Incredible plant sale this Sunday!!!!

I dropped by the University California Botanical Garden today and got to see lots of the plants that will on sale Sunday. It was torture for I wanted so many of them and I was told I could not buy them till Sunday.

If you can, come on out for a fun day at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley Fall Plant Sale. Get some very special plants, support a great botanical resource available to us all and get to enjoy an incredible plant collection.

I have no relationship with the Garden though I am a member and so enjoy all my visits there. It has to be one of the best locations ever for a Botanical Garden. It is a very special place.

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

This is the South African sales area, 1 of many. I will be making a long stop here for sure.
Have you ever been there? Just breath taking views!

Look!

They line the paths with plants for sale. How cool is that?

This is the Salvia section which leads to the Vine Area. Another favorite of mine. I want a Bomarea and a Lapageria this year.

Oh, lots of jealousy here...however, I won't miss the anxiety these sales usually give me. You know, afraid somebody else is going to beat you to the ones you know you really want, even if you haven't seen them, you know you really want them..lol....When San Diego Hort had Annie as a guest speaker, she brought along a couple of tables of plants to be sold, and I'd gotten there late, but before her talk, and ambled up to the tables along with several other people and was loading my arms when this rude person tapped me on the arm and said that the plants could not be purchased until after the talk and I knew there would then be a mad rush, so I was so annoyed that I didn't bother to try to buy anything. I would be building up a lot of anxiety having to wait until Sunday!

This is one of their Bomareas and is one I do not have yet that I am hoping to snag.

I know what you mean, Wcgypsy! I saw 5 plants today I so want. They even had some of those new bananas, Banana Siam Ruby! The pots had 4 to 5 banana plants in each one and they were only $25.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/163304/ What a deal.

I have to decide which plant I want the most then run run run. LOL. I am getting old to run but run I will. LOL But they had so many cool plants, there will be great ones all day. I bet even if I walked in at the very end of the sale, I would find quite a few I would want. The Botanical Gardens always have the best plants available.

This table just thrilled me. Lots of different dudleyas which just happen to be a new love of mine. I just love the white color! This is my favorite dudleya but I want them all. They were a great price too so I will be able to afford a few kinds. And winter is their time to shine.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/253219/

Look at the view this table has. I just love it there so much! I always say to myself LOOK UP LOOK UP to take it all in!

The plants up for auction where so cool. They had a TREE passiflora! I never even knew there was a TREE passiflora! Passiflora lindeniana

How cool is this? This is the one up for auction. I saw it today. I wanted to take it with me. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/plantSale/images/Fall09PlantSale/Silent%20Auction/Passiflora-lindeniana.jpg

They had a HUGE Agave ‘Cornelius’ that stays small for agaves that was so cool. And variegated pony tail. Very cool!


Here are some of them:

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/plantSale/PlantSale.shtml

As you walk down you come upon the Cactus and Succulent terrace. WOW what a place to get starter plants and also specimen plants. I saw so many different kinds. LOTS AND LOTS of cool plants. They even have little potted gardens all made up. I was really impressed.

Here is a long list of what they have in this section.
http://ucbglcs.blogspot.com/

This message was edited Sep 25, 2009 11:53 PM

Look at the fancy potted ones.

So cool.

So many cactus.

Big ones.

Incredible assortment of small ones all great prices.

PINK ones too. LOL

You can tell I am partial to the succulents. A new addiction for me. I had real big eyes when I was looking at all these.

Oh! You have got to get there super early! Look at all of that good stuff! I'm sure the whole place has gotten even more wonderful....haven't been there in 30 years......

These pictures are but a small representation of what they will have for sale. I hope you all get to go.


And 1 last photo. I fell in love with this plant last month in the Garden. It is a brand new one from China. I saw it on a table at the sale set up today but was not allowed to grab it and run. I will cry if I do not get it. It is so VIVID! A gaud plant for sure.

Plants like this are why I go to these sales.

It really is a magical place, Wcgypsy. It is in the canyon and the location takes your breath away as you probably recall. Too bad you are so far away.

Here is the Plant Sale List which sure doesn't list them all but gives you an idea of what is there.
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/plant_sale/plant_sale.shtml#availplants

This message was edited Sep 25, 2009 11:52 PM

I'll second the recommendation to hit the plant sale if you can...unfortunately I'm out of town so I'm going to miss it. But I was planning to visit the Mendocino Coast BG today and when I went to their website yesterday I saw that they're having a plant sale this weekend too--probably nothing as spectacular as Berkeley, but I'm sure I'll find some things that I must have! Except if I buy too many then I'll have to throw out the rest of my stuff so I can fit the plants in the car for the trip home. LOL

I went last year and spent SO much money! Since I just went nursery-crawling earlier this week, I'm going to have to skip it this time. You're absolutely right---the gardens are fabulous and the plants are fabulouser!

I need your control, Janet. I just emailed a friend and told her to pray for me. NOT TO FIND ANYTHING! And after the sale, I just got an email that a guy that sells South African bulbs will be at his small nursery that is open only on occassion. I am stopping at the bank on the way. Always a bad sign. Do not tell my husband.

Oh Liz, it has been so long since I went to Mendocino Coast BG. I always think I will go for one of the sales at the BG but so far I have not made it. It is just a bit far for me. I will go 3 hours but over 4 is tough. Though I am going at some point with a group of 6 people for a week. We have rented a house in town. For the life of me I can't remember when. LOL. I already paid for it too. Maybe in spring. Maybe in November. LOL Please report back on how much fun it was and what you got. I want to go too! Shoot.

I actually didn't get anything--they had some interesting Grevilleas but they're going to have the same ones next weekend at the UC Santa Cruz sale, and I won't have a car full of dog & luggage with me when I go there so I'll have more room for plants! They definitely didn't have as much rare/unusual stuff as I've seen at other BG sales so I definitely wouldn't drive up just for the sale, but if you're here anyway then it's worth a visit. From looking at the pics on their website of their plant sale area and comparing to what I saw at the plant sale, I think they have pretty much the same amount of plants around for sale all the time, just during the sale they're 20% off, so you really aren't missing that much by coming some other time. The gardens are pretty too--if my pics turned out decent I'll post some when I get back. It was really sunny so I'm not sure if they'll be decent or not. After I went to the gardens, I stopped by Hortus Botanicus in Fort Bragg and did find a few things there that I couldn't resist (but they are in 4 inch pots so they're easy to transport!).

I am having fun up here though--I rented a house in Albion and the dog and I have been exploring things between here and Fort Bragg. I wish I could stay up here forever, but I have to come back tomorrow--at least I missed the heat wave! I'm afraid I'm going to come home to a bunch of dead plants though, I watered them really well before I left but I'm not sure that'll be enough to get them through so many days of hot weather.

Ok Miss Kell,

Tell us what you bought and did you get the ones you really wanted? I'm drooling down here.

All good to know Liz. Sounds like you are in a great place! I so want to go there. I love that area. One of the couples we are going with have 3 dogs. When we went to Carmel with them, they took 2 of their dogs. We stayed at Doris Day's hotel, dogs allowed. And we all ate at dog allowed restaurants. Which BTW are easily found for Carmel is a dog town. They must hose down their streets weekly. LOL Anyway, we got to make believe one of the dogs was ours. It was such fun to have a dog. The beach is so much fun with a dog. I wonder if they are bringing their dogs to Mendocino. One of their dogs, Stubby Stone won my heart. Are your sisters with you?

So tell all, what did you get at Hortus Botanicus?

LOL Donna. I didn't get what I thought I would get but did get all I shouldn't have gotten. I also got suckered into getting that Banana Siam Ruby. Mainly because it was such a great deal with 4 in a pot. It was left sitting there after the big rush, calling to me. I know they will die on me so it was such a dumb move but I had no control. I think you need a GH for them.

When I empty my car I will jot down names. I got lots of bulbs. I am getting into South African bulbs lately. Another huge mistake. I did get 2 agaves ( my new love) there, and 1 at Berkeley Hort.

I got another one Pisonia umbrellata Variegata. I had seen this one for sale on my walk thru on Friday and it was better than the one I have so I wanted it. LOL. It was only $9. A gorgeous variegate. I love variegates.

I have only seen this at 1 nursery as a large potted bush in their GH as one of their plants, not for sale. I wonder why it is not found more. It made enough of an impression that when I first saw it for sale at Berkeley Bot I grabbed it. Now I have 2. Piggy piggy me.

Oh PS I also got some vireyas. I had not seen them on Friday so I was late finding the table so lots were gone. Which was such a good thing for I would have bought 1 of each of them. I love vireyas. Chanting to myself all the way there, SHOW RESTRAINT SHOW RESTRAINT did not work for me.

This is one I have wanted for a long time and they had it!

Now that is a pretty plant! I also love varigated plants.... and don't consider yourself a piggy, just remember that your suppose to have more than one of everything in your garden for design. lololol

Does that rule apply to your dining room table too?

I'm a total sucker for variegated plants, too. On the garden crawl 2 weeks ago, one of the spots was a repeat, and I swear this is the 3rd time I've photographed this gorgeous bush so I could find out what it is. Anyone here know? If not, I'll post it in the ID forum.... Of course I have NOWHERE to put one, but I have to find out what it is in case I see one so I can get it and cram it somewhere.

On that same crawl, I got 2 variegated alstroemerias! And for only $6 each! I only hope the woman I nearly knocked over to get to them didn't think I was rude----just focused......LOL!

I'm using what I've learned in my 3 website development classes to create a website of this tour. I took almost 200 pictures which I promised to share with 2 friends who couldn't go. I'll post it on DG when I'm done, so you can all drool too.

Pittosporum tenuifolium variegated

Where did you go on your nursery hop?

Really??? Thanks! I thought it might be in the family, but for some reason it looks different from others of them I've seen. Maybe because I used to sell it as a hedge/screen, and never saw a mature one growing all by itself as a specimen plant. It grows really well around here, so (sigh) I will have to find a spot to plop a 1-gal in somewhere. At least it's not some esoteric little hothouse number or succulent that's going to turn to mush in the winter---like what I usually go for!

We did the Monterey Master Gardener's tour, which is always one of my faves. It alternates between Monterey and Santa Cruz.

The only reason I know it is because the Elizabeth Gamble Garden in Palo Alto has a big one that just shouted look at me. http://www.gamblegarden.org/ Sue took me there

Are you a Master Gardener?

You might look at Eugenia myrtifolis Variegata Lemon Swirl also. It is one I have that is a beauty. I got it a year or 2 ago at Armstrong Nursery. It is pot bound so it is abused. But it gets golden highlights on new growth and is very variegated. Also gets covered in tiny pink flowers. They had some that were topiary bushes for $$$ when I bought mine which was about 6 feet tall up 1 main trunk but not trained so much, much cheaper. I was going to make my own topiary but of course never did. Typical. But it would be a good hedge or bush too. I love it. Very entertaining foliage year round. I think I will repot it tomorrow.

Sweet flowers.

Oooh---that IS nice! Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to see if it's hardy enough to survive our winters. I know the green Eugenias won't.

Now that you mention it, I think I photographed the same pittosporum shrub at Gamble Gardens last year, and I think I even took a picture of its ID tag!

No, I'm not a Master Gardener. I don't even play one on TV....LOL! I've looked into the program, but it requires a major time commitment, and I've never been able to carve out enough hours from my schedule. Even though I'm retired now, I've got higher priorities---but it's SUCH fun to go look at MGs' gardens and get ideas for mine!

For those of you on this thread who didn't already see my posting on the Backyards thread, here's the link to the website I did about our tour on the 12th:
http://claypigeonenterprises.webs.com/index.htm

Lots of photos, so it may be too slow for dial-up users.

wcgypsy, if you get a chance, take a look at just this one garden, which I think you'd reallly enjoy:
http://claypigeonenterprises.webs.com/garden_5.htm

I can't wait for the UCRiverside Botanical Garden sale. Am going to become a member this year so I have a better selection to choose from. Now I just have to get over my UCB, Botanical Garden envy! : - )
WIB!
SW

For anyone up here who missed the Berkeley sale this past weekend, UC Santa Cruz is having theirs this coming Saturday It's a joint sale with CNPS so if you're a member of either CNPS or the Arboretum you can come for the members preview from 10-12, otherwise it's open to the public 12-4. http://arboretum.ucsc.edu/