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.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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8 thoughts on “Parkdale Plant Sale

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Great pictures Gayla…

    what’s the difference between catnip and catmint? They even seem to look similar…

  4. 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.

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