Today was a mad-house! I made my way to Walter Fuller Park for the St. Petersburg Green Thumb Festival. The line for parking on the park grounds was horrendous! I arrived at the location at 8:45am, and waited in line for the cars to enter the parking area for more than 35 minutes, moving up one car at a time. When I finally got in, it was just a short walk to the event, which is nice - sure beats Winter Pride!
I was looking for friends among the crowds of people there. I had my site plan for the vendors, and knew where certain vendors set up year after year. I met up with Brian right away, and we stopped at most of the booths, asking questions about plants that we already have - why doesn't my hybrid hibiscus produce more than just 3 flowers a year? - what's the surest way to get plumeria cuttings to take root? - what's the best fertilzer for tropicals? Of course Brian was on the lookout for future guest speakers for the club meetings - always networking!
We ran into Bill Ryland who introduced us to cracker roses, and Richard Fried was shopping around as well. Then we walked over to the crafts area and visited with George and Scott - the Ren Men - and their shop "The Spathose". How clever they are with their blending of natural items and machine parts into garden art. 
I ended up with a bunch of rhizomes and some fertilizer. When I got home I took a quick overlook of my garden, imagining all of the items I saw in it. I will be going back tomorrow afternoon to see what's left and make some final purchases. I saw many things I want, but am more careful to be selective. I will probably end up with some plumeria cuttings, to go with all of the gingers. I then took a nap in the air conditioning!
Gary and I went Sunday (he had to work Saturday) an got some nice cacti and some flowering plants. We didn't go overboard like we did at USF 2 weeks or so ago. We ran into Michael Collins and Rick Nale, and checked out the very interesting artwork by George and Scott @ Spathose.
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