Sue, I was at the Art & Foliage Festival today in Apopka outside Orlando. Where is Green Thumb? St. Pete?
The Apopka show was very busy but I wouldn't call it congested. Prices at some vendors were very good and I thought high at others. If you shop the nurseries around Orlando you would have known right away which ones were high priced.

I was thinking that I could have had just as much fun driving out to Biosphere Nursery, but then I saw the begonias brought by another vendor! OMG! Colors I had never seen before. Hope you found a treasure or two, either at your festival or at HD.

Kate

Do you think that the city lets the vendors have those spaces for nothing? There is a charge to "rent" those spaces and the bigger the space the more the cost. Green Thumb prices increase larger than any other sale in the Tampa/St. Pete area every year where as some other sales such as USF and UT in March have retained a more stable fee for the vendore. Green Thumb has always been expensive in the first place for the tiny spaces they give the vendor and is strict about enforcing the "Don't go outside of the space you have rented" or they will charge you a double space.
Do you not think that it is a hell of a lot more effort to transport plants from the normal vendors venue of retail sales? Are fuel prices and cost of operating vehicles to move to a sale not incredible compared to the years past, and they weren't cheap in those years.
Do you not think that both the large and smaller growers have time put into both labor (i.e. employees that want to be paid, not a labor of love to work), or have vested time to produce a commercial living product that is not like selling dead TV sets, or jeans which don't require constant care to keep alive and in good condition and even if not sold like the TV or jeans requires this care everyday?
Do you not think that insurance, utilities (including water, electric) & labor cost have gone up in gross gains over the past year?
Do you not think that potting materials (plastic, pesticides, potting mediums) have not increased along with other petroleum based products and transport fees to get these to wholesale trade market?
Do you believe that the state doesn't always want a larger slice of the pie from any business including the grower?
Do you not want to get paid for your time when you work and produce what ever you produce? Time is all one has to sell rather a Burger king worker or a airline pilot, it is time that we sell based on the skill.
While you enjoy the hobby and volunteer your time which is what most of the vendors do it it is not the same, though it is a labor of love. Agriculture rather a farmer or nursery of any type cannot be held to the same minimum wage standard as one gets working at Home Depot or Best Buys. You, as a grower will spend many more hours growing plants then the punk at home depot working 4 PM to 8 PM watering and loading muclh then going home at 8 PM. The grower applies the same amount of time as any small business owner yet his stock often doesn't have a survival rate like the guy selling TV's or jeans. This is called "spoilage", just like if someone at Best Buys drops a TV set and cannot sell it. Spoilage is a loss and is expected from a grower, yet it is a loss. It can be from bugs or disease.
What you descibe you could have applied to CVS or Walgreens verse Wal-mart. The small grower verse the mega generic Home Depot, Lowes, or Wal-Mart who buy in mass and expect the grower to take all "spoilage" back and be bonded thus the grower has to be huge and only offer generic plants grown in huge numbers for the most part.

Post like yours are not all that good, though you like the nice plants what you really are saying is you are cheap and don't want to support the small grower. Thats okay but why brag about it and have no understanding for things you don't consider the little guy has to go through who doesn't have a billion dollars to spend such as the big box stores??
Thats okay too as the small growers fall like all small business to the big box's your choice will be further narrowed, don't expect Lowes to carry those pretty Hibiscus you liked, and if they do you better get there the day they arrive because they will be in the TLC in a few days, or dead.
Expect more growers that sell to the box stores continue to be imported.
Did you not know that many nurseries have moved to out of USA shores?
Buy one of those huge barrel cactus from time to time Home Depot sells at very low prices for such a slow and space taking plant it doesn't come from a desert USA cactus grower but rather from some central American or Island grower outside of the USA, even if imported by the cactus coral wholesaler which is a genric succulent grower (broker) in the USA.

Thank you for allowing me to vent, but don't complain that every thing comes from China when you don't support USA business. That does include the nursery business not just fruits and vegatables!!!

Mike
ST. Petersburg

Wow, Mike. Don't you think that's a bit harsh?

What SueGrew was saying was that she thought the prices were a bit ridiculous FOR HER.

She had nice comments about the festival...that the same vendors were returning, that there was a big crowd, that there were some lovely hibiscus available, that it was a lovely day/weather was good, that it was nice to see how many other people were interested in stopping by to see the festival. She even bothered to take her precious time to post about the event so us other GW'ers would know to look for it.

And then you go off ranting like a maniac and spoiling it for everyone. Nice job, Mike, pat yourself on the back. You win the big ass award for this week.

My husband and I went on Sat morning. We know from past years that you have to get there early. We were there by 8:15am. We left about 10am and it was just starting to get crowded.

I love this plant sale. It's the only one that has no fee for parking or for admission. Yes, the plants are a little higher than the box stores, but for all the reasons that Mike mentioned and I would rather pay a few bucks more from a little guy and know I'm getting a plant that he grew. That said, I didn't think the prices went up at all from last year. I was surprised by that. Most of the big 3 gal. plants were between $10 - 20 as usual.

My other favorite thing is the free butterfly plant giveaway. The line is usually a mile long by 9am, so we skipped it this year, but when we were going by after 9, they still had plants left, so we each got a very nice lantana. They also had trees for $3.

There is such a nice selection of plants and the nicest garden accents, too. It's all shady and they have food, stuff for the kids and the cleanest restrooms! I skip U of Tampa and USF and wait for this one every year. BTW, I don't know about the cost of a spot at the Green Thumb Festival, but it said on the Greenfest at U of T website that a vendor space is $125 and then they have the nerve to charge $3 admission!

All in all it was a nice morning of plant shopping and then we hit the Wagon Wheel flea market for more bargains!

Julie

I have to write and apologise if my post was taken in the wrong context.
I have been a loyal supporter of The Green Thumb Festival for many years and have always chosen to patronize local businesses rather than the big box stores. If you have ever read some of my posts I've mentioned numerous times how grateful I am that Jene's Tropicals is a few mere blocks from my home. Not only do I grow my own plants and vegetables but I trade with neighbors and usually insist on a cash trade if I feel that is what they'd prefer. I'm also a regular at Saturday Morning Market downtown and always leave with my home-sewn bags full of produce that is locally grown.
Again, I'm sorry if you found my post offensive. I'm a decent person as others will tell you. I hope you realize that all of us here are kind people and that we support our fellow gardeners in everyway possible.
Sue.

Sue,
I think you are very gracious. You are not the one who needs to apologize.
Jeannie

Sue, I agree with Jeannie; no reason for you to apologize at all.

I know what you mean about the crowd. When we were leaving, my husband said to look where they had people parking now, and it was all the way down at the end of the park! I was glad we got there around 8am, which is something we found out the first year we went there. We left the house early because we weren't sure where it was and got to the sale before 9am and found that the vendors were already selling and a lot of people were leaving already!!! So last year and this year, we got there by 8am, this way we could park right up by the entrance. I have a bad back and this made it easier for me. But if you don't know that, then the people coming at 9 have already missed out on some of the rarer plants, which isn't really right.

Hey, I shop at the big box stores too! Who can pass up an $.88 plant with this economy? But I know the plants at these sales are always higher than the stores, so I expect to pay more and that's ok, too.

Since you're in Pinellas, have you gone to Country Club Nursery in Largo? I've had luck with their plants and they were at the Green Thumb. I also like the plant stand at the Oldsmar Flea Market. Are there any other nurseries you would recommend?

BTW, that hibiscus guy is usually at USF and you can find them on the internet. I bought one of those tropical hibiscus' once and I killed it, but it was beautiful for a while!lol

Julie

Thanks guys for calming my nerves. I had no intention to portray the festival as being negative in any way. I enjoy attending every year and plan on being there bright and early next year. My son and I spent about 2 hours there Saturday and enjoyed chatting with the vendors, asking questions and learning so much more than we had when we first arrived. Very informative gardeners that were proud to display and sell their "art" that they had put so much of their effort into.
Thanks for letting me know Julie, that the hibiscus guy is over at USF. I will check that out. Do you have an email or website by chance? I have not been to the Country Club Nursery in Largo but I appreciate now knowing of it.
On a final note as we all are well aware-this is a very tough time economically. Scary actually. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I try and buy locally and American made products to support our economy. I visited my local HD only because I needed a weed whacker line refill and some Miracle-Gro soil. I did purchase a flat of marigolds that were identified as coming from Palmetto, FL.
Happy gardening,
Sue.

Sue, Have you checked out the new nursery on 49th st. s.? Around 11th ave? I think it's called Banyan Tree? Very nice.
Brenda
P.S. I did the festival on Sunday,only came away with one plant but enjoyed it as always.

Thanks for reminding me about that place Brenda. Isn't it just across the street from that parking lot where all the school buses are parked? And just down the street from Save On Seafood?(I LOVE their shrimp! Every single one that I've bought there are the firmest and most delicious. Only place that comes close are the shrimp in the Keys)
Sue.

Yes, it's very close in that area, Sue. Very nice. Mid Peninsula is good too! For seafood that is. Also in that area.
Brenda