Rollingwood Gardens (Salter)

I didn't manage to take a picture of the overall garden, but here's a small portion of it from my 2013 Mecca pictures:




And now, on to a few blossoms. The first one is Brave Kemo Sabe (I purchased it)




Bandit Bay - another acquisition




Sea of Cinders - bought it



Celestial Dreams

more Salter photos:

























the really cool night we had prevented this one from opening well, but you
can see the potential

A word about labels.

The different gardens used different methods to identify their plants.

Petit uses a soft aluminum label on which the name is inscribed. They're very difficult to read.

Salter did the same thing last year, but this year had printed labels on most of the plants.

In many of the gardens it was difficult, if not impossible, to determine what plant was what.
Partly because they were closely packed together and partly due to the placement of the labels.

Two gardens stood head and shoulders above the rest:

Floyd Cove - the named varieties were clearly marked and in rows.

Ladybug (Hansen) - all of the named varieties were in rows, with a printed label at one end. Most of the labels were extremely legible, but the high rust content in his water had rendered the older (years older, that is) labels difficult to read.

It's hard to find a good labeling system that can withstand the merciless Florida sun, but my hat is off to the last two gardens mentioned for dealing with the problem.

Today's (Saturday) purchases:

Boundless Beauty





Forbidden Kiss




Linda Sierra



Orange City



Rowdy Red



Smile Again



Snow Crystal



Spacecoast Brazen Bandit





Vera McFarland Memorial



Violet Vibrations

Great reporting, John! Thank you so much.

James Hall has been wanting me to come to the Mecca with him and his wife for awhile now so he offered to pay my way if I would come this time I'll post photos of what I have when we get back. We are planning to go to Kinnebrew's and Hansen's today

On Friday we went to Salter's but it was cold and windy so not much open to photograph when we were there so no photos. Then we went by Petit 's and the ice cream social later that evening.

On Saturday we went to Trimmer's, Lambertson's, Nicole's, and then Pete Harry's.

I got a seedling from Trimmer and bought one from Nicole.

philljm said:John, I don't know if it is an urban legend, but I remember hearing years ago, that shoes thrown over electric/ phone lines is a sign for those looking to buy/ sell drugs. I don't know if it is true or not, or if as you said, it's just people being stupid.

Someday I will manage to go to Mecca.

Someday.

Until then I will need to live vicariously through those that do go. So keep posting your thoughts and photos please ~Jan

I heard the same thing as Jan. The shoes indicate a drug dealer is in the area. I heard this from 2 teenagers so I believe them. I have seen this in my own neighborhood which isn't too comforting.

Fabulous event!

Neat layout at Nicole's:



I especially liked these young'ns at Petit's

Salter's continued

This was taken inside the greenhouse - where she does her hybridizing. Unlike other gardens, Mrs. Salter allows guests inside. The greenhouses of a couple other gardens were closed off and/or padlocked.

Mrs. Salter uses little plastic clip-on tags not unlike the little plastic thingys you use to seal a loaf of bread, but larger - to tag her crosses. Look closely and you can see them. I noticed that visitors brushing through the potted plants had knocked many of them to the floor, but it doesn't seem to bother her.

Loved Trimmer's too:




And this one at Floyd Cove,
think it is "Feeling Thorny"

tink3472 said:.

On Saturday we went to Trimmer's, Lambertson's, Nicole's, and then Pete Harry's.

.

I'm glad you were able to find Pete Harry's garden. We drove over there last year, but the address wasn't where it was supposed to be and we gave up--we actually drove to the end of his street and back again with no luck. We were going to try again, so that evening, I e-mailed him for better directions, but he never responded. The next day, I tried again, but got no response, and that did it for me.

If a grower posts a contact e-mail addy on his website and doesn't bother to reply to polite inquirys, as far as I'm concerned, he not only doesn't want my business, he won't get it.

more from Salter's Rollingwood Garden

this is a stunning double

And, in the Salter Greenhouse

farawayfarmer said:

I'm glad you were able to find Pete Harry's garden. We drove over there last year, but the address wasn't where it was supposed to be and we gave up--we actually drove to the end of his street and back again with no luck. We were going to try again, so that evening, I e-mailed him for better directions, but he never responded. The next day, I tried again, but got no response, and that did it for me.

If a grower posts a contact e-mail addy on his website and doesn't bother to reply to polite inquirys, as far as I'm concerned, he not only doesn't want my business, he won't get it.

Oh, I'm glad I didn't try to find Pete Harry's then if it is that difficult to locate. All the other locations were new to me, so finding them was enough.

We didn't have any trouble finding Pete's. If anyone was going by the address for Pete on the Mecca website it is his old address, he is no longer in Apopka he's in Tavares

Nicole's daylilies.

Before I post my photos, I need to say something about this garden. Last year's Mecca was not a good experience at Nicole's. The website clearly stated that every visitor would receive a plant, but the young woman at the desk stated that it was one plant per family. To make matters worse, she interpreted 'family' to mean any group of people who walked up to the desk together. People were still grumbling about it at the next gardens. Evidently, Nicole got some feedback about this because things were different this year. No numbered ticket handed out to enforce the plant giveaway, and plastic bags containing a free plant and a catalog were handed to every person who walked up to the desk.

Now on to the pictures:

Bright in the Night



Fighting Fire



Padlocked greenhouse




Like a Dream




Not a daylily, but a strikingly dark blue Agapanthas




Random photos

Nicole daylily garden continued

























Look at the size of those scapes



it's hard to see, but the buds on this plant had peculiar bumps on the tips

farawayfarmer said:Nicole's daylilies.

Before I post my photos, I need to say something about this garden. Last year's Mecca was not a good experience at Nicole's. The website clearly stated that every visitor would receive a plant, but the young woman at the desk stated that it was one plant per family. To make matters worse, she interpreted 'family' to mean any group of people who walked up to the desk together. People were still grumbling about it at the next gardens. Evidently, Nicole got some feedback about this because things were different this year. No numbered ticket handed out to enforce the plant giveaway, and plastic bags containing a free plant and a catalog were handed to every person who walked up to the desk.

When we got there (a group of 5) one of the ladies told us it was one plant per household address.

tink3472 said:

When we got there (a group of 5) one of the ladies told us it was one plant per household address.

Hmm, then they need to reword their Mecca info which states "All visitors will receive a free gift plant
named for this event,"