Martindales Nursery

David, those are both stunning. I hope we can order them next spring!

Ok, last one for tonight. This one is very special to Linda (my wife) and I. The Make a Wish Foundation sent my daughter and the rest of us to the Country Music Awards in Nashville. This was really great for her and she really enjoyed herself. Anyway, this is Barry's Make a Wish.

David

Karen--I can be in San Bernardino in about 5 hours...then we can hit the road for Florida! Too bad my best friend doesn't live in Tampa anymore, otherwise I could just send her over to Cat's and have her mail everything to us!

David--those are absolutely stunning flowers, I am definitely putting those on my wish list for next year!

Hey, I want to buy from all of them. LOL. Come spring I am going to go nuts!!! You all have tortured me all summer with all your beauties. And Cat is still posting new beauties. I so wish David was going to be still in the biz.

I just got back from a week in LA on a pure plant trip. What a week! But I hardly saw any hibiscus. Someone told me that they were all infested with giant white fly which exuded white waxy threads that covered all the hibiscus, a host plant. So people dug them all out to get rid of the insect. I saw NONE!! Well there were some orange ones at the front entrance of the Huntington but no where did I see them in yards.

Oh David, those 3 are just truly amazing. Hard to believe such color combinations exist. I can't wait till I see these myself.

Kell, do you want to come on the hibiscus bus to Florida with me and Karen? I'm leaving here in about half an hour! LOL

And, while you are driving, I'm sneaking over to Davids to steal me some yoda, irish spring, make a wish, congo and metallica. Or, maybe I can sneak into Matt's back yard. I don't think Buddy, Matt's attack Beagle will tell on me. He got lots of pets and attention from me today. (hee hee)

Yoda, Metallica, Make a Wish and Tigers Eye are all on my list.

Kell, a whole plant week???? Wow, I am green with envy, pictures please.

There's a wallet killer at large, and his name is Martindale. Sure, he LOOKS like a nice guy, but one encounter with the website and your wallet shrinks to a dangerously tiny size.
Visa cards melt...
Checkbooks gasp and wheeze...
Actual paper money ignites then disappears...

He should be on America's Most Wanted - Hibiscus Division.
I can't imagine a better recommendation than this.

Hmmmm

Liz, do you think he could be the one in charge of the (in)famous Hibiscus cartel?

Absolutely. And don't let the smile fool you.
He's probably conjuring up more wallet suckers right now.
Wait until Spring and you'll see what I mean.
Just thinking about it is giving me the vapors...
There goes my face lift, tummy tuck, butt reduction and liposuction fund...
I was hoping to look like Marilyn Monroe in my coffin.
Now, thanks to Martindale's it's gonna be Yoda all the way.
Dang!

when I woke up this morning, and checked my inventory, I realized that some that I thought I bought, I didn't. Never fear, I took care of this just now! My poor wallet...yes, Matt should be on the most wanted list, for sure!

Oh Cat, you are killing me!! You are so much more spoiled than I am! If only I was sure I could winter mine over successfully.

Yes Alice, a full week of me bouncing off the walls in ecstasy. I thought I had finally had my fill of gardens and plants and then woke up yesterday in need yet once again. LOL! I spent much of yesterday hunting down a plant I saw at Lotusland that I just have to possess. I am off to a public garden here in a few minutes. I am never satiated it appears.

I even bought 2 hibiscus there!

When I was at South Coast Botanical Garden, I came around a corner to see a HUGE White Ghost, a euphorbia I have wanted since I saw it at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers a few years ago. This one was so huge it literally knocked me off my feet and I went down.............. literally rolled down a hill. What a sight. Well, by doing it I met 2 incredible new friends who heard me scream so I am now glad I went down. A bit sore and bloody with my pride in the hopper, I snapped this photo looking up at it.

I LOVE METALLICA!!!!! Can't wait until it comes out!!

Kell??? Are you OK? That must have been painful. We must be twins secretly separated at birth (give or take a few years), sadly, I am one to be looking at plants instead of where I am going and I hit the ground often - and not too gracefully. LOL
That Euphorbia must have been really cool.

I am so envious that you got to Lotusland. Mike Bush the Ex. Dir. there is such a nice guy. His wife Jeannie is the daughter of a good friend and back when he was the director of the Daniel Stowe Gardens in Charlotte he visited down here often.

Cat, I'm so envious of your trip to Matt's place. I can't wait to see what will be available in the spring. My list of wants will probably be forgotten and even newer hibiscus will take their place.

He is a looker......LOL!

Mostly painful to my ego! LOL. I had my brand new camera in my hand and it got all dirty and the viewer opened up on the way down. I was sure it was broken but it was OK too. Poor Lali tried to help me. I was beyond it. LOL

Yes Alice, we are twins for sure. We are so much alike!! I notice that on all the forums we frequent.

I am already planning another trip south. So many huge and cool nurseries and gardens to visit. I also need another few hours at Lotusland. It was really incredible.

Here is a nursery there in Torrance, Rain Forest Flora. The whole nursery was like this, a huge mountain down the middle with water all around. Very cool. They needed a few of Cat's tropical hibiscus to really set the mood.

Wow Kell I'm glad you are ok. Were is that nursery with the rain forest plants? That's excellent. Not exactly politically correct right at the moment with us in a drought but I love those plants.

Glad to see you didn't waste your postition while on the ground. A true photographer. : )

David

LOL David, can you picture me taking a huge tumble? It must have been a sight for sure. Lali said that at some point she saw I relaxed, tucked in and went with it. And she was right. I realized I was indeed heading down and saw movies in my mind where people rolled down hills. So off I rolled. LOL. I am getting old for such a thrill.

This nursery was such a kick. And they had 5 greenhouses in the back that they let us go thru though. The bromeliad I really wanted and brought up to the store turned out to be in a personal collection and grabbed from my grasping hands.

Is it bromeliads you love? I am so into billbergias.
The one that got away...............

But I got 2 of these which I saw last year at California Carnivore up your way but it was not for sale. I so lusted it after it. So PINK!! LOL

The place had so many tillandsia. Or is it tillandsae? LOL.

They were hanging in great clumps from the ceilings and they had had trays of them as well as slings setup covered in them. Tons in the back greenhouses too.

Kell - that pink variegated thing is STUNNING!!

This was a cool one. All curls!

Hi Kell

Yes, I love bromeliads. Saw some amazing ones while in Belize. Also while at the hib convention we went to a bromeliad nursery in Sarasota Fl. I've never seen anything like it. I'm a huge fan of rainforest plants and cloud cover plants. I have a secret love for cycads also. Really amazing plants.

David

Oh Amanda, it sure is! When I first saw one last year I went nuts over it. The guy last year didn't even have a name for it so it took me awhile to track the name down.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/103260/

I walked into this place last week and they had about 5 for sale. My heart skipped a few beats. And they were so very PINK! LOL Though sometimes I think I love the chase more than the actual capture. Especially when I do not even have a name and I have to google my little heart out to glean info about my the object of my desire. LOL

David, here is the website
http://www.rainforestflora.com/

Very eloquently put, David... You can grow for fun and beauty, now. I will be receiving my Martindale order tomorrow, I hope (I could only spring for 4, I have other plant addictions to fullfil). Although I've been on DG for a while, I didn't know Robert sold hibiscus! Cat, what a sweetie for posting so many pics and your experience meeting the most handsome Matt Martindale! Good gravy my hib wish list has grown by pages, now! I'm sure I will purchase from Matt again, and look out Robert, you have a new customer, as well! Kell, I'm growing my new babies behind the couch this winter (in front of south windows -- sounded like I was ashamed of them, lol) , surely you could fit a few in somewhere!

LOL Aunt B. We haven't been able to eat in the dining room now for 2 years. All surfaces are covered!! I have a huge thing going on with vareigated clivia. As well as some tender aroids. And a few other fancy plants I paid too much for to put outside. I am a plant pig. However, I do have about 20 big fancy hibiscus that need a warm place. They are too big for inside so they will go into the hoophouse. In the past they seemed to rot. I will take extra care with them this year and see if I do better.

Oh David, I envy you so much going to Florida and Belize. Ineed to get over my plane phobia. I love going to plant places. I am trying to convert to a lookiloo.

Have you been to Lotusland? They have a cycad garden. It was fantastic. I need to get an ID for this one I saw there.

Will I have 5 coming from Martindales. I do want the Yoda, and Make a Wish.

I have these 5 coming. Love Potion, Black Dragon, Cherry Ice, Junes Dragon and Eva Paoloni.

Then he wrote, "I can tag a Nightfire for you but it won't be ready for a month or so."

I just finished getting the GH all cleaned out and the shelves reinstalled. So I am ready for the new plants. He said I should receive them Fri. or Sat.

Kell what is the plant that is "So Pink" called?

Hi Linda. You make me so jealous. I may have to place an order just to keep from feeling so deprived. You guys probably have bought him out by now. If David was still in business I would have to head up to his GH. Shoot.

Aechmea orlandiana 'Ensign'

Oh. I thought it was an agave! The minute I saw the pic, I knew you bought it Kell (if they were selling or you could beg them to). Pink is ALWAYS pretty! I'm glad you didn't injure yourself tumbling down that hill!

Yes do Kell keep up with us, I know Matt has some beautiful pink ones you would just die for.. So check out his web site.

Atlantis is SO pretty and baby girl pink..... David I wanted to tell you Thank You for posting about Martindales... I just asked about their reputation on a thread Monday... cause I knew you had gone out of business and I HAD to have the Nightfire. EVERYONE, please be sure to POST in DG Watchdog about your experience with Matt & Martindales, once we get our plants ... there was only one post.... Liz? Ecrane when I checked on Monday, that's why I was asking about them on the threads.. (one of us should probably mention how attractive Matt is, too) Cat? guess that should be you, as we only got to ORDER our babies! lol thx to all -B

AuntB what do you have coming?

Well shoot, if Matt is so hot, I just might have too. Will Matt send an autographed photo with the order? So many to want. I was going to say I could put them in my bathtub seedling rack if they were liners but I just remembered I have tons of brug seeds a good friend sent me of her best double crosses. They will take up 1 seedling table. I have a few of my own too. The other seedling rack table is full of my clivia babies and begonias. If I ask Tom to make me a 3rd one I will be murdered. Unless I give up my side of the bed. LOL So little room and so many wants. Linda, you are such a hibiscus pusher. LOL And I am such an addict.

Aunt B, I did see an agave at Lotusland that is to die for truly. I spent the other day trying to track one down. I am returning to LA in early spring to get one. It was that beautiful. A living handpainted flower. And not even PINK!

Look and weep!

Incredible, Kell! Thanks!

Kell, I am weeping that is too cool.

Davis, I am envious of you also - you went to Dennis Cathcart's place didn't you????
He and his wife are the neatest people; he comes to the Charleston Horticultural Society events and sells his pretties so I have a few. Mine are more common (less expensive)varieties but they are the ones that are hardy here and they do light up a spot.
I think this is Neoregalia Zoe (my puppy ate the labels.)

This message was edited Sep 13, 2007 4:32 PM

Well Kell I think we try to be too much alike by when I rolled and tumbled it should have been more where you was but I decided to do mine coming down the stairs at my brothers. I hit 5 stairs on the way down. I did not want to miss a single one. lol

Needless to say I broke my tailbone and really jarred thefailed 2 level lumbar surgery from 2000. It was not as much fun as I guess I thought it would be like sliding down them as a kid. But the 2 guys in the ambulance were nice to look at. Just too young. I told them "what a way to try to land a doctor" Not worth all the pain meds that give no relief. Oh well no dr and a broke tailbone. SHOOT!

I also want to say without extensive electro shock treatments we will never either one be a lookiloo? Sorry to deliver such a blow but I think we both need to face reality and smile and enjoy the chase and the catch. I have been waiting 2 years and now in 2008 he will have irish spring. It is a beautiful irish green with a white eye. It is too die for. And so is the 4 I just bought from David. Wow.
Thanks David for everything. And stick around here as we consider you friend first then our specialist who will help us keep our babies tip top.

Blessings,
Sandy ^8^

This one is Neophytum Burgandy Hill

And this one is just for Kell. B. nutans, which looks just like a weed when it is not doing this.

Kell, it sounds like you had a wonderful time. I've never heard of your Torrance facility, but checking out their website I'm going to have to go, I just love all your pictures! Ardesia your shots are lovely as well, I particularly like red with puppy-eaten labels.

Pugs, my order from Martindale is supposed to be here either tomorrow or Saturday too - I'm getting 8 and I can hardly wait! Now I have to go buy more pots though - and I thought I was done pot-shopping (never, lol).

Now that I'm back to work, I go on about my plants like they're my children, and I forget that "normal" (non plant addicts) must think I'm a total nut job!

karen