Sale Day Three (And An Auction)

After this third day of the Fall Plant Sale finished at 4 pm today, Marianne and I thought it was one of our best Sundays of the sale ever. I should mention that we have decided to extend the sale for one day only. The sale will also run tomorrow (September 10th) from 9 am until 4 pm and everything will be 15% off. The sale started slowly although this isn't unusual as we've always expected the crowds to come in after 11 am due to church obligations or other Sunday morning activities. The timing of the Packer game was also perfect as we had a nice crunch of customers from 11 am all the way until closing at 4 pm. The top photo shows Al Fagerly and Amanda Stella from WJVL 99.9 FM / WCLO 1230 AM. They did a live remote from the plant sale between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. We had a lot of customers come to the sale as a result of this promotion and there was also the opportunity for the chance to register to win an ATV. We had volunteers ask plant sale customers how they heard about the sale and there were many that heard the promotions on the radio. It's nice to get that feedback so we can evaluate what marketing works the best for us. The photo directly above is one of the many clumps of "popcorn plant" (Cassia didymobotrya) in the Smelly Garden. The 20 specimens we have in that garden have put on another impressive flush of blooms and our visitors continue to enjoy that scented plant among the 150+ varieties of fragrant plants in that space. To the upper right is the bloom from another plant in that collection. This is the 'Salmon Sunset' four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) which has a slight fragrance but lots of showy blooms. Note that hint of pink in the throat of an otherwise salmon colored, trumpet-shaped bloom (1.5" in diameter). Hummingbirds like this as well although the flowers are closed from late morning until later in the afternoon (they actually do open around 4 pm!). To the left is one of four containers in front of the Parker Education Center that Marianne planted this spring as part of our white/silver/blue theme. The contents include blue lyme grass (Elymus arenarius 'Blue Dune) in the center, 'Berggarten' sage (Salvia officinalis) in the center and the trailing aluminum plant (Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls') cascading over the edges of the container. To the right is that same trailer in a container in the North Point garden which also has 'Diamond Head' elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta) in the center. Directly below is a shot of the Smelly Garden this morning and further below is the old-fashioned blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea) in that same garden. What an interesting looking flower!
Big John was here this morning for a couple of hours and ran irrigation, watered containers and checked on the gardens as well. We had a little smidge of rain last night which was certainly welcome. Part of John's Sunday routine is to tour the gardens after our Saturday weddings and heavy visitation. He also checks our water features and is a nice "presence" out in the gardens for quick troubleshooting. Marianne and Janice again kept the volunteers organized and productive. Our slow morning quickly developed in to a steady flow of traffic so our "orange-vested" volunteers kept up a nice pace all day. Our mums were almost sold out and the shrubs were moving well again. I was wondering if our hot and dry summer would have an effect on sales at all due to the theory that many gardeners are "done" for the year after such a brutal summer. It's tough to say if that is true as those people would be the customers that didn't come to the sale. However, we still have a very impressive range of dynamite perennials (sun and shade) out in the yard and I had hoped to see more of those picked over this weekend. We'll see how the Plant Sale Clearance (15% off) goes tomorrow. Our volunteers were a huge help today in the sale and the past two days we've had our Garden Ambassador Volunteers roving the gardens to greet visitors, answer questions and keep an eye on the gardens. It's interesting to hear some of their stories regarding their interactions with guests (mostly positive...but not all...). To the upper right is the extremely fragrant night-blooming phlox (Zaluzianskya capensis 'Midnight Candy') in the Smelly Garden. I cruised thru the gardens this morning to check things over and was glad to have my camera. This annual still had open blooms but they were just starting to close for the day. To the left are the prolific, tubular blooms of the variegated obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana 'Variegata') which is looking quite showy (20" tall) right now near the North Point garden. To the right are the interesting, upward facing, cupped leaves of the 'Coffee Cups' elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta) in the gazebo garden. The veins on these leaves really showed with the morning light working its magic.

Today was also the auction for the oak leaf garden art projects. The event started at 1 pm at the Parker Education Center and Deb, Bev and Polly had everything well in hand. I went over to bid on two of the oak leaves which were done by my daughters. There was a healthy crowd and I hope this fundraiser went well. Below is the copper cheese vat (from Monroe, WI) planter in the English cottage garden with a huge centerpiece of 'Thailand Giant' elephant ear (Colocasia gigantea). The pinkish maroon plant is the 'Blazin' Rose' bloodleaf (Iresine hybrida). We have this huge elephant ear in many locations and they have received lots of visitor attention this year. At the bottom is a shot I took this morning of our entrance garden slope planting.

Sale Day Two (And A Tour)

Today was perfect weather for the second day of the Fall Plant Sale (9 am - 4 pm) with sunny skies and highs around 70 degrees F. I can recall past plant sales that have been significantly warmer or rainy but today was as perfect as it could get. We had a fairly busy day. While it was never overwhelming, we had some pretty busy bursts of customers and were happy to see plants disappearing from the sale. The mums, shrubs and bagged compost seemed to be selling very well although pansies, kale, perennials and bulbs were also moving nicely. We still have plenty of available plants for the sale tomorrow (9 am - 4 pm) at the Horticulture Center. Follow the signs off of Palmer Drive.

Volunteers (like Pat to the right) were again vital in this special event. Apparently the RBG-provided orange vests didn't fit with Pat's fashion sense so he brought his own and sure stood out in a crowd. We had another great batch of volunteers with some returnees from yesterday too. Everything again ran smoothly under the direction of Marianne and Janice.

At 11:30 am, a bus arrived from Wood County (WI) for a tour with me at 12:30 pm. The bus dropped off interested potential customers at the plant sale and they purchased an impressive amount of plants. I then gave the tour to 45? or so gardeners from this group, many of whom were Master Gardeners. We had a great tour and again, the weather was perfect. The gardens are still quite colorful and I think our visitors enjoyed the gardens. I think only about eight of them had been to RBG previously. We skirted thru the gardens just prior to three weddings (North point, sunken garden & gazebo garden) starting later this afternoon. A wedding today is considerably more comfortable than the one on the 4th of July when it was 104 degrees F outside! Today and tomorrow are free admission days at the gardens and the gardens had lots of visitors. Tomorrow is day 3 of the sale and we hope for a great turnout. WJVL 99.9 (Pure Country) will be doing a live remote broadcast from the plant sale between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. Come buy some plants and register to qualify to win an ATV from Rob's Performance Motorsports (Johnson Creek). At 1 pm, we'll also be auctioning off the oak leaf garden art projects that adorned the gardens this year.

Rain "Bookends" The Presale

I woke early to some rainfall and was concerned that prolonged precipitation would adversely affect the success of our RBG Members Only Pre-Sale (9 am - 4 pm) today. As I was coming up with some rainy day projects for the rest of the grounds staff, the heavens opened and we had a nice, although occasionally overcast, day. The rains held off until about 3:30 pm and their return just caught the tail end of the sale. Overall, it was a successful day and we had a nice turnout of customers and our volunteers were again very helpful. At the top are Becky (left) and Sally who were two of over 36 volunteers that helped with the sale today. Those orange vests are a badge of honor and are a great way for customers to identify our helpers. Marianne, Janice and I donned the orange as well. I wont remember everyone's name to be honest but we had great help out in the yard with customer service and our checkout volunteers did a great job facilitating purchases. Directly above is the plant sale just as it opened this morning and customers started arriving. To the left are some fall container arrangements that seemed quite popular today. We've offered these in the past and they sell quickly. Our sales of mums, asters, perennials and particularly shrubs went well too. To the lower right is Gena who helped this morning (although her vest is embarassingly inside out...).

The grounds staff (Marianne, Janice, Big John, Marv, Terry and I) all helped prepare the sale this morning as there are tasks that we need to accomplish before the sale starts. Pat was in later as a volunteer. Big John then did some path graveling, push mowing and container watering. Marv and Terry worked on repairing an asphalt path, went shopping (fertilizer, etc.) and worked on various odds and ends. Terry also push mowed and took the blower thru our three wedding sites (tomorrow). Marv has been doing a nice job organizing our storage yard and has a knack for keeping things orderly. Marianne and Janice kept our changing shifts of volunteers occupied out in the plant sale and the three of us are a well oiled machine for keeping the sale running smoothly with many years of experience between us. Marianne is great with the registers and the checkout process while Janice keeps the yard volunteers on track and is super with customers too. I try to stay out of the way but had some great conversations with RBG Members/customers and it was nice to see such a strong turnout for the sale. Tomorrow is traditionally the busiest day of the sale and the weather looks perfect. On Sunday, WJVL 99.9 will be doing a live remote broadcast (www.wclo.com/ontheroad) from the plant sale from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm. Al Fagerli will be promoting the plant sale at the Horticulture Center and attendees can register to qualify to win an ATV from Rob's Performance Motorsports (http://www.robsperformance.com/) of Johnson Creek, WI.

Directly below is a cluster of cherry tomatoes trailing out of an elevated culvert pipe planter just outside the Horticulture Center. The red variety is 'Sweet Million' and those creamy ones are the yummy 'Snow White' variety. The volunteers (and I) were nibbling all day. Janice's veggie beds around the Horticulture Center have been uber-productive this year. Speaking of tomatoes, I haven't yet mentioned how neat the Garden Festival was a couple weeks ago out at the 4H Rock County Fairgrounds. The bottom photo shows the tomato tasting tent and I was so impressed with how organized the event was by the Rock Prairie Master Gardeners with great help from the RECAPPERS. Kudos to another well-run event (Jumbo Jim, Deb, Bev, etc.) although I'd like to see more people enjoying this offering in the future.

Plant Sale Prepared & Ready

We had another big turnout of volunteers this morning with a strong representation both in the plant sale and out in the gardens. It was a long day but we were able to get the plant sale ready for the RBG Friends Members Only Sale tomorrow (9 am - 4 pm). Directly above are Del (left) and Eugene, two of our Grumpies that assisted with plant sale preparations. Here the guys are setting up our temporary parking lot (on the adjacent driving range) that we'll hopefully see nice and full over the next three days. The sale is open for the public both this Saturday and Sunday, September 8th and 9th from 9 am until 4 pm daily. I think the quality and variety of the plants this year is quite impressive. We had a mum delivery today and also saw the arrival of many pansies (Viola sp.) and flowering kale (Brassica). Other Grumpies included Bob C. who helped with watering and Bob T. who continued his epic air edging project out in the gardens. Bob A., Jim and Vern continued work on the new shed after helping in the plant sale with constructing a new table. We also saw Dick P., Maury, Dick H. (many dump runs with garden debris) and many others today.

To the left are Ellen (front) and Joy who were two of many volunteers out in the plant sale helping with tagging and organization under the guidance of Marianne and Jenny. This was day two in a row for both of these dedicated volunteers. We also had Tracy B., Shirley, Kay, Mary D., Gary, Cindy, Charlotte, Bev and some others helping as needed. We made quick work of the tagging but helpers also shifted to organize the layout of the sale.

To the right is Donna, one of our WWW (Women Weed Warriors) and she did a nice job along with Mary R., Suzy, Sue and Karla. The ladies helped tidy the entrance garden and the various gardens and beds near the gazebo. This crew of volunteers has been very effective and they collectively do a great job and work well together. We also saw Lilian F., Ed G., Deb G., Pat, Ken L., Marilyn B., Dr. Yahr and countless others. Dr. Gredler was also in for a round of mowing. I'm sure I missed some of our arrivals and departures but there was lots of "coming and going" all day long. Directly below are Shirley (left) and Charlotte. The next photo down shows just some of our exciting shrub offerings for the sale.While the plant sale has certainly absorbed lots of our time over the past week or so, we're not neglecting the gardens. This weekend is free admission and we hope many will take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the gardens which still have plenty of color. I'm always amazed when people ask if the gardens still look good in September. Of course they do! While we are pulling out some spent annuals and tidying up here and there(like Suzy and Mary to the left), most of our displays and collections still look quite nice and should extend color until mid-October. Our entrance garden theme of white/silver/powder blue turned out nicely and continues to get rave reviews. To the right is Kay checking out our Blue Satin Rose-of-Sharon (woody hibiscus) shrubs (Hibiscus syriacus 'Marina') in the plant sale today.

Marianne and Jenny were in the plant sale all day keeping volunteers on track, organizing plants and watering. Janice was in the plant sale as well but orchestrated our WWW volunteers this morning. She also had a tour and a meeting as well. Janice did a nice job making signs for the plant sale too. Big John bounced between many different projects out in the gardens and was extremely helpful today. This included weeding, container watering, path work and additional duties at the plant sale. Larry repaired an irrigation line, helped out various Grumpies and spent the rest of the day with the string trimmer around the gardens. I don't think I even made it in to the gardens today which is rare. I spent time making information signs for our plant sale shrubs and bounced between various duties as they arose. To the right are our $5 perennial, dwarf asters (Aster novi-belgii 'Magic') which are always hot sellers. Below are just some of the hundreds of cherry tomatoes that Charlotte picked for Janice from our vegetable collection at the Horticulture Center. My favorites thus far are 'Sweet Million', 'Sungold' and definitely 'Snow White'. Janice (primarily) has already faciliated the donation of lots of RBG produce to area food banks.

Teamwork Abounds

We had a very busy day but everyone had a little bounce in their step, including Kay (left) and Cheryl who were two of many volunteers that helped at the gardens today. I think we were all happy with the 1" of rain that started last night and finished up early this morning. We didn't have to run irrigation and spent only a little time with spot watering out at the Horticulture Center. We did have some branches come down with the wind but the damage was definitely quite minimal.

We had a great crew of volunteers helping put pricing tags on our plant sale plants this morning. With the Fall Plant Sale presale for RBG Friends Members starting this Friday (9 am - 4 pm) we have to be ready for the weekend. Check out plant sale details at www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org. Aside from Kay and Cheryl, we had Ellen (to the left), Don, Pearl, Joy, Pat and Shirley. The gang put in solid morning of tagging many of our perennials, organizing shrubs, etc. Marianne and Jenny collectively kept everyone hopping and we have another crew coming in tomorrow to finish the task.

We also had some nice volunteer representation out in the gardens. To the left is Tom K. who has volunteered at the gardens for many years. However, this photo is a rare sighting of this man as he typically volunteers in the early evenings and we don't cross paths very often. He has been maintaining the Ornamental Edible & Compact Vegetable Display which continues to look great and creates plenty of produce. Magda & her friend came in to tidy up their area and Janet did some nice touch-up along the orange-themed wall planting. Gena, Mary, Myrt and Nancy went mobile this morning and weeded, snipped and purged in both the Smelly Garden and All-America Selections display. I was worried we would have a rain out all day but we salvaged most of the day out in the gardens and in the plant sale. We also saw Dick H., Mary D., Janice and many others today. Below, from left to right, are Pearl, Jenny, Pat and Kay organizing our plant sale shrubs this morning. I think we have the most expansive (and impressive) selection of shrubs this year.The grounds staff got their exercise today as well. Above (left to right) are Terry, Big John and Pat unloading shrubs this morning (Marv is just off camera). Aside from the shrub delivery, we unloaded two large trucks of perennials and a delivery of mums. Everyone pitched in and "many hands" did make "quick work". Marianne and Jenny have always worked well together and are collectively very organized. They kept a step ahead of the tagging team and really chipped away at our plant sale tasks today and have already prepared for tomorrow's efforts. With the early morning rain, we started with some "rainy day" projects which allowed us to really tidy up the Horticulture Center prior to the sale. Pat cleaned up many of the tools and carts while John ran out twice to load up on fuel for all our vehicles. Both guys later got out in the gardens for some planting, weeding, post-storm clean-up, etc. They circulated back to the plant sale later to help with watering and some other "pre-sale" preparations. To the right are the violet, tubular flowers of the Himalayan leptodermis (Leptodermis oblonga) which is a small (2'), textural shrub that we just planted this year. It's not overwhelming in terms of the flower display but I'm impressed that it has been blooming all summer and seems to be pretty tough. As we head in to late summer and early fall, look for the contributions of ripening fruit in the landscape. To the left are the ripening fruits of the corneliancherry dogwood (Cornus mas 'Golden Glory'). The fruits are ripe when they fall and have long been used as food source in the Middle East, Northern Europe and Asia. These fruits (astringent) are high in calcium and other minerals (and they look showy too!).

Marv and Terry worked on some drainage issues around the plant sale as the rain quickly revealed some problem spots. The guys also helped unload plants, tidied up the "back yard" before the sale and started dealing with a troubesome path that has become a tripping hazard (maple roots). To the right is the showy 'Red Kuri' winter squash (Cucurbita maxima). When we had our squash display a couple years ago, this was the "most pilfered" variety as the dozen or so squash disappeared over night. Below is a shot of some 'White Christmas' caladiums in the English cottage garden and at the bottom, the chatreuse flower (umbel) of the 'Zefa Fino' fennel (Foeniculum). Also called finocchio or Florence fennel, this type of fennel is prized for the tasty, swollen stem just above ground level.

Plant Sale Preparations

It was nice to be back in action and it didn't take long to "reconnect" after my week long vacation. I did take a nice stroll thru the entire garden and it looked even nicer than when I left. The grounds staff and volunteers continue to do such a nice job and we're very happy with the overall appearance of the gardens this year. The top photo show two of the beautiful blooms of dwarf okra (Abelmoschus esculentus 'Lee') over at the Horticulture Center. While I don't eat okra often, I sure like those mallow-like blossoms and that lightest shade of pastel yellow. Above are a couple of the Grumpies helping unload mums this morning for our looming Fall Plant Sale. Held this Saturday and Sunday (September 8th and 9th) at the Horticulture Center, the sale will run from 9 am until 4 pm daily. RBG Members get 10% off all plant sale purchases and are invited to the Members Only presale (also 10% off) on Friday, September 7th from 9 am until 4 pm. To the right is Del watering just some of the 600 mums that arrived today for the sale. We'll be getting plenty more and offer these gigantic specimens for only $7 each (plus tax). To the left is one of our annual ornamental millets (Pennisetum glaucum) out in the gardens. This is the variety 'Jade Princess' that is known for 30" tall chartreuse foliage and showy inflorescences as seen here.

Due to a shift because of Labor Day, we had a full house of Grumpies and grounds staff today. Larry and Big John came in to water yesterday and there was plenty of watering going on today. Hopefully we'll get some of that rain tonight. Grumpies included Dick P., Bob C., Larry H. and Del who all helped rearrange some of the plant sale this morning. Dick P. also helped fix our automated gate and worked with Maury and Tom C. on assessing some of our frustrating power issues out in the gardens. The rest of the guys moved on to tidying up paths around the gardens. Dick H. was in and Vern worked on getting all our hand carts ready for the big sale. Bob A. popped in and we also saw Gary, Dr. Gredler (mowing), little Jerry and many others. Mary H. and her daughter were out in the gardens and Stan spent some time in the Japanese garden. Ron K. did some weeding in the woodland walk garden and that garden looks the best it ever has thanks to Ron's unfaltering attention. Bill O. helped mow and unload plants today. We also saw our past Executive Director, Kelli, this morning as she stopped by with some yummy treats for the Grumpies. To the right are more Autumn crocuses (Colchicum autumnale 'The Giant') amongst some blue petunias. Our 10,000 or so Autumn crocuses are really starting to peak. Directly below is the beginning of the seed structure for the annual balloon plant (also called "hairy balls"). This milkweed relative (Gomphocarpus physocarpus 'Oscar') gets over 8' tall and is now starting to really produce these interesting structures (typically 1-3" in diameter).During my "Reconnection Tour" of the gardens this morning, I was down in the fern & moss garden and heard many "kerplunks" as I walked by the small ponds and streams. I noted many frogs like the little fella above (only 1.5") enjoying a swim. Hopefully our resident great blue heron doesn't find the same area! Tim B. had me on his radio show (WCLO) and we talked gardening and the fall plant sale. Today was also a reunion of sorts for the grounds staff. This was the first time since early June that we had everyone together (Larry, Marv, Terry, Marianne, Janice, Pat, Big John, Jenny and me). Little Jerry was briefly around too which brought back memories of his time at the gardens. We didn't get too nostalgic as a full, hot and humid day of activity was waiting for everyone. To the right is the 'Hot Lips' turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) in the woodland walk garden. To the left are the blooms of our 'Thailand Giant' elephant ear (Colocasia gigantea). The white spathe and spadex are quite interesting and remind me of the peace lily (which is in the same family). These blooms come out ultimately in groups of six and seemingly emerge from the stem as it splits. This exact variety is new to horticulture (2003) and has been one of our BIG hits of the year (pun intended).

Pat and John started pushmowing right away, as did Larry. All the guys moved on to significant watering projects throughout the day and Larry also continued repairing irrigation heads out in the gardens. Larry also kept irrigation going nicely around the gardens. Just when the yard was becoming empty, the watering needs for this space are increasing exponentially each day. We had Marianne, John, Larry and Del all helping out today with yard watering needs. Marianne spent most of the day taking care of pre-plant sale details and she continues to astound me with her memory of past events and what worked and what didn't. She is truly our fall plant sale maven and is so organized. Marianne also did some watering and put together her cutting display today as well. Jenny spent some time weeding out in the garden but otherwise helped with plant sale preparations including processing our bulbs (for the sale) with Marianne. Marv and Terry set up sprinklers in many locations, brought in our oak leaf art project in advance of the auction of these art pieces (this Sunday at 1 pm), sheared and worked on an edging project. Janice spent most of her time watering and tidying in the Ornamental Edible & Compact Vegetable Display which continues to be one of our most popular gardens this year. Janice also checked over our moss areas, watered in many locations, made signs and helped with myriad other projects. It was nice to have the entire team around today and everyone was helpful with processing plant sale deliveries as they arrived. More deliveries tomorrow and Thursday too. To the right is a showy, dwarf goldenrod (Solidago hybrida) called 'Little Lemon' which is just a mass of color at only 15" tall. Here is a goldenrod for the front of the border. Below are two water lily (Nymphaea sp.) photos taken in the lower pool of the fern & moss garden. I'm not good with variety names on these but sure appreciate the color. When you come to the plant sale this weekend, be sure to pick up your copy of our totally awesome 2013 RBG calendar!