Penny Carnathan

Penny’s a Nurture And Hold (NAH): Nah, I won’t pull that out yet, it’s still got a green shoot. She likes dragonflies, lady bugs and new stuff only after weeding, pruning and fertilizing.

Kim Franke-Folstad

Kim’s a Want It Now (WIN): Everything pretty, everything now. She will resort to full-spectrum insecticides in desperate situations, and believes it’s her duty and right to buy new plants every weekend.

Both advocate Plant Choice (SOMEthing besides crotons. Please!), lots of color and low maintenance. We don’t agree on everything, but we’re smart enough to learn from each other - and from you.

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It’s like the holidays for gardeners! So much work to do, so many parties to attend

Posted Mar 30, 2011 by Penny Carnathan

Updated Jun 28, 2011 at 10:05 AM

I thought March was busy – a seriously hard-labor time for my garden and so many can’t-miss spring festivities. And being a fool for a paycheck, I’ve got to get it all in on Saturdays and Sundays. (I’m lobbying hard for Mondays off.)

For March, I maintained a careful balance of really filthy house/ unattended bills/unattended children and soil amending/weeding/plant and yard art shopping. It’s tough, but I like a challenge.

April’s shaping up the same way, so I’m just gonna call the mold in the shower a vertical “wall” garden. Pretty, yes? (No, I’m not posting a picture.)

See that big, beautiful bromeliad above? That was just one of the beauties from the big joint show last year by the Bromeliad Guild of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Garden Club.

The clubs have joined forces again this year for a combined show and sale Saturday and Sunday at the Tampa Garden Club, 2629 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa.

It’s so big, so wonderful, I’ve had no less than 20 people call, email and accost me with delicious home-baked cookies to tell me about it. (I’m not supposed to take freebies like delicious cookies in beautiful reusable containers that go perfectly with the potted palm in my “home office,” but Sue Ogle about broke my arm. Didn’t you, Sue?)

Sorry, no shots of the cookies. They were delicious. Don’t tell my boss.

If you hit the Bayshore Plant Fest on Saturday, you’ll be able to shop about 40 vendors, discover and buy cool new plants, and get great ideas for wonderful arrangements. Check out the bromeliads and (heads up, single ladies) you’ll get an eyeful of guys, too. I have been to a Bromeliad Guild meeting, and I’m telling you, guys love the broms. (Just saying. We’re all about the birds and the bees here, right?)

Sue shared the beautiful brom photo at top, and these following as well. Her photos are great – they gave me a good taste of the ideas I can get from attending a show like this. But remember, the vendors will be there only on Saturday. So if you want to shop, go Saturday (free admission, free parking, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you want to look, go Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) 

Here’s Alayne Schagane of Carrollwood Village Garden Circle, who took a first prize in the first show she entered. Her cereus was a starter from a neighbor.

Looking for flower arranging ideas? Here’s a club member’s 7-foot queen palm seed sheath with tropical gingers.

How about unusual plants that, yes!, we can grow! This isn’t paper mache – it’s Rex begonia.

If you’re already booked this weekend, you’ve got the next weekend to look forward to. USF Botanical Gardens has its umpteenth annual plant sale April 9 and 10. This was the first big plant fest I ever attended, and I love it! These gardens are about education (and beauty) so there are helpful markers identifying the plants throughout. Got shade? Check the shade garden. Want succulents? There’s a succulent garden, too.

New this year is a medicinal garden, which garden director Kimberly Hutton is really excited about.

Note the helpful bottle tree planted nearby. Just bottle up your digitalis and move along!

This new garden—which students helped to dig, build and plant—is full of plants that we can grow and benefit from. It will also help the gardens link with other university departments for research and education. There will be tours and lectures here, so we can all grow our own pharmacies. (I’m hoping so, anyway. Got anything for moldy showers, Kim?)

USF’s plant sale (more than 70 vendors, plus workshops at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9) costs $5 for ages 13 and older. Parking is free, and if you become a gardens member, admission is free, too.

After these two big weekends, we have garden tours coming up later in April. I’ll share the details as they get closer. For now, forget the laundry and get on out there and celebrate!