This afternoon I attended the Members-Only Preview of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 2009 Plant Sale. The sale opens to the general public all day tomorrow, Wednesday, from 9am to 7pm, and continues Thursday morning, from 9am to 12noon.
I haven’t been able to go for the past few years. I forgot how much fun it can be. It gets crowded at times, but it’s the most pleasant crowd to be in. Everyone is smiling, checking out each other’s little red wagons full of plants, offering advice and tips. The only potential meltdown I observed involved a young girl bringing an orchid to her mother, proudly sharing that this was the prettiest flower she could find. The orchid was not going into the wagon, and I moved on before things got ugly.
Because I was going to Soil Management class after the sale, I was limited to what I could carry by hand. Which was a good thing. Here are the six plants I came away with:
- Fargesia rufa
- Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
- Polygonatum falcatum ‘Variegatum’
- Polystichum makinoi
- Trillium erectum
- Trillium grandiflorum
The two Trilliums are destined for the backyard native plant garden, of course. I’ve coveted a Fargesia for several years. I had one in the first garden, in the East Village. The genus was then known as Sinarundinaria; by any other name, still a lovely addition to a partially shaded location. This one, I think, will replace the Viburnum at the shady front of the house. The other three will go along the shady path on the north side of the house. There will be photographs of these in situ once they’re planted.
Waiting
Why?!
Shade Plants
The Big Tent
Father and Son
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Plant sales this week in Brooklyn, 2009-05-01
How’d we miss each other? I was the one coveting what was in everybody else’s wagon while my Blog Widower waited patiently with our wagon…
I don’t know! I met lots of folks I know, it was like a reunion. Even had one woman walk up to me and ask “Are you the Gardener?”! We had met on one of the Gardening With Envy Tours of Brooklyn community gardens last summer.
By 5:25 I was already checked out and on my way to class. Would have been nice to bump into you and your clan.
What did you get?!
Just posted my finds over on CrazyStable: basically, the first pieces for my planned acid-lovers’ back border. Heath, azalea, a bog rosemary, a mounding holly. But I like blogging about it better than actually digging it, unfortunately.
The plant sale is a great event. Not even rain can keep gardeners from shopping. I love watching shoppers look and consider each plant before making their selection/
I was there and was definitely curious about whether the folks whose blogs I read were there, too. You’ll like the hakonechloa. It really always looks pretty spiffy in my garden.