Spring 2011, HPSO Sale

Another spring, another sale, and more plants I have to have.

Somehow it always seems to work out that I’ve got friends or family in town visiting when the Spring HPSO Sale is scheduled. Luckily they’re usually game and accompany me to the sale, ending up with a few must-haves of their own. This year, with nobody visiting, my friend Denise agreed to be my partner in crime. It was her first time but she jumped right in started dropping off plants at the holding area before I had even picked up a single one. In fact judging by the looks of the holding area lots of others had jumped in too… My first crush was on this $40 Veratrum nigrum. Luckily I found a smaller one for $13. Can’t say I like the writing on the Iris leaves. It’s a little ghetto don’t you think? If I’m not lusting after the big leafed Rhododendrons then I’m lusting after the thin leafed ones, like this Rhododendron macrosepalum 'Linearifolium.' I just can’t get past the little pink flowers though, so it stayed put. Paris polyphylla, hot. A must-have agave, A. utahensis v. eborispina…just look at those spines it gets with age! Somehow I managed to leave it behind. Please, just shoot me. Same for these blooming Beschorneria, J’adore. In the garden art section I loved these lanterns from Experienced Materials…but didn’t dare even look at the price. I am rather amazed with my self control (maybe because I went on a major plant buying binge earlier in the week? More on that later). The white flat is mine, the brown one Denise’s. We both put back a few plants to arrive at such edited riches (editing, while good for the pocket-book, is really no fun). The pair of spiky plants fish-scale are Eryngium venustum, which the very kind Kelly and Sue from Far Reaches Farm brought down to the sale especially for me when I requested them after reading Van Schilperoort’s blog report on buying this plant at their nursery. Then I got a trio of cute, but not hardy, cheap succulents. The Aeonium… Kalanchoe… …with this fabulous bright bloom. And a Gasteraloe 'Midnight,’ so dark it’s hard to get a good picture of it! The Veratrum nigrum and a “small” Beschorneria septentrionalis, which will be an in-ground experiment (tall green leaves in the back far corner, short green leaves in the front corner). One of the Paris polyphylla because I couldn’t resist its adorable, perfect little leaves. And last a little Manfreda virginica ‘Spot’…too cute to pass up. Amazing restraint don’t you think? I’m already regretting it. Can I have a do-over?