning for tomorrow.

- Local tropical plant enthusiast, noted Biennial attendee and FM. Larry Davis (Lefty) came by for a quick visit. We talked about the biennials past and future, with strong attention to the 2014 Biennial in Miami.

- The day was over, and the 4th day of the Extravaganza had come to an end. I took a few minutes to look through a newly planted area between the two shadehouses. This is the planting fervor portion of the event, which I will show more photos of later in the topic. Many old plants were removed or cut back, and established specimens once hidden are now more visible, including this extremely rare Saribus surru.

....two Fridays down, two more days to go...

Ryan

- Second Saturday, March 9th, early morning: - First item on the to-do list, restocking what we can. We were arrived to the nursery at around 7:00 in the morning and found ideal weather and holes to fill with plants. The Purple Ground Orchids were among the first to get restocked.

- The Holding Area was ready, including a few groups of plants slated for later pick-up and some for deliveries and installations. A pair of large Yellow Malayan Dwarf Coconuts, Cocos nucifera, await their future travel plans.

- The flow of customers began as a trickle, as we left the gates open, but it slowly began to pick up as the later morning hours gave way to noon.

Ryan

- Andrea begins writing up one of the first customers in the morning.

- The couple had their sights set on something exotic for their yard, namely this Caryota kiriwongensis.

- A trimmed Bottle Palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, is left on the tree dolly as it waits in the holding area. When they get their persistent leaf bases removed, customers cannot resist them.

Ryan

- A few different groups were put together on one trailer to aid in transport. Randy Searle carries over a Fishtail Palm, Caryota mitis, from cart to trailer.

- The main road gets some action late in the morning.

- Andrea takes out a customer with a trailer of Trinettes and Crotons.

- Randy was just everywhere this morning.

Ryan

- Plant sale teleconferencing. While looking for the palms you want, you are also shopping for a friend over the phone. This is where video would really be useful. Would save a lot of time spent describing the plant. Those were the last two 3 gal. Chamaedorea oblongata we had, on the cart.

- It was close to lunch time on the second Saturday, and since we only have the BBQ on the first weekend, customers either brought their lunch with them or they left to get something to eat before returning.

- For the third time doing an advertised second weekend, the traffic has steadily increased each time we have done the second weekend.

- The items from Thailand sold very well. Some of the pots were restocked and anything with an elephant on it sold.

Ryan

- For a change of pace, I switched to my telephoto lens about midway through the day. It offers a different view on the same situations found during the event. You got to deal with the almost lack of field depth, but it can be just as fun. Customers look through the tables almost in harmony, moving from plant to plant, often feeling the different leaf textures. If small palms could talk while being fondled, what would they say?

- Jeff was called to the front and had to negotiate a sudden traffic jam along the shadehouse sidewalk.

- If the light is right, and I can get at the right distance, I can use the telephoto lens to take some neat, close-up photos. This is the crown of a 7 gal. Calyptrocalyx sp. 'Sanumb', showing off with a few red new leaves.

- A unique customer came in later in the day, a landscaper/tree installer with an affinity for rare and exotic palms. He had a list of desirable species with the skills and equipment to buy and install the largest specimens he would want. The first palm on his list was this husky 10 ft (3m) tall Carpoxylon macrospermum that was dug out of the field. This was going in his yard, not on a landscape job.

Ryan

- I wanted to get photos of the palm being loaded and held upright, but by the time I heard the machine moving and got up front, the palm was already in the truck.

- The specimen had the perfect crown shape and crownshaft form. Seen here in a more relaxed pose.

- It takes time to pick that one favorite Bromeliad.

- Larry Searle in action. Talking to friends/customers about everything with a Mountain Dew in hand, and a yellow marking crayon stuck behind his ear.

Ryan

- Arrival of more volunteers in the form of Karen, and her two sons, Jeremy (left) and Trevor. Trevor has a passion for insects, reptiles and anything and everything else he may find.

- Even with the lack of volunteers and assistance, the checkout process was kept smooth and trouble free during the second weekend.

- The lack of help meant pulling double, or even triple duty. Jeff and Andrea had to take trips back and forth bringing carts from the parking lot. After answering her phone, Andrea said something and had to leave on the golf cart, so she handed her load over to Jeff...

- Jeff gladly took the extra load, and was laughing at something Andrea said.

Ryan

- Andrea did not get far. Before she could drive off, she stopped to talk with the customers on the left. Jeff caught up and jumped on the golf cart, to get another ride back out for cart retrieval. This scene played out a few times during the weekend.

- Larry was writing up customers when I had to relieve him for a short while. While waiting between customers under the writer's tent, I noticed the Aiphanes minima in behind the holding area was looking photo worthy.

- "No one is taking these plants from me, no one..."

Ryan

- The latter hours past lunch saw a few brief periods of activity, but it was slowing down as we got closer to 4 o'clock.

- To my surprise, we had collectors arrive late in the day on the second Saturday. I directed one along a short path to a few palm species he was looking for.

- Heliconia cv. 'Iris Bannochie'. Due to our warm winter, many of the Heliconias around the nursery were in heavy bloom; including this one that was right next to the side road, by the BBQ area.

Ryan

- Jeff instructs a pair of happy customers as to how to grow orchids and how to attach them to the trunks of trees.

- A single Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, and a whole bunch of flowering Guzmania bromeliads ride on a cart...

- ...as their new owners look through the shadehouse.

- Even common Areca Palms, Dypsis lutescens, have their place in the landscape. A customer wanted a good number of the larger ones, so additional plants were pulled from the shadehouse. On the right in his faded red shirt, Volunteer Derek Burch keeps an eye on things along the side road as a trailer was summoned to get the plants.

Ryan

- There they go... It did not take long for the customer to start adding more plants to the trailer as it moved to the front.

- Late day sales continued. It was after 4:00pm and there was a sale here and there as the last hour wound down. A pair of customers fell for this Blue Latan Palm, Latania loddigesii, the minute they saw it.

- The shadehouse saw foot traffic leading up to when we closed. We had to check it thoroughly before closing up the checkout. After this photo was taken we started to think of what to do for Sunday morning, but could not think of what else to do...

...Second Saturday ends, leading to the last day of the 'Ganza...

Ryan

- Second Sunday, March 10th, early morning: - When I arrived at the nursery Sunday morning, there was not much to do. I had the minor items taken care of in short order while others were looking for plants to pull. I used the time to photograph one of the newer projects at the nursery. On the Monday after the first 'Ganza weekend, Jeff became enthralled with planting fervor, and decided to redo the landscape areas between the two shadehouses.

- Trees and shrubs were cut back, areas were cleaned out and established plants were trimmed and cleaned. I think it was the cool weather and the spring season that got Jeff in the planting mood.

- The initial planting of palms commenced with a wide range of specimens.

- New and used cap rock was brought in and installed, forming a new border defining the newly landscaped area. This is only the first level, as more plants will be put in over time. With the irrigation already in place and the spring rains on the way, this section should grow in quickly.

Ryan

- There was quite a bit that needed to be photographed individually, but I am only posting a few things. A Coccothrinax borhidiana gets a new home between a pair of cap rocks.

- A similar situation was used for a small, yet old Hemithrinax ekmaniana. A custom made soil, rich with rock and sand was prepared for it to emulate its natural habitat and to provide excellent drainage.

- One bed included some landscape plants that would perform great in this location, and would later provide cuttings and source material for production.

- The bed across the road held a mix of new plants, mostly for production purposes.

Ryan

- A trio of mature Kentiopsis oliviformis were moved over from the field and placed as a focal point off the corner of the second shadehouse. They should attract attention over the years.

- Looking back towards the sales area, early customers began to appear down the main road. This was the sign to hurry up and get back to the front areas.

- "Aziz, LIGHT!" As I was walking back, I photographed this once obscured Copernicia × sueroana. It has been in this spot for a while but had been mostly covered by a fast growing vine. The vine was removed and now the palm and other plants now have more light.

- In the sales area, the last day of the Spring 'Ganza was underway. Larry was grabbed early by a customer who had a landscape plan on paper.

Ryan

- Larry guides the customer down the main road, showing him the different landscape plants. The other two customers waiting on the right seem to have questions...

- ...so Jeff ran down on his golf cart to see what they needed.

- It was slow, but there was still more traffic than expected. It was not only the sixth day in the sale, but also early Sunday morning.

- It is common for customers to come back another day, multiple days or even both weekends. This collector traveled a good distance from the north to attend for the second weekend. You might recognize him from earlier in the topic showcasing the first Saturday morning, he was carrying that large Allagoptera caudescens in post #22. Him and Jeff went through his want list and sorted out what he wanted with what we had left.

Ryan

- An addiction to Bromeliads can happen at any time, proceed with caution.

- The registers belonged to Kathy all day as we are again short on help. The majority of volunteers and workers are friends and relatives. They able to attend the first weekend since they take off work, schedule to travel, etc. It is too much to ask everyone to do it another weekend in a row.

- Where did Jeff go? He was here a minute ago.

- There are laid back cats, and then there are Really laid back cats. Notice the lizard on his head, placed by Trevor...

Ryan