So what other goodies did you come home with? Pictures?

I got tons and tons of stuff. The prices were ridiculous. They sold the greenhouses (I don't know the official terms, but vertical sides with bowed metal pipe tops, with thick plastic covers and wooden end walls) for less than $1000, AND they'd come set them back up on your property for under $5000. Big suckers, maybe 30 x 50? I woulda bought one if they had been smaller. Sold big garden ponds with rock edging for $100, and they'd come set them up for $900. Sold Sago palms worth about $700-1000 for $100. All sorts of stuff.

I got commercial plant benches, a smaller sago, cardboard palm, weeping purple beech, roses, miscellaneous spireas and weigelas, big oakleaf hydrangeas, three bananas (one of em about 12 foot tall -- for $10), assorted garden ornaments, three-sided shepherd's hooks set in concrete, outdoor bar counters with stools that'll make nice potting benches, decorative iron trivets, pots, just all sorts of things. Heck, one of the lots of stuff I bought (for $10) even had an exercise machine in it -- and it works!

It was a really interesting experience. There were about 250 registered bidders there -- big crowd!

amazin: Awesome find on the sale! I'd love to have one or two of those crotons. They look neat & I have never grown one before. Are they able to be kept outdoors during the Winter? If so, i'd love to stop by & get 1 or 2! =) I can trade for something if that's what you want to do. Please let me know.

Thanks - Steve

Unfortunately, they aren't hardy!

I forgot to mention my two favorite plants --

The first is a bonsai variegated holly -- list price about $150, but I got it for $20. The other is a beautifully variegated water lily. I had tried to buy it from the nursery earlier in the summer, but at the time I was told it was a part of the pond display and they wouldn't sell it. Well, I ended up getting it FREE at the auction. HAH. When I talked to the lady who bought the display pond, she gave it to me and wouldn't even let me pay her anything for it! :-)

Sorry, I had to gloat!

Wow, that sounds pretty exciting. I wish I could luck onto something like that. I'd love to find some dirt cheap deals on a few large greenhouses. I saw them tearing down a few greenhouses around here one day and was going to stop and ask about them, but by the time I got back, they were gone. Knowing the developer, I'd guess the greenhouses I saw ended up being thrown away.

amazin: Well, they are quite nice looking, so i'm sure I could move some of my indoor herbs around a bit to make room for one, if the offer still stands. =) Are you wanting a trade or just giving some away? If a trade, give me a general idea of what you're looking for & I can send you a list.

That depends on how much trouble I have to go to.... ;-)

Where are you located, Steve?

Brandon -- Ya shoulda stopped to ask where they dumped the pieces of those greenhouses!

The auction story keeps getting funnier. I went today to pick up my third van load of stuff I bought at the auction. While I was there, I got to talking to one of the other guys who was picking things up. First he tried to sell me the greenhouse he had bought at the auction. Then he told me about what he had done with the huge staghorn fern he bought at the auction. There were two HUGE ones. These were humongous spheres of fern, each one about 4 feet in diameter, held up on chains. Well, he had bought one of them for $50. Then he started thinking about how hard it would be to move. So what did he do? He arranged to sell it to somebody else -- for **$200** -- without even moving it! LOL! In fact, he ended up selling it to the Nashville Zoo. Now there's an enterpreneur for ya!

amazin: I live in Hermitage...but I, like most avid gardeners, am willing to travel to your location for free plants. =)

That's insane about the fern! lol

Well heck, Steve -- from Hermitage ya shoulda come to the auction! It was on the west side of Lebanon.....

I live a bit east of Lebanon. We ought to be able to meet somewhere in the middle one of these days. Send me a private email at amazondoc @ mindspring . com and we'll figure it out!

I live off Andrew Jackson, close to Lebanon Road, so if there's someplace on Lebanon Rd you want to meet at, that'd be cool. Sure you don't want something on trade? I could give you a suprise plant. =)

- Steve

I'll almost never turn down a plant..... Write me with whatcha got, and we'll talk. ;-)