River Farm plant sale last weekend

19 years ago

Last Friday and Saturday was the latest big plant sale in the area, in my opinion MUCH better than the National Arboretum sale for both prices and variety. Only Green Springs and Blandy match this, IMHO. I went Friday morning for the best non-member pickings to the American Horticultural Society's River Farm, south of Alexandria -- I was good and spent less than $150 on over 20 plants, including a variegated lilac Dappled Dawn, a variegated columbine, three lovely heucheras (an unnamed one like Color of Beauty but with a hot-pink rim on each leaf, Snow Angel and Marmalade), chartreuse sambucus Sutherland Gold, a cimifugia/bugbane relative called Doll's Eyes I've been wanting for years, a dozen or so cute small perennials for $3.00 each, a Chinese panda-faced ginger, a fern with a line of chartreuse down the center of each frond (I'd found this dryopteris before but it didn't make it through the winter), fuchsia magellanica Ricartonii, dwarf monarda Petit Monet, ceanothus Gloire de something (too bad they didn't have the darker blue Victoria) -- you get the idea. I successfully resisted a saucer magnolia that blooms golden-yellow flushed with peach, but now I'm sorry I did. Likewise the wonderful heirloom veggie plants. Lazy SS Plant Farm came up for the occasion, as did Wierd Dude's Plant Zoo, Morningside Farm, and more.

I should have posted this Saturday to gove the rest of you a shot at it -- sorry!

Did anyone else go to River Farm? What did you come home with?

Lynn

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Comments (5)

johncrthomas
19 years ago
I missed River Farm this year, but have had great success there in the past. Agree. Much better than the overpriced and very crowded National Arboretum sale (which is this weekend, 4/30). Did not know about the Blandy (Arboretum?) sale. Is that held around Mother's Day?

Greensprings is very good. Great variety and good prices.

Glad for your good fortune at the AHS River Farm sale.
JohnnieB
19 years ago
The "overpriced" FONA plant sale at the National Arboretum is a fundraising event for the arboretum (which is woefully underfunded), so you shouldn't got there expecting bargains.

As far as variety goes, if you are a FONA member you get to go a day early on the preview day, when it is much less crowded and the selection is much better. I imagine a lot of the really interesting and unusual plants get snapped up right away. That said, I've always managed to find a few interesting plants, even on Saturday.
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JohnnieB
19 years ago
Okay, I have to admit I went to the FONA plant sale yesterday (and on the FONA members preview day no less), and found that they had a much poorer selection (and seemingly far fewer plants in general) than in past years. It was a major disappointment and I didn't buy a single plant.
Lesathummercrossing
19 years ago
It was a good sale I came home with one homungus hosta from a guy in Lanham, some miniature succulents and a few grasses. Oh, and a new set of gardening gloves for my wife.
The problem was deciding between all the good usual and unusual things that were there.
Les
nancyBinCC
19 years ago
Good day!
I am a new member from Carroll County. I read and followed links to the swap and want to come.. I seem unable to post to the food list but want to be included.. My computer seems challenged to allow me to log-in properly.. I hope this appears as a new post.. If not, my apoplgies.

Looking forward to the swap.
nancyBinCC