Actually, You aren't going to believe this. My mind was so boggled by the whole experience that I didn't snap a single pic. I went to sensory overload after the first hour, LOL. I am planning to go with finger poised on the camera next Saturday, though, I promise!
I didn't buy a single thing! I know, hard to believe. I just couldn't bring myself to pay the prices when I knew the "other" nursery down the street had what I was looking for, bigger, better and cheaper!
Big Day Tomorrow...Plant Delights Open House!
I believe it and can relate. You just wanted to focus on absorbing everything..which is quite understandable. You must be referring to Echinacea being better elsewhere??? I'm sure most of the plants at Plant Delights are quite unique and not so common???
Jon
What's this other place? I might want to check it out. LOL.
Yes, I did mean echinacea. Plant Delights has amazing "other" plants, but I have tunnel vision these days, LOL. I did notice that they seem to concentrate more on texture there and less on color impact. I'm the opposite, so I didn't really have a wowser moment on something that I wanted to buy, gotta have, etc.
The other nursery is Homewood Nursery, they are local sales only. They don't have a HUGE variety but their plants are quite large and they do carry the hottest, latest cultivars. It is very hard to find the latest locally. I talked to them today and they said that their entire Tiki Torch crop failed this year, apparently Tiki Torch is hard for professionals, also! Remember the nice sized Tiki Torch that I bought that I found in their "hiding place"? Well, she told me that was the only one out of the whole crop that survived! She said their echs did not do well at all this year and they weren't sure how much they would get into them next year. Needless to say I tried my best to encourage another go at it!
Oh, one other thing. I also noticed that their "Kim's Knee Highs" that were planted in the gardens weren't knee high either! That was nice to see, seeing that mine are up to my waist or higher.
LOL. Maybe it was "knee high" on some very tall guy with long legs!!! I don't get all wild over most "tropical" plants either even though I live in the tropics. When I was at the Botanical Gardens in Sarasota two weeks ago the only things that really grabbed my attention were the Rudbeckias and the hybrid hibiscus section.
I'm noticing a pattern with Tiki Torch. Most people who have really good luck with it live up north. I planted my larger plant in part shade and it's doing better. This is one Torch that can't take the heat. LOL.
I've been noticing that "across the board" with all my Echinaceas down here. The Echies in the back that receive 1/2 day sun do the best and grow the tallest. The Echies in the front on the side that receive 2/3 - 3/4 day sun do pretty well also. The Echies in the front that receive 3/4-full sun do fairly well, but do not develop as well in height and width. Perhaps they do benefit from some filtered sun and.or a bit of shade in more southern climates.
Jon
I noticed something else while I was there. Almost all of their echs were in filtered light like you were just talking about, Jon. As a matter of fact, I can't think of many of their plants that didn't have towering trees over them. I noticed that they were VERY specific about the placement of their Ruds and Echs. If there was a specific patch of sun coming through the trees, there was an ech in it. It was quite strange. I have never really thought of gardening through the leaves, although technically, I guess that is what I do with my bradford pear. (Totally didn't plant that thing, by the way--previous owner--but did make the bed at the base of it.). I keep it trimmed back and shaped so that my perennial bed gets just the right amount of sun. It was amazing to see that applied on such a wide scale, though. The only ones that were in full, full sun were the echs that were around the outside border of the gardens. Very interesting.
If you plant Echies in full sun here they already look very bad. The ones in partial shade are still pretty. I guess it makes them last longer. I need to plant a tree by my other flower bed!
The same goes with my hybrid hibiscus collection and they are tropical plants to begin with. Some varieties bloom much better with a little bit of shade or filtered sun. I've been doing reblooming bearded iris here also. I started with some in full sun and had no blooms. In 2008 I planted some in the back in 1/2-2/3 day sun and they actually bloom pretty well.