Springing into April 2014

Is it just me, or does time really fly once we hit our springtime? March was a whir of events and motion and now we are into Miss April where we can still enjoy cool mornings and evenings and enjoy the sunshine on our faces and plants.

Mother Nature came-a-calling this past weekend at Greenfest Show in Tampa. The morning started off with plenty of sunshine and tons of customers to the Henry Plant Park at the UT campus, then all of our smart phones lit up around noon forecasting heavy storms moving into the area. Everyone battened the hatches and made for cover, many vendors leaving for the day. We and a few others stuck around till late afternoon after the main winds and rain had passed and surveyed the damage. Unfortunately some vendors lost tents to downdrafts and heavy rains, but most survived intact.

The Henry Plant Hall atrium was a safe place to hang out during the Saturday afternoon storms.   I took this shot just outside of one of the balconies and the torrent of rain coming off the roof looked like waterfall !











Sunday morning, we arose to cool temps, a bit of wind, but a sunny day and God bless the customers came back out in droves to support the show.  We could not have made it through the weekend without the stalwart support and help from our good friends, the Sousas.  The show turned out to be one of our best ever at the park, so many thanks to all our great customers and we hope you enjoy our plants for years to come.

So, springing in to April and it's a big springboard, as this weekend brings up covering 2 shows, which means splitting our forces and plant stock so we can have great offerings at both places.  Here's the scoop:

Fri through Sunday, April 4-6, Susan and I will be set up at the Tropiflora Nursery in Sarasota.  This is their big Spring time show (remember we also do their Fall show). For those of you who don't know, Tropiflora Nursery is world reknown for its Bromeliads, succulents and cacti.  Twice a year, they put their own plant stock on sale, plus invite a dozen of their fellow plant buds to set up on the property too, all of us with our own specialties.  The Fern Guy, The Orchid Guy, The Driftwood guy, The Croton guy, etc etc, so, it's like a great little mini-plant show.  Tropiflora is an EZ drive from the north and south, entrance and parking are free, there is food and music and just a really fun atmosphere.  You can check out info about the show and directions etc at www.tropiflora.com.   The show runs 8-5 Friday, 8-5 Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday. Hope to see you there, look for us, we are all in the way in the back by the mega large Bamboo stand.

Sat. and Sunday, April 5 & 6, Mitch & Larry will be set up in beautiful historic downtown Wintergarden for their big Springfever show.  This is another interesting show to do, vendors are placed up and down the main street of the downtown, there is all sorts of cool activities as big bands, a Chalkart show, water gardens, plenty for adults and kids alike to do.  Mitch especially loves this show as they get to stay at the historic Edgewater Hotel downtown and they serve BIG breakfasts !!  You can check out the show info at
www.springfeveringarden.com.

After this weekend, we are back to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Pete for 2 weeks until we start prep for Mother of all shows, Greenthumb Festival the last weekend of April, here in St. Pete..stay tuned for details, and yes, we ARE going to do a plant sale soon at our place in St. Pete, we just have to figure how to squeeze it in somewhere !