Gardenfest! at Vero Beach & Upcoming Shows

Hello all, we just returned from a fantastic show, the Gardenfest! at Vero Beach FL. Many thanks to the organizers, as well as the residents and visitors in Vero who came out to support all the vendors. In this challenging economy, the sales at Vero gave many of us small nurserymen a much needed boost in our business as well lifted our spirits that so many gardeners continue to support us during these trying times....Bless you all !

One of the hits of our booth was Lavendula Pinnata, pictured here. Many people believe that Lavender doesn't do well in Florida, but it does! This time of year, it loves the cool weather & bright sun. In the summer, we move it to a cooler location in morning sun or shade, that helps it through our summer heat. Lavender also loves lots of air circulation around it and try and keep watering to the root level and keep the flowers and leaves free of excess moisture. As the clump grows, it provides a beautiful mass of color in your garden.

We also had a new crop of Tropical Hollyhocks available at the show and they were snapped up quickly. If you want more info about the Hollyhocks, look in our past postings.

Tibouchina Heteromalla was also very popular. Who doesn't love the big soft leaves?! The customers who bought it were all very excited about the anticipation of gorgeous violet blooms that will show up the beginning of summer and last for many months.

For those in the Vero area, we encourage you to make the drive to Leu Gardens in NW Orlando the weekend of March 21 & 22nd. This yearly botanical sales show is great place for gardening enthusiast. The Leu Botanical Garden itself is one of the most diverse and beautiful gardens in Florida, so you can enjoy visiting the gardens, as well as visit and purchase plants from the many fine vendors (including us!) there. Look for us at the back of the park, behind the Rose Gardens. www.leugardens.org
Don't forget to bring wagons !

The weekend before the Leu Gardens Sale, we will be at the Marion County Master Gardeners Show in Ocala Florida (March 14 & 15). Look for info at www.marioncountyfl.org for location and directions. Over 60 unique plant vendors will be there. This is also one of our favorite shows and it is very exciting to see the customers that start lining up outside the gate an hour before the show starts !