Parkdale Plant Sale
Today I attended the annual Parkdale Horticultural Society Plant Sale. There seemed to be less selection this year. I bought less plants then last year but still managed to break the bank.
I have a few plans this year and went to the sale with some kind of idea in mind beyond, “Get good stuff cheap.” One plan is to build a bigger carnivorous plant bog container than last year’s successful container with more non-carnivorous bog plants and grasses. Potential bog additions have been indicated with an asterix (*).
Here’s my purchase list:
- Miniature Variegated Sweet Flag (Acorus g. ‘Minimus Aureus’)* - Purchased from a vendor, not from the sale. A lovely, low-growing grass with a golden hue.
- Lemon Geranium
- Nutmeg Geranium - I used to be really anti-geranium but last year I buckled and purchased three scented geraniums.
- Purple Leaf Loosestrife - I’ll admit that this was a total impulse buy. My exact thought process was, “Purple. Pretty. Hmmm “purple loosestrife” is an invasive plant destroying the wetlands. Pretty purple leaves. I’ll keep it in a pot.” A quick search has shown that purple leaf loosestrife is not invasive.
- Catnip - Cause I can’t find this growing anywhere!
- Persian Catmint - I’ve had one growing in my herb pool for the last few years but it’s looking sad this year. The cat loves it.
- Chives - Another plant I can’t seem to admit I’ve got enough of.
- Strawberries - I can never have enough.
- Feverfew
- Variegated Artemesia
- Sedum
- Beebalm
- Obedient Plant*
- Siberian Iris* - Colour was not indicated.
- Egyptian Onion
- Iris ‘Black Gamecock’*
- Scutellaria indica v. parvifolia - A pretty alpine.
- Cerestium alpinum v. Lantanum - Another pretty alpine.
See entries about the sale from previous years: 2003, 2002
Later this evening I went out for a walk and could not pass my local corner store/plant place without taking a peek. I made a few more purchases:
- Scotch Moss
- Wooly Thyme
- Irish Moss
- Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)* - I was a little shocked to find this at my small, local corner store plant stand. It was a bit worse for wear since they clearly don’t know how to take care of it, but I couldn’t pass it up since it was on my must-have list for the bog. This is one of my all-time favourite plants.
May 9th, 2004 at 8:19 am
Ha! I love it!
May 9th, 2004 at 4:48 pm
Oh, fantastic purchases Gayla! I am absolutely with you on the geraniums. Completely anti-geranium until a coworker gave me a cutting of a “rose” geranium a few months ago… Now I have coconut, chocolate, nutmeg, apple, lemon,… and that rose scent is heavenly.
May 10th, 2004 at 10:06 pm
I’d always thought of geraniums as boring plants until I happened upon an unbelievably gorgeous little plant at Target that noone could identify.
I bought it, did a massive search, and finally found it:
Pelargonium hortorum x ‘Vancouver Centennial.’
I’m charmed and on the lookout for more zonals now.
May 11th, 2004 at 10:09 am
Yes those have beautiful foliage
May 14th, 2004 at 2:00 pm
What kind of sedum, silly? There are hundreds! Anybody here have “green and gold”? I love it! Low-growing, spreading, tolerates shade, lots of flowers. There’s a photo in my blog.
May 14th, 2004 at 3:06 pm
I don’t know every variety by name and at a sale like this labels aren’t always wholey accurate.
May 24th, 2004 at 6:29 pm
Great pictures Gayla…
what’s the difference between catnip and catmint? They even seem to look similar…
May 24th, 2004 at 11:34 pm
Catnip and catmint are both Nepeta but different species. Catmint has a very different smell (I’d say more floral) with prettier flowers and lower growith. The leaves are also smaller and often have a bluish/grey tinge. My cat loves them both equally.