John, I was referring to EMcC in RALEIGH...do you seriously think he would come to SANFORD? He's not super hot right now, but he's not in the Tiny Tim category either. "I'll Be" there to see him with bells on.

I hope to see you at the NC Fair, or at least your gardens...exciting to know a Raleigh plant celebrity. Oh, yes, you ARE!! Don't be modest!

peace, claire in the rust belt of the Carolinas

The Dorton Arena is kinda cheezy for a concert (the big Pringle's potato chip shaped building on the fairgrounds where the concerts are held) but at night with all the lights from the midway and the farris wheel just outside the multicolored windows it can be a sight if you sit across the arena from the stage.

My first month here was Oct 2000 and I'll never forget getting in to see Asleep at the Wheel for free (some of the concerts were free, not sure about now). Nothing like listening to a Texas swing band singing "Roly Poly" with all that sparkle going on behind them. (come to think of it there were a few sequins on stage also).

My latest music fetish is latin music while I desperately try to learn real spanish. The Dorton Arena is the local spot for latin music acts during the summer. So throughout the summer while I was working on the display gardens I got to listen to bands warm up in the evenings after work. The all time best was Carlos Vives of Columbia - that boy can ROCK!!!

The only time I've been in Dorton Arena was last year at this time for a John Edwards rally. Jon Bonjovi was there and sang just a bit. I like venues like Cat's Cradle where it's quite intimate. I used to really love the old Ritz Theatre (bands like the Black Crowes, Ben Folds and Live were there), now renamed Disco Rodeo where I think they have quite a few Latino acts.

John, my son went to Argentina in the spring to brush up his Spanish. He was mugged at gunpoint, bitten by dogs and sick with the flu for over a month, so I like your strategy a little better.

Thanks...Claire and John for the Fair info. Looking forward to it!!.........Dianne

You will both take pictures, won't you? I'm rooting for you both, so don't forget the little people back here at the forum. In honor of this momentous event, I'll play the Gipsy Kings all week long!

Go John, Tammy and Claire!

I can't wait to see those bottle trees that John and Tammy & husband have designed. Every since the movie "Ray" I've fallen in love with their charm.

ok, i'll admit it ... have been here 10 yrs and have yet to go to the state fair. mostly, it's the traffic stories that have kept me away. but, Tjohn's "day after" suggestion is intriguing :)
marsha

And I'll play the Mambo Kings! John, Tammy and Claire, I hope to see you there ;^) Cory

I wear the Gypsy Kings out when I do the cross country drive back to Oklahoma each year - well, that and books on tape. I swear its the only time I get to "read".

Does anyone know the when the cut flower / foliage exhibit closes at night?

Tomorrow!!!!!!!! Good luck, Tammie, John, and Claire! I'm dragging DH first weekend just to see it all fresh.

Even though there are posted times for the buildings I believe it sometimes changes depending on the volunteers available to work. Last year the flower show area including the buildings closed at 9:30pm. In years past things were sometimes left open past that. This year I've heard folks say it will close at 9pm but I think they were just joking. The premium book does not include anything about when the Flower Show is open to the public.

There are three cut flower shows. One is being judged right now - so that there will be ribbons on winners for the first weekend of the fair (some livestock and most of the food is judged today also). The second Flower show will be judged Monday (17th) afternoon so the building will be closed to the public. That show will be available for viewing from Tuesday til the Third Flower Show which gets judged on Thursday (20th) afternoon and open for viewing the final weekend of the fair. The flowers look their best really only the day after the judging (unless you're cut from my garden, then you look wonderful up until the point where I am walking into the building to enter it. Then a petal will kink or a leaf will fall off...). I will be entering cut flowers and foliage in all three shows (I believe Tamelask is also).

I'll try to post photos tomorrow when I run by to check on my entries.

John, I'll be looking for your flowers and Tammy's on Sunday. That is a wonderful idea to stagger the flower judging. By the time I saw the Lee County entrants, they were far from fresh and were also way too far away for public viewing. Your neck would have to be a periscope that turned corners to see them (dear Lee County! jeeesh!)

I'll be at the Peace Booth from 5 to 7 on Sunday...come by and see me, y'all, if anyone happens to be at the fair at that time. Sign the petitions and do some coloring and get a sticker if you are young or young at heart!

peace, claire in sanford

For all that are interested - The "Fruitery" garden that Tammy and I did won first in its theme ($750). The "Explorers" garden that I did alone won first in its theme ($700). The double Impatiens that I entered won third place ($2), Coleus won first ($5), and maybe my rosemary won third ($2) but I have go back and double check the names. In the potted plants my african violet won second place ($8), my aloe won second ($8). My dahlias didn't win anything (I was robbed man!) neither did my hosta leaves nor the Salvia that I got from Brenda at the spring swap. A fun day at the fair. I took pix but my camera started to freak out so it may take me while to download them and get them available.

Congratulations, Tammie and John!!!!

But Furman didn't win ? - you WERE robbed.

That's wonderful, you two, J & T...BIG Benjamins too! I bet it's out to dinner tonight to celebrate!

I can't wait to see those gardens, especially in this beautiful weather we have coming up for the weekend!

Do you provide all the plants for these theme gardens? How does that work?

claire in sanford

John and Tammie, You did an awesome job. Just returned home from the fair and the two plots were unbelievable. You need to make an effort to get there and see what these two have created!!! Each one is very unique. Great job, Janet

WOW - Congratulations John and Tammie - that is exciting. We will be there on Wednesday I think - at least that is the plans now - I hate the traffic but love the atmosphere and the garden exhibits

congratulations, john & tammy!
looking forward to pics!

marsha

We were there yesterday and these gardens are awesome! Great work, John & Tammy! Both very unique with an interesting and very healthy mix of plants. We could hardly get to John's Explorers garden for all the people standing admiring it. My first time at the fair on the first day--it was a great day! Everything fresh and the weather was perfect.

Congratulations! I can't wait to see the gardens -

Leslie

Greetings all! I worked the Flower show last night( Friday-10/14/05) . We closed the gate as the fireworks were being displayed which is 10PM.---Even though I have worked the Fair in other areas, this is my first time volunteering with the club, Gardeners of Wake County. Such a wonderful club!-- I'll be working again tomorrow ( Sunday 10/16/05) from 12 to 3:30PM and again next friday night and Next Sunday PM.-- Come by and say Hello! I'm the lady sporting a leg brace. I love plants so much. that I broadside a pinetree after jumping a tree trunk. Dam that ice... LOL!

thanks, everyone for the kind words! it was so much fun. i feel honored to have worked with our celebrity, john! :)

mrs gardener- you aren't irene, are you? i talked to her while she was working in there a long time last night. i'll seek you out next sun eve, since we're headed out then. and if you aren't irene, what do we look for on the tag?
claire, what about you? and where is your booth located? wish i'd seen this thread before we went & we'd have looked for you. as you can imagine, i've been a bit busy to be reading on the web.

as well as the garden i worked on with john, i entered a bunch of cut flowers, 2 plants, and 2 mini arrangements. what really surprised me was that i won for one of the tiny arrangements(15), and i won a petite award, which is worth 25, and there's only 2 given out covering all of 8 classes(for each show). i thought my other arrangement- a little funky bird made with my parrot's feathers, was stronger, but it didn't even place. go figure. i didn't get any for any of my cut stuff- this yr was rough on things- but will try a few again. i was really kinda mad i didn't place for my one plant, since it was the only entry in that class and looked nice- i really think it was overlooked, and will talk to someone about it. the other plant i entered was really in the wrong class and not up to snuff anyhow.

anyone who's local ought to get involved! it's a huge amount of fun for a little work, and i can attest the thrill of seeing that ribbon is just awesome! if you do a plot you get free tix for entry & great parking- the best perk as far as i'm concerned. most of the people who do plots are really nice(with a few exceptions), so it's been great fun expanding my network of friends. i will be ever grateful to john for agreeing to do a garden with me this yr- essentially mentoring me into the process. and what a mentor! kudos on his garden!! it's awesome. a note though- it does sound like lots of money- but you have to remember, it's taxed(unless you place 3rd), you spend a heckuva lot of time doing it, and you spend $ on plants, pots & props. so if you watch, you can make money, but you do it more for the fun than anything.

i shot pix before the shows began and will try and post them sometime today so that those of you who can't get there can see. john said he's going to try to shoot an overview tomorow so you get a feel for the whole area.

someone mentioned coming the day after to see stuff- just be aware that's our tear down day so unless you get there right at 10 when they let us in, you'll see more destruction than anything. weekdays really aren't bad for crowds unless, it's winndixie day(thurs this yr). parking is free at the stadium down the way, and yeah, it's a walk, but good excercise. getting out isn't too bad unless you leave right after the fireworks when everyone else is. come in from the west side of town and the traffic isn't bad. that means looping around the beltline to 40 if need be. stay away from the midway and the crowds aren't terrible. some not so crowded gems to see are the art show in the kerr scott building, the pottery exhibit behind the dorton arena, the animals(of course), the heritage village(beside our plot) and the round village of yesteryear building, just up the hill. saturdays seem to be the busiest day, and sundays if the weather's pretty. if you don't like fair food, there's a line of church vendors up sorta close to the dorton arena that have home cooking. (i'm strange and don't like the normal fair fare). except the roasted corn-mmmm. well, and funnel cakes. to save $ we always used to pack pb&j sandwiches, eat lunch at the picnic tables in the garden area, and then eat dinner at the church booths. if you go to the garden show, be sure to walk around the top of the hill and look at the wonderful job they've done in landscaping the gardens. it's a quiet, restful area and is really gorgeous. ok, enough of tammy's travel tips for the fair! just go & enjoy!! tammy

Went, saw, gawked, loved both the plots - as did the rest of the crowd jostling in to see. "What's that huge thorny plant?" "What IS that vine?" "What an incredible bottle tree!" Great work you two!

How the patio or display gardens work = and this is just from folk knowledge, somewhere there are rules and other such things actually written down but nobody seems to follow them anyway: during the fair there is a sign up sheet inside the flower building. Sometime in the spring they will send you a packet in the mail talking about the garden themes. You resond if you are interested in working a garden for the following fair. You choose your top three themes and your top two spaces for each theme. The Garden Club decides who gets which theme in which space. You have from May til Oct to plant & decorate your garden. Most of the gardeners bring the bulk of their plants out within a month of the fair. I on the otherhand like to start a lot of my plants from seed or cuttings from my garden, so I start way early (in fact I've already started plants for next years fair and I have no idea what the themes will be!). Because of this my gardens tend to look grown in and lush compared to the others. There is a draw back though - my gardens also suffer more diseases and many of my plants are trying to shut down for winter by this time of year. So while the other gardeners are struggling to make their plots look fuller I am struggling to keep my plants upright and disease free. Many gardeners just borrow plants from local garden centers for the display and then either sell them after the fair or return them. Some of the gardeners are employees from local nurseries so they don't actually own the plants they use and some of the plots are done by garden clubs or church groups which spend a ton of money on their design. There aren't enough backyard basic gardeners willing to commit to the fair to have equality of effort. They have some harsh rules about people claiming interest but then not putting out the effort and they have taken plots away from people not doing a good enough job. It is a flower show sponsored by one of the largest gardening clubs in the area so they want it to look just so.

I am fortunate to work 4 minutes from the fairgrounds with a casual job that doesn't include a window so I enjoy going to the fairgrounds to pull weeds or water plants on my lunch hour every day.

I love the fair and tirelessly promote the flower show to anyone that will listen - it could use some new blood.

The cut flowers and foliage part is low cash return but one of the most thrilling things to take part in - it is very adicting. I get more excited about a blue ribbon win inside the building than I do with the display gardens.

Congrats, John!

I've been on the fence about heading yond to Raleigh from Alamance Co, for the State Fair...(it's the night drive back that makes my bones achy ), but, now, I am invigorated in a desire to see your plantings. Will try to make it this week. And see if my older self can still stand a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl...

Phylla, just don't eat any hot dogs and deep fried candy bars before embarking for a "tilt" and a "whirl."

Great Job!

John, Tammy, and Tammy's Hubbie!!
Your gardens were very impressive.

John and Tammy and DH, The Bottle tree was a true work of art. The bottles alone were labor intensive. The garden was beautiful and very healthy. It is obvious how much time, thought and labor went into your plot. Great Job! Congrats on the Blue Ribbon!

John, Your Hoola Hoop garden was so lush! When did you plant that vine? It was huge. When I was standing in front of your garden to get a peek through the hoops....an elderly couple in front of me were discussing your garden. He said, "I would love to be sitting in that chair....look how serene and peaceful it is.....I wander what this persons real garden is like?"
You certainly have "vision" to create such a plot! Congrats on the Blue Ribbon!

The NC State Fair is a must see!!! If it's possible try to take the bus.....it is an easy in and out!.......Dianne

John, the newspaper had a story about getting to the State Fair from Charlotte, and suggested taking the train to Raleigh. How far is the train station from the fair grounds? Nancy

MMMmmm, thanks, puppy, for the warning...
It's the funnel cakes I worry about; Have no control over that. Powdered sugar--Tilty Whirl-Powdered sugar---Tillty Whirl...

S'pose it evens out, ultimately.

Nancy - the train tracks run along Hillsborough Street (southside). The fairgrounds are along the northside. They usually set up a large tent as a temporary train station just for the fair at the intersection of Hillsborough and Blue Ridge Rd. Its an easy walk across the intersection and through the parking lot to the fair. It is a huge intersection but there are policemen there to stop traffic for the pedestrians. From that entrance the Flower and Garden Show is a good 15 minute hike - all the way to the back of the fairgrounds.

The vine is a Brazilian Morning Glory that grows to 70+ feet a season. It is hardy to zone 8. It is used in sweet potato research. I bought my seeds from J.L.Hudson (the Seedman) over 12 years ago. It didn't grow that well in Oklahoma. I found some left over seed in an old envelope and decided to try them. I planted them on July 15th. In ten days they had reached the roof line of the walkway. I find it way too aggressive for home use and will not be giving it away or selling it after the fair. It could easily become the next kudzu.

OMG, John and Tammy, all hail to the King and Queen of Garden Design!! I was dumbstruck by the beauty of Tutti Frutti! The bottle tree should make its next stop in the Museum of American Folk Art! The use of subtle color in that garden is amazing. John, your maps were the best of any there, positively easy to follow.

The "It's a Jungle in Here" is so much fun, so innovative. (J, you should lurk around and listen to the comments people make and how inspired they are) The seed pods on those MG's look like pipes. I'm sorry that I was too tired after the concert to go back and see the flowers in bloom. What were those blue flowers in the back right corner...dianella? And the red yucca. Very pretty.

Y'all should work for a bigtime gardening mag. None of them big shots gotta nuttin'on you two.

Pup - that was just plain ol' Torenia or Wishbone Flower. One of the new color versions but it looked paler in my yard this summer. Once it got in the shade of those elephant ears it took on a rich purply blue tone.

Tammy's husband Pete welded the bottle tree and Tammy decorated the bottles and the bowling ball towards the back.

Tammy did the bulk of the sign work for Tutti including the map and I did Jungle.

I was out there today watering the kids and got to listen to plenty of comments - kinda scary the way everyone wants those morning glories when I think they could seriously become the next kudzu of the south. I got to teach a whole group of visitors to the fine art of "Lulo" harvesting from the Bed o' Nails plant over in our Tutti Frutti garden. Couldn't get anyone to taste it though. Also gave step by step instructions on pineapple culture (there's a pineapple in fruit behind the plot sign). Of course my horrible Spanish came into play when some hispanics overheard me pronounce 'Naranjilla' (the other name for Lulo) correctly with a latin accent - which caused them to assume I spoke Spanish so they rattled off a whole list of questions to which I sputtered and gasp'd.

Hey John, what do you mean by Lulo. We have a bed o'nails at work with round orange seed balls. Is there something edible on that plant? Adele

Don't try to fool me, J., it's not the elephant ears, you have some kind of pixie dust you sprinkle on "plain ol torenia" and other things to make them change color, sparkle and look magical.

That'll teach you to give a Spanish word the 'ol tongue roll...my son is the same way...he speaks some but is so fearful of the speed.

Wow, Tammy, your artwork is so gorgeous. I haven't seen anything as stunning as the bottle tree and accessories for a long while. I loved little twig bench and how everything was tableau-ed on it too.

It's great that the weather is so fine, so that people will get a chance to admire both gardens and the total horticultural experience at the fair. I was blown away.

claire in sanford

I believe there was even a picture of John's hoop and morning glory in yesterday's Raleigh paper--right, John? There was an article about an 86 year old gentleman enjoying his 18th year of competitive gardening at the N.C. State Fair. The picture showed him & his daughter looking through the hoop.

I'd like to add my congratulations to Tammy and John! We went on Sunday and your plots were definitely the clear winners. Most all the oohs and aahs I heard were in front of those two plots. Those bottles are beautiful Tammy! Sara wanted to snag a fruit off the bed of nails plant, but I wouldn't let her.
Dana

My friend bought a little bed of nails last spring at BB. It bloomed and made those hairy balls this fall. (remember Alec Baldwin's spot on SNL's Delicious Dish?) BB told us that their big demo BofN shredded itself in a hurricane. "Nails" are on both top and bottom leaf surfaces.

Never thought this plant could look so pretty in a garden, T & J...it sure added interest and color.

I had to rush through the garden exhibits because the rest of my family was ready to go, but I saw both of yours and they were great! Good work guys! -Ais.

wow! thanks for all the compliments!

john should take most of the credit for the gardening. he started and worked on it much before me. i certainly pitched in later, but he did all the upfront work. credit him with the vision to use the lulo & cactus plants. he had a gorgeous bed of watermelons in the middle, but it crapped out on us in september. that's what inspired the melon ball.

the bottles really weren't that bad. i painted the red ones with special stained glass spray paint from michael's(they were clear), and the purple ones were the red paint overlaying the blue(reisling)bottles. the decorations are all based on a real fruit tree- in fact the name is written on each bottle. i sketched what i wanted in whatever color the bottle was w/a sharpie(did that make sense?), then glued the marbles on w/silicon II clear, then painted the lines & such with fabric paint(well, squeezed is more accurate). it's forgiving- if you screw up, it can be wiped off if wet, peeled off if dry, and i waterproof when dry. i wrote the names on with metallic sharpies. on the darker bottles it really helps to color the backside of the marbles with silver sharpie before glueing so the stand away from the bottle. obviously it's all done in steps, waiting for things to dry. the 4 hummingbird feeders along the wall john made in much the same style.

the balls were stryrofoam, glass light cover, and the big one a burgundy bowling ball. instructs are on the garden junk forum, but in a nutshell you use the silcon II glue & go for it! can only do about 1/4 at once or they slide off. i 'grouted' the 2 smaller foam balls with fabric paint b/c the glue doesn't stick that well to foam. the 2 purple pots towards the corner were also painted- in john's style- hot glue first, then overpaint. it was fun.

pete had fun doing the tree. we went back & forth on the design and compromised with that one. someone's already buying it, though he's promised me another one. he wants to do a little bonsai one, too.

the bench is ours- i got it up at a nursery on 401, about 1/2 way to louisburgh. they carry those, made by a mountain man. very pretty, but highly uncomfortable. some of you may recognise it from the time a bunch of folks stopped after the swap. we all stood around & gabbed right next to it.

so, now that you know all my secrets- go and be fruitful! sorry, couldn't resist! seriously, it was all a lot of fun- try one. you don't need a metal tree to have a bottle tree. i've seen gorgeous ones done with a bunch od different materials. just use your imaginations! garden junk forum is invaluable for ideas. and thanks again for all the compliments! t

oh, and i will get those pix posted. i wish it wasn't such a pain. maybe later today. off to see how i did in yesterday's show....

Bed Of Nails also known as Solanum quitoense is a relative of eggplant native to the mountains of South America. The story I heard is that the original plant in the wild did not have "nails" or spines at all. Through cultivation some forms developed the nasty spines. Throughout the regions where they are grown in S.A. there are many varieties, some with smaller leaves, some with spines only on one side, some with tons of spines. Most countries grow them for their fruit which is called by many names, two of the most popular are Naranjilla (little orange in Spanish) or Lulo in Columbia. The one growing in the plot is from "that place in Sanford", because of the high heat and dry this summer the fruit on it have little flavor. In cooler times the fruit tastes like a kiwi and is a popular flavoring in drinks down south.

Thanks to both T & J for the very generous and interesting information!

When the garden tasks quiet down in wintertime, it might be fun to try to be artistic/crafty with a bottle project.

You are right puppyscruff!
Through the winter, would be a good time to create our own art work. The Bottle tree that Tammy and her husband made was quite a show!! Very Inspirational!! Hours of work...I am sure! I have made "sacrete-cement" discs (from flexible plant saucers) with marbles and sea shells.....but my mind is going off to new projects! I call it my "Yard Garbage"...........and it must be unique!...At the fair I also saw a large ball with chips of glass grouted to it and made into a water feature...that was a good idea too.
Thanks for new ideas Tammy.... and Puppyscruff! for making me think how to best use this in my own landscape!........Dianne

We are hoping to get over to the fair this Friday and see the exhibits! We wanted to go this weekend but we weren't able to get over there.

ok, first pix of john's gardens:

as you walk up to the garden, the wall o' vines brazilian morning glory. 72' per season. not perennial- thank heavens.
{{gwi:588934}}

looking through the smaller hole, midback
{{gwi:588936}}

larger hole, looking to the left. notice tree fern in corner, cool desert type stuff in center
{{gwi:588938}}

larger hole, looking to the right, loverly EE's
{{gwi:588940}}

and here's the pix of the 'fruitery' plot john and i did together(with crucial addition from hubby).

overview of the garden.
{{gwi:588942}}

looking left towards hokey pokey plant{{gwi:588944}}

looking right toward prickly pears & pineapple{{gwi:588946}}

closeup of the bottle tree
{{gwi:588947}}

sorry these took me so long to post. i'm off to get stuff ready for flower show # 3. did pretty good in #2- for cut flowers i had 1 1st and an extra merit award, 3 2nds, 2 3rds and a third for an arrangement. all told, worth $50. yippee! t

Thanks for the pics Tammy! I love that bottle tree- I've never seen one structured that way. And John's "kudzu" plot is very lush. Great job! Wish I could go to see it in person.

Shari

I second..... After seeing the pictures....."All hail to the King and Queen of gardening design". And what about that pixie dust?...Is that for sale??
Seriously...The effort that you both "put out" on these gardens is remarkable....GOOD JOB!!!....Dianne

Congratulations John and Tammy. I visited the fair today and saw your lovely garden exhibits. They are so beautiful and so well thought out. It was such fun to see them. Kudos to you both!

Pam (a mostly reader, sometimes poster)

Didn't get to the fair this year but I so appreciate you all posting the pictures for me, I mean, ummm, us. Wonderful exhibits - I am SO impressed! Very inviting - like I could see myself sitting in the chair taking it all in, albeit slowly, and hula hooping around the bottle tree. What fun! Thanks for making me smile. I also love the spilling over plants along the walkway.

nancy the nancedar