Whirlwind Visit-The Ruth Bancroft Garden.

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I arrived at the Ruth Bancroft Garden within a few minutes of the members only 9am opening time for the annual fall plant sale on an October Saturday. The parking lot was already full, so I parked on the residential street around the corner and walked in from there.  This sale has exploded in popularity , having once consisted of  a leisurely stroll around a couple of tables of plants at the entrance folly, to this years  modestly frenzied atmosphere with traffic attendants and cash only express check-outs, no doubt fueled by the continued rise in demand for succulents and xeric plants. Strategic planing is now required for both attendees and organizers. My strategy always involves taking advantage of the early opening time to take photos in the garden under  the superior pre-10am lighting conditions . October with its warm slanty light  is particularly fine for this, and the majority of the early shoppers head for the sale leaving the garden relatively empty. I wish I'd had more time-I took significantly fewer images here than I usually do . Here are just a few.

Morning light view

 

 The low sun backlit the Optunia thorns into halos.
 

Looking towards the path to the sale tables.


 And did I buy anything ? Well of course , though things were a little picked over by the time I put my camera away and hit the plant sales area. 4 plants only (easy quantity to carry to the car ) and here they are after being installed in their new pots.



Graptoveria 'Opalina' 


I love Haworthias, and have several. The tag on this just says Haworthia sp. This out of focus photo does not show it to it's best advantage.


Cutest Aloe ever, with a tag that says 'Aloe Hybrid' Shall I name it Aloe cuteii ? I beleive I shall.


Aloe cuteii bloom .



 This is  Gasteria 'Platinum' , the only one they had left by the time I got there. I'm sure I'd have bought this if I'd ever seen it anywhere before-the Gasterias are another favorite of mine.


 I hope to have a better plan and more time for the April 2015 sale !

Comments

  1. Mark and GazDecember 1, 2014 at 2:46 AM

    Only 4? Very restraint :) I reckon next year you'll get more as you'll be more geared to get the most of the sales. Beautiful photos you have there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kris PetersonDecember 1, 2014 at 7:47 PM

    What! They don't provide wagons?! That's one of the few things my local botanic garden does right. This year's event was a fraction of the size of the usual fall sale (it got bumped into smaller quarters by a model trains exhibit of all things) but I still managed to pick up 8 plants, although, to be honest, that took 2 trips (despite the wagons). If my botanic garden was the quality of the Bancroft Garden, though, I'd have done exactly what you did. You got great shots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksDecember 1, 2014 at 8:40 PM

      They did have wagons Kris, but not enough of them. I think the attendance at these sales this year has taken them by surprise--a good problem to have !

      Delete
  3. Hoover BooDecember 4, 2014 at 9:43 PM

    It looks like it was a fun visit despite the lack of a wagon. I often find the nicest thing about botanic garden plant sales is that the botanic garden itself is deserted.

    ReplyDelete

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