This sale is all about clearing out plants that are not in top form, and the prices reflect that…
$1 for 4" pots
$3 for 6" pots and gallon plants
$6 for 2 gallon plants
$10 for 5 gallon plants
Even though I wasn't able to make it for their 10 am opening I couldn't stay away on the first day! Not that I really needed to buy more plants (after all I took a load of yet-to-be-planted babies over to one of my plant lust partners for baby setting (watering) while we were gone on vacation), but I couldn't resist the possibility of discovering some fabulous (cheap!) treasure which I could nurse back to health.
Cordylines…
Phormium…
I managed to resist both of those. It was harder to resist these sad Restios (?), if I had a big greenhouse I would have tried to nurse the one on the right back to health.
Ditto for this Washingtonia filifera…
These perfect little leaves caught my eye and when I went to pick it up and look closer I was stabbed by dozens of thorns along the branches…danger!
Firmiana simplex, or Chinese Parasol Tree. The only thing that stopped me from taking this home was the word "tree" (no room)…
I had this one in my wagon for awhile; I liked the leaves and loved the sturdy little trunk. In the end it went back as I wasn’t quite sure what it was (many of the plants at this sale are not labeled) and didn’t want to get too carried away.
Here’s my haul…
And at home after I’d cleaned them up a bit…
That plant with the tiny leaves and dangerous thorns is Acacia caven…
This one also was without a label; it reminded me of a Nothopanax/Metapanax delavayi but yet when I compared it to mine at home the leaves look way too small.
Anyone have any ideas?
For just $1 I thought I would take a chance on this marginally hardy here Dudleya collomae.
My big score… Lupinus arboreus. I thought it was the same Lupine as the one I fell in love with awhile back at another nursery (in a planted display container, they didn’t have any for sale) but it turns out that was a Lupinus albifrons. Oh well, close enough…love those leaves!
Halimium halimifolium f. maculatum…my last Halimium up and died, or at least it looked dead so it went bye-bye. For $1 I thought I’d try another, plus this one has better flowers!
And last but not least…I couldn’t pass up this unlabeled Agave…
If you are in the area and bummed that you missed the sale don’t be! It runs through November and they're constantly adding new things, in fact in prior years I’ve found some of the best stuff weeks after the sale opened!
If I even move and start a new garden , I'll just buy up the whole tough love sale, so much good stuff!
ReplyDeleteThat little plant looks like my Choisya arizonica 'whetstone'
And at those prices you could afford too!
DeleteI think you're correct. All this time I've avoided buying a Choisya and now I finally have....
Score! I've been looking forward to this for a long time. And I fell for a Chinese Parasol Tree at Cistus last year and have it in a pot but it's got to go, so if you know anybody who DOES have room, send them my way. It's been a fun little parasol for my patio but I can tell it needs a more permanent home now.
ReplyDeleteDid you go to "opening day"??? I will definitely let you know if I can come up with a good home for your Parasol Tree! (notice I'm restraining from saying ME!)
DeleteBring it to the swap!
DeleteJet lag or no jet lag, huh? You're so dedicated!
ReplyDeleteThat NOID agave looks a lot like my A. ovatifolia...
I'll admit I was still pretty out of it when I was there, but I'd been looking forward to the event and it was a great way to avoid that post vacation let-down!
DeleteOh p.s. I thought that too but upon comparing to the others in my garden I think the leaves are a little too thin to be A. ovatifolia, of course I could be wrong!
DeleteHow could you stay away indeed from a good sale indeed? Some nice gems there and after a little tidy up you couldn't tell that some of them have had 'tough love'. The Firmiana simplex is slow growing, you could get away having one in your garden for many, many years without getting that big. Nice habit and form too :) Love the foliage of the Lupinus btw!
ReplyDeleteUhm...that's why I like you guys so much, you're plant lust enablers too!
DeleteYOU are an addict my friend! Quite a nice haul you got at the sale. I've been tempted by the Chinese Parasol Trees at Cistus many times but I've run out of tree room, too. Although, for $10.00, it could go in a really big pot for a few years...
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what you're talking about.
DeleteBTW...sounds like Bell and Star is offering up a Parasol Tree, if you're interested!
I know right? We can quit any time we want to!
DeleteRe: BTW - Do you actually wield a trident and have horns? Just curious.
Only on special occasions.
DeleteLove love love your agave and dudleya!!!! I can't wait for my trip down to cistus!!!
ReplyDeleteBetter let me know when you're coming Louis!
DeleteI will for sure! we have lots of danger plant talk to do! and garden stalking! no trip in the works as of yet. But you will be the first to know!
DeleteI LOVE a tough love sale! And I've heard tell Firmiana simplex can be coppiced like catalpa. I'm growing some VERY slowly from some random seed I got my hands on. If they make it through this coming winter (testing hardiness too), I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing about your seedy experiences.
DeleteOh, dear...and I thought by going late (after the swap) I would be pretty safe.
ReplyDelete