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Florida Gardening

Green Thumb Festival

13 years ago

Pinellas county residents, don't forget the Green Thumb Festival is this weekend. I was just drooling over the vendor list. Get there very very early to avoid the heat and heavy crowds.

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Comments (19)

julieyankfan
13 years ago
I am so bummed out that I can't make it. This is the only plant sale I go to because it's in the shade, free to get in, you get a free plant and the vendors are great!
To make up for it, I went to Dollins garden center in St. Pete. and bought a ton of plants. Really good plants and helpful people.
Have fun.
Julie
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
25th Anniversary this year - & there will be some surprise goodies handed out to attendees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Thumb Festival
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I got there yesterday at 8:20am and had to park in the 4th line of cars!!! I usually get there at that time and I'm in the first row. It was really crowded. I was looking for a nice plant to put in the bed on the side of my house facing the street (I'm on the corner lot) to replace an Indian rubber vine. I got a 3 gal hibiscus for $5! It is beautiful. Not a fancy tropical or a double, but the color was just breathtaking. I got it at Esperanza's Garden Center booth. Seemed like a family run business and she gave me a card. They are at 6001 Haines Rd in St. Pete. They had beautiful plants and the prices were so low, but I really can't go digging any more holes in the yard. I have enough to take care of now. I got my free plant(lantana). Only got one this year because my DH was home sick. Did get one little plant from Colorfield Farms (they have great stuff) but I have no idea what it is!lol It's an oak or maple flowering plant with pink & yellow flowers. Also came in red & yellow. I love the Green Thumb Festival. They are so well organized. I wish they would change one thing...keep the dogs out. It's so crowded and everyone's pulling a wagon, some people trying to get by in scooters and then you have two or three people with dogs getting all tangled up. All in all, it's one of the best sales you can go to. Julie
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Green Thumb Festival this weekend!
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Hahahaha. Sorry, just now catching up on threads from the weekend. I did stop by Saturday morning, just after 9am. I visited a few of the vendors I know (one of them asked my why I didn't bring 'em McDonalds for breakfast) and checked out most of the offerings. I also visited the indoors plant/display competition and noticed back outside that just about everyone walking around seemed to have Purple Majesty Millet. There was definitely a nice selection, but I only picked up a coleus I didn't have from the Boy Scouts tent. One of the vendors was selling a curious Colocasia (I think they had it labelled as Watersports, or something), and I did see few other interesting flowering plants and the like, but ultimately I went home (nearly) empty-handed. Funny thing, shortly before I got home, I stopped at the nearby Ace Hardware store, just to browse their garden center. While there, I ran into a woman who was going to be doing a demonstration on mixed plantings on Sunday. I probably should have waited till Sunday to go. I'd have loved to meet some of you folks, but I'm also a bit of a misanthrope, so I get a little annoyed when I'm stuck standing in the middle of a tidal wave of (non) passers-by. lol Kind of glad I held off on purchasing anything else. I've got so much work to do in this yard, I'm slightly relieved not to have another X amount of plants wilting for attention!
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Green Thumb Festival
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Comments (20)
Hi All, I am more of a "lurker" here but really wanted to comment about the Green Thumb Festival this past week end. I am a vendor (not plants) and travel all over the state to a lot of the plant sales for my business. Out of all of them, I have to say Green Thumb is in my top three picks for shows, if not usually my number one show for the season. I strongly disagree with the statement that most of the plant material there was "common" and could be easlier purchased for less money at the big box stores. Yes, there was, and always will be, let's call it general/generic plants, at the show. A huge part of the customer base calls for that. I was only able to socialize and walk around Sunday morning, and have to say that even then, there was a ton of dif plants that you would be hard pressed to find outside a very good nursery, if even then. What about the Japanese hollyhocks in dif colors?, All the dif irises, the Grand Duke Jasmine I purchased (and he sold out both Saturday and Sunday with that plant), the 30 plus varieties of mint at the herb booth, the dif. gingers everywhere, do any of you have a dancing lady ginger? I couldn't find mine at HD or Lowes.And what about the white desert roses? These are just a small example of what's at Green Thumb. you can find small starts for a buck to a palm for $700. Plants,are not cheap for these vendors. If they are not either starting them at their nursery(think containers, soil, starters, water, etc...) or tracking down and purchasing a special find for a show, it's gotten much more expensive. Plus the cost of setting up a booth, traveling to you the consumer, staying over night if you don't live there, the list goes on. Yup, it's crowded, and it takes a lot of patience to get through the crowd and search out what you really, really, want. But it's a nice day out, you get to see so much, talk to some experts in their field, and for the most part have a nice day outside, searching out that special plant. And as for big huge bargins Sunday afternoon. This show is notorious for people asking for that. Maybe some plant vendors can do that, if it's the end of the season, they have no more shows, etc...BUT, I must add that for the majority, me included, I really strive to give my customer a fair price right up front.A lot of times that discount is already there, or as low as it can go for that vendor's bottom line. Most of us doing these shows are never going to be wealthy with money, it's not going to happen. But we are very wealthy with other friends/vendors at shows, beautiful plants and garden related objects to see and talk about. Thanks for letting me "vent".
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mocropot
13 years ago
Do you thin Sunday is as good as Saturday? Have you attended on Sunday? I can not make on Saturday, but Sunday will be good for me.
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amberroses
Original Author
13 years ago
Yes, Sunday was as good as Saturday but get there early in the day.
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therealdeal
13 years ago
Excited. My favorite one.
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
Late Sunday is good for bargains - many vendors do not want to lug stuff back w/ them, so they'll cut prices. OTOH, some things will be sold out by then....
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amberroses
Original Author
13 years ago
I had a fun time at Green Thumb today. I got my free plant and picked up a rose and a little cocoa plant. I may go back tomorrow.
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Irma_StPete
13 years ago
Today in west St. Pete. Bump!
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mrs_tlc
13 years ago
Wow, I would have driven North for that one had I seen it sooner! I'll have to watch for it next year :)
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tinael01
13 years ago
Yay! Thanks for the tip Carol! I got an apple tree (for Nick) and plum tree - nice sized - $35 for both and Nick got a by-one-get-one free cactus. Though he might have wished he hadn't as one of them pricked him a lot on the way home. LOL! He's so spoiled! 'Cause I love him to pieces.
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c9pilot
13 years ago
Got there right about nine this morning. No problem parking in the lot in the second row.
Found myself three bamboos: Black Timor, Ying Yang, Teddy Bear (lots more bamboo vendors this year, trend?)
Red Lady Papaya from a very grouchy tropical fruit vendor who told me kiwis won't set fruit here in FL....need to check on that. Almost didn't buy from him because of his attitude, but it was such a pretty little tree I couldn't help myself.
10 beach sunflowers from Twigs n Leaves ...found out they moved to Central which is why they've been closed the last dozen times I drove by the MLK location.
Rooster Spur pepper from the peeper plant dude.
Ice Cream Banana from Mitches, and a gorgeous ornamental banana that I can't remember the name of...but it's from Africa and gets really big around and tall...will need to look that one up.
Ginger roots and a lobster claw heliconia.

What I didn't find was bougainvillea. I only found one place that had them, and they werre fancy bigger expensive ones in topiary and such. Bummer.

Had fun though!
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tinael01
13 years ago
I saw those banana's and almost bought one too. So close. But I just planted the ones I got at Silvia's and then I bought a Jamaican Red and a Raja Poori just recently too - but I sure was tempted.
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
Twigs & Leaves was the 1 vendor I missed seeing, dang it!
Got some spreading natal plum plants & white lantana @ the Seminole PTEC, tho - 4$ ea in 1 gal. pots. They always have terrific deals & I try to buy from them every year.

We were so busy this year, I had very little time to stroll around & shop (I run the children's crafts activities). On the bright side, I really have little room for more new stuff anyway = J

1 consolation is that I can find out about & visit nurseries/garden centers in the area that I may not have known about otherwise.
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saldut
13 years ago
We went Sat. and got 2 Honeysuckle a yellow and a red and white, also 10 little succulents from the Succulent guy at $2. each, can't beat that ! also a Heliotrope, couldn't resist that gorgeous fragrance, I tried that plant once before and it just died on me, there must be some 'trick' to growing it ?? hints?? Looked at the Orchid folks but they seem to be much higher this year, didn't see any great bargains there.... great time and wonderful crowd, glad I went ( my son took me and pushed my cart) how lucky can you get ! sally
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tinael01
13 years ago
Yeah - your son is a gem, Sally! BTW - the Jatropha you gave me is nicknamed the bellyache bush! I thought that was funny.
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SaintPFLA
13 years ago
I was too busy this year and missed it. Glad you guys had a good time though and some nice weather too! :)
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mocropot
13 years ago
I got there on Sunday, Thank you Amberroses for your advice. Prices are a little bit higher then last year. I got just a few plants including bright pink double flower and fragrant oleander. The fragrance is really nice. Bright orange angel wings begonia. I have several, but the orange one is a real beauty. I really enjoyed just looking @ those beautiful plants

Helen
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julieyankfan
13 years ago
What was this year's free plant?
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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
I think it was a lantana...?
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