Saturday, October 6, 2012

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...



Fall not only ushers in cooler weather, it's also a time for fall plant sales—also known as "Christmas in October" for gardeners.

Honestly, I hate shopping...unless I'm shopping for plants. There's something about the promise of a new plant: the excitement of selecting a rare cultivar, designing a new bed, or introducing an unique variety into the garden. A plant holds so much potential...and plant sales provide a boost of adrenaline after a dreary winter or, in my case, a sweltering, plant-scorching summer. 

Besides the bliss of browsing beautiful plants, I always find the nicest fellow gardeners to chat with at plant sales. Whether they are volunteers offering to deliver plants that I can't fit in my Prius or fellow shoppers comparing experiences with various flowers and shrubs, a visit to a plant sale is always a social pleasure.

Plus, how can I not support one of my favorite gardens?

The purchases all fit perfectly into the Prius, with room to spare. 


Oreo guards them until I can relocate them into their new homes.

I think I have some holes to dig...

Have you visited any plant sales this fall? And if you have, what is your favorite purchase?

Happy shopping...and planting!

XO ~

Julie


12 comments:

  1. We are the opposite season in Australia - now getting into mid-Spring - but I have been overseas on business for the last few months. Heading home in two weeks - yippee! Number One on my list of to-dos on my return is to order new dahlias! It will be such fun selecting them. I think I have space for a couple of darkest reds and a burnished orange.

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    1. Marisa, can you believe I've never grown dahlias? I've been coveting them ever since becoming obsessed with a flower farmer's blog. They are just stunning. I may not have enough sun, but I think this year I need to add a few to my garden. Safe travels to you--I'm sure you're eager to get home to your garden!

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  2. Hi Julie, wonderful read and i completely understand the joy of plant sales.

    it's not fall here in Australia, but i have been to a plant sale recently, it was at the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and the gardeners of one of the gardens up there had a heap of "left overs" for sale, and let me tell you, they were MAGNIFICENT plants, and all nice and big and only for $2, i got so excited i nearly wet myself... only joking :)

    so what are the names of the plants that you bought?

    happy gardening :)

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    1. Michael, $2?!? What a great find! I imagine the Carnival of Flowers was fabulous. I bought swamp sunflowers, Mexican sage, oakleaf hydrangea, toad lilies, turtlehead, witchhazel, and paper bush. So much fun!

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  3. I have been to 2 plants sales in October so far and we are just a week in! I have learned to get to them early. Yesterday I went to a native plant sale at our State Botanical gardens and there was a line already 30 minutes before the sale started. It is great to see so many passionate plant people out there! Love your purchases!

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    1. Karin, gardeners aren't afraid to rise at the crack of dawn for a good plant sale, are they?! I was luck with this sale--they had preview days for members of the garden, then opened it up to the public on Friday and Saturday. Even though I went the first morning, all of the acuba were gone. Did you buy anything fun at the sales?

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  4. Good Afternoon Julie, I love autumn because the ground is still warm and I can plant new plants. We have a cherry tree, pear tree, apple tree and plum tree which are ready to be planted into the ground. So it's on with my wellies, on with the gloves and I'm ready to dig! Have a lovely day today. Best Wishes Daphne

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    1. Daphne, I'm envious--I would love to add more fruit trees to our yard. We have two tiny apple trees that I hope will begin producing next year, and 6 citrus trees in pots that need to move into the greenhouse soon. Sadly, our shady yard can't support more fruit trees. Look forward to hearing about your future harvests! Happy planting!

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  5. I did my garden sale at the end of September, wish we could have gotten to the Native Plant Sale in Greenville, but it was a football weekend (we went to USC v. Missouri). Wish I had known about this one!! I would have come up. :-)
    Looks like you got some really nice ones.

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    1. I was disappointed to miss the native plant sale, too--but little people's soccer games come first. Next time, I'll let you know about the Hatcher sale and we can plan an outing! You'd love the garden.

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  6. There is a native plant sale in my town sometime every fall (we try to plant native Missouri plants as much as possible, much less watering!) - thank you for the reminder! I need to find out when it is this year.

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    1. I love natives, too--it makes so much sense to plant what wants to grow in our zones. Still, occasionally I find a really interesting plant that I obsess over and need to try. I suppose there are worse addictions, right? Hope you find some great plants at your local sale!

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