Spring 2015 Garden Tour in Miami

Ron,! Thank you and Pam for hosting a great croton event! Loved the pecan toffe bars and the Cuban pastries! You have tons of great plants-crotons, palms and orchids, I know it is a lot of work to pull off an event, and you did a great job!
 
Hey Karl, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you. I didn't know you were there. Next time for sure.

Ron, please, please thank Pam for the incredible birthday cheesecake. That was so nice of her, and so nice of you to remember my birthday. Thanks to both of you. It was a fun and happy one!
 
I'm an idiot!!!!! I somehow thought it was on Sunday (today). I even had it on my calendar. My plants were all tagged & in my car packed, ready to go this morning. I was headed south on the turnpike when I stopped to check the address...........idiot!!!. I've been a little preoccupied lately. So sorry I missed everyone & Pam & Ron's garden. I'm sure everyone had a blast.

You were missed
 
Hey Karl, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you. I didn't know you were there. Next time for sure.

Ron, please, please thank Pam for the incredible birthday cheesecake. That was so nice of her, and so nice of you to remember my birthday. Thanks to both of you. It was a fun and happy one!
Hi Ana,
I got there around 10, so did not have too much time to mix and mingle. I was sitting behind Judy at the auction and walked around with Ron, Mike, David, and you when Ron was pointing out some plants. I just did not realize it was you until after the auction started. I will certainly be at a future event and maybe some day will have an opportunity to host in Vero, if people can handle the ride. I was the person who ended up with the beautiful Mackenzie that Mike brought in.
I was glad you got some great plants on your birthday.
Karl
 
Just wanted to dish out a big thank you to my fellow croton lovers. Jim & Judy sent me a text on how my babies did at the auction. You guys have been so supportive of our Little Daisy Memorial Scholarship. Ron - thank you for the invitation & opportunity to bring some of my hybrids - and baby sitting them for nearly two weeks. Jim & Judy - thanks for everything & the additional hassle I put you through.

Of course I'm very curious where some of my babies will be calling home & what the experts thought of the croton "Jeff Searle"....any thoughts?

Brenda & I send our love!

PS. Brenda's first bone biopsy since the transplant shows zero blasts! :)
 
Just wanted to dish out a big thank you to my fellow croton lovers. Jim & Judy sent me a text on how my babies did at the auction. You guys have been so supportive of our Little Daisy Memorial Scholarship. Ron - thank you for the invitation & opportunity to bring some of my hybrids - and baby sitting them for nearly two weeks. Jim & Judy - thanks for everything & the additional hassle I put you through.

Of course I'm very curious where some of my babies will be calling home & what the experts thought of the croton "Jeff Searle"....any thoughts?

Brenda & I send our love!

PS. Brenda's first bone biopsy since the transplant shows zero blasts! :)
Yay for Brenda!!!!!:muffit:
 
Just wanted to dish out a big thank you to my fellow croton lovers. Jim & Judy sent me a text on how my babies did at the auction. You guys have been so supportive of our Little Daisy Memorial Scholarship. Ron - thank you for the invitation & opportunity to bring some of my hybrids - and baby sitting them for nearly two weeks. Jim & Judy - thanks for everything & the additional hassle I put you through.

Of course I'm very curious where some of my babies will be calling home & what the experts thought of the croton "Jeff Searle"....any thoughts?

Brenda & I send our love!

PS. Brenda's first bone biopsy since the transplant shows zero blasts! :)
Jerry,

Your plants were the stars of the show. While I am not one of the experts, my understanding was that everyone agreed that "Jeff Searle" was not the same as "Elaine" and was indeed a new cultivar. Quite the bidding war on that as well as your other wonderful plants. I hope we see more of your seedlings in the future when I will be able to bid on them again and maybe win one. Glad that Brenda got more good news. Sorry that I did not have a chance to meet you, but your seedlings certainly speak to your talents at hybridizing crotons. Best of luck for you and Brenda for ongoing health and happiness.
 
Jerry - The one in post #80 is residing here in sunny St. Pete. Thanks for sending them up and good to know that the proceeds are going to good cause. Congrats on the good new on Brenda.
 
Looks very much like White Bravo to me.

When George Zammas saw this plant, he imediately without any hesitation ID it as Harvest Moon. Said it is a green and yellow croton that relishes the shade. The older leaves become white if grown in the shade.
Harvest 1.JPGHarvest 2.JPG
 
After reading and following this thread and hearing about this meeting for months, I had positive anticipation towards how it would be a great plant event. There was total excitement surrounding the auction and even though I am not a Croton person, it was quite obvious in the months leading up to it. I noticed the 'itching desire' in the fanatics that could not wait for that new and spectacular cultivar to come up for bid. The meeting was a huge success and everyone in attendance collectively had a wonderful time.

- April 25th, 8:15AM - Since the meeting and tour technically started at "Sunrise" and the auction started at 10:30AM, it was up to each attendee as to when they would arrive. Travis and I arrived a little past eight and thinking we were early, were not surprised to find diehards already here. The first group was touring the yard when I took this photo of Ron's plant filled entry way. You can see the tour group between the Spindle Palm on the left and the Royal Palm trunk near center.



- 8:16AM - Ron's collection consists of distinct specimens of note -- too numerous to mention in a single topic as his collection spans numerous plant families grown over many years. One such specimen that is impossible to ignore is the Ae-Ae Banana, Musa × paradisiaca 'Ae-Ae'. Still considered very rare to this day, this highly variegated hybrid banana have driven collectors to the brink of madness for over a century. It is very hard to find, difficult to propagate, and troublesome to grow. Ron had solved that puzzle a while ago. Even with this info, plant people can't help but want one.



- I bet the non-palm people at the meeting thought this was a Queen Palm, but they would be incorrect. To the left of Ron's entrance gate resides this long established Acrocomia aculeata, complete with its organized rows of trunk spines.



- Out in front of Manny's house, Ron's very gracious neighbor, Ron had set up a display of plants to point out the location of the plant drop-off area.



Ryan
 
- 8:18AM - Meeting host, Ron Kiefert (Moose) guides a group through part of his yard, past one side of the house. With the aforementioned diversity in his collection, Crotons and Palms are the two largest groups.



- Everyone was free to tour on their own, but groups gathered to follow Ron as he knew the names and the history on each plant.



- Ron takes a minute to point out damage caused by a cutting thief that ransacked a few of this plants. Very disheartening indeed.



- 8:21AM - Judy & Jim Glock check out a large blooming orchid. I have more photos of that coming.



Ryan
 
- 8:22AM - A colorful coconut. A Yellow Malayan Dwarf I believe, unless its the more unusual Apricot Red color form.



- 8:23AM - Travis looks in on the pool while standing next to the original Black Beauty Croton that Ron had rescued from destruction. A few of its progeny reside next to it on the right.



- A stretched Talipot Palm, Corypha umbraculifera, more than earns its keep by providing a lot of shade for the Crotons in the area.



- 8:24AM - The very thick, short and robust trunk of a Samoan Dwarf Coconut. It was hard to back up far enough to showcase the unique crown, but the trunk was more than impressive.



Ryan
 
- 8:24AM - Samoan Dwarf Coconut Palms are notoriously hard to propagate as they do not self pollinate. In this case, Ron had a donor from somewhere. It will be interesting to see what the result would look like.



- The focus was of course, on Crotons, but when a large palm or fruit tree came into view people asked questions, which led to discussions.





- 8:28AM - The wax-covered leaf bases and well armed petioles of a Corypha utan.



Ryan
 
- 8:33AM - The tour made its way to the sidewalk and planted areas outside the fence. Medians can provide extra space for plants, just don't plant anything that might 'walk off' or get run over.



- 8:34AM - I heard the rumbling and squeaks of a well-used plant vehicle, so I turned around to see Carol Graff pull up in her truck.



- Fun times.



- 8:35AM - One of many orchids in Ron's yard that were in bloom.



Ryan
 
- 8:33AM - The tour made its way to the sidewalk and planted areas outside the fence. Medians can provide extra space for plants, just don't plant anything that might 'walk off' or get run over.



- 8:34AM - I heard the rumbling and squeaks of a well-used plant vehicle, so I turned around to see Carol Graff pull up in her truck.



- Fun times.



- 8:35AM - One of many orchids in Ron's yard that were in bloom.



Ryan
Thanks for posting all the great photos. I was at the auction, but don't think I looked as carefully as I should at all the great plants that Ron had on display. For example, I saw the small variegated banana, but somehow must have walked right by the large specimen without even noticing it. I will pay better attention next time. Karl
 
- 8:38AM - Jeff Searle and Jim Glock walk over to greet Rob as he arrives.



- 8:40AM - Ron brings over his wheelbarrow to assist with all the plant moving, as Tim O'Donnel gives a hand with Carol Graff's plants.



- 8:42AM - One of Manny's guard dogs.



- Attendees gather in the trade and sell area on the west side of Manny's house. The selection increased throughout the morning as people arrived and dropped off plants. Manny takes a photo of the unusual Crotons either for sale or to be used as 'trade bait'.



Ryan
 
- 8:44AM - Jeff makes friends with Manny's dogs.



- The plants in the trade/sell section varied in size, price and rarity. I could not discern any difference between ones just for sale or trade. I figured the few without prices were only for trade.



- 8:49AM - One of the display Crotons Ron put out by Manny's gate. I think it was a named cultivar with a question mark, meaning it deserved to be looked over by attendees and get verified.



- The auction area on the east side of the house fills up quickly, with two hours to go until the auction starts.



Ryan
 
- 8:52AM - The grouping of Jerry Shilling's auction plants drew a lot of attention. They were separated from the rest of the auction plants and were looked over intently by everyone. This was the one named 'Jeff Searle' that was originally thought to be 'Elaine'.



- It took a little while for Manny's dogs to get used to all the people. The barking subsided and their guarded stance turned more into curiosity.



- 8:56AM - By nine in the morning, it started to look like a meeting.



- 8:58AM - For being described as a 'BYOB' meeting, in regards to food and drink, there was tons of food available.



Ryan
 
- 9:01AM - It seemed a new vehicle arrived every few minutes. I was walking through Ron's yard again when truck after car pulled up. Mixed with the regular traffic it was a busy morning in front of Ron's house.



- 9:03AM - Rob poses with the large Oncidium orchid that was blooming to excess.



- 9:09AM - The unloading of plants was often delayed by the inspecting done by attendees. Every time a plant gets pulled out, people want to be the first one to see what it might be.



- 9:10AM - "Auction or sell/trade?" was the common question at the drop off area, as plants went either left or right as they went through the gate. The identity of certain plants spawned instant conversations, if there was any doubt as to what they were.



Ryan
 
- 9:18AM - With all the activity going on along the street and in front of Manny's house, people began to stop thinking there was a yard sale. This happened a few times to the amusement of attendees. A few would even get out of their cars and walk to the food tables, thinking they held merchandise.



- Phil Stager and company arrived with a trunk full of plants.



- 9:20AM - Mike (Bullwinkle) surprises Carol with an unusual specimen. I think her reaction says it all.



- In addition to his auction Crotons, Phil brought a rock.



Ryan
 
- 9:20AM - The street became a regular parking lot as multiple vehicles pulled up to unload at once. FM. Anna (annafl) talks with Mike as he unloads his car.



- Self guided tours of Ron's yard continued throughout the morning. Pam Kiefert chats with Jim and Judy Glock as they take a walk across the front of the yard.



- 9:28AM - Ron directs as the time reaches an hour until the auction.



- 9:43AM - With the shortage of seating options available for the auction, Travis and Rob get an idea.



Ryan
 
- 9:43AM - They carry one of the ice chests over to the auction area to be used as a bench.



- 9:44AM - Jim Glock had a 'cool' surprise for the Croton fanatics. With practiced skill, Jim opens a champagne bottle, bare-handed and without losing the cork...



- He went on to make refreshing mimosas for those who wanted one, starting with Jeff.



- With Judy pouring the orange juice, the duo went from person to person. The cooling effect was well received as the high temperature for the day was forecast to break records. It was already in the low 90's and it wasn't yet ten in the morning.



Ryan
 
- 10:04AM - The ten o'clock hour saw a rush of arrivals as the auction drew near. Attendees who were not touring the yard or looking at arriving plants, were setting up 'camp' in the auction area. Grower and collector Jose Lopez (JoseLopez) was next to unload and he had a lot of plants to move... and as expected, people came over to inspect the Crotons.



- One plant that got a lot of attention was this 'Exotica' specimen. Just saying the name out loud caused people to come and see. I don't remember if it was in the auction, I think it went to the trade/sell area.



- 10:08AM - Jose was positioning his plants as Tim looked over the selection. We moved the food tables over to the shade so the spread didn't bake further in the sun.



- 10:19AM - Attendees began to take second or third looks at the auction plants.



Ryan
 
- 10:23AM - I heard the familiar "ooh's" surrounding this Croton that waited its turn in the auction. It is a well grown example of 'McKenzie' showing some very large leaves. I should have included a scale object.



- 10:26AM - People started to do their mental checklists as they whispered to themselves or friends. Cultivars that were 'must have's' versus 'maybe' ones and so on.



- 10:30AM - Jerry Shilling's plants were ready.



- 10:33AM - Host of the event, Ron started the auction by welcoming everyone and stated right off that he had a bit of a surprise to divulge to everyone...



Ryan
 
- 10:34AM - It was Anna's birthday! The crowd cheers and claps as Anna hides a bit under her hat.



- Ron walks over and presents her with a homemade birthday cheesecake as the cheering continued.



- Ron hands over the several pounds of cheesecake carefully, and notices me standing nearby, so naturally he asked Anna to turn and smile...



- I hope she was hungry.



Ryan
 
- 10:35AM - Since contributors to the auction stuck to the 'five plants each' limit, the quantity of plants required only one auctioneer for the day, thus Jeff Searle would have the honor all to himself. After going over a few guidelines for bidding, such as bidding increments and letting your bid known, Jeff started the auction. Using the garbage can as a ready post for the next plant, he grabs the first cultivar up for bid. It was one of the highly anticipated entries of Jerry Shilling's stock of material, 'Pixie Abilene Little'.



- Jeff auctioned it off as Phil points out something.



- 10:36AM - Croton after Croton, attendees pay attention as they might change their mind about a plant and want to bid on it.





Ryan
 
Last edited:
- 10:36AM - People were glued to every word Jeff said....



- Well, glued to the plant in his hand at least.



- 10:37AM - Since every contributor to the auction kept all the money from the highest bid, a buyer would either pay per plant after each auction, or run a tab as it were.



- 10:41AM - Jeff would announce the contributor of each plant, if there was such a tag.



Ryan
 
- 10:43AM - The bidding was quick and with purpose.



- 10:45AM - If there was multiple interest in a plant, the bidding went high.



- 10:47AM - When the bidding came down to two competitors, Jeff made sure to showcase the plant back and forth between the two.



- 10:51AM - When the 'McKenzie' came up, the crowd got quiet. Those large leaves got people to sit up in their seats or stand up straight.



Ryan
 
- 10:52AM - As the temperature increased so did the humor. Attendees downed the water as it reached 94°F (34°C). It was not much cooler in the shade.



- With any group filled with dedicated plant fanatics, a well placed joke or anecdote carries far.



- 10:54AM - The bidding continued in between the laughter.



- 11:01AM - The auction moved at a steady pace, often spending only a minute or two per plant.



Ryan
 
- 11:01AM - Sometimes a plant came up in the auction that didn't have a name or had one that was questionable. Since the majority of the Croton knowledge base was in attendance, they did their best to identify the cultivar or at least say it was still a mystery.



- 11:02AM - On the left and assisting in the auction was Tim O'Donnel (kwtimo), who organized the plants on the ground and on the table. He selected the order in which plants were auctioned, keeping the order mixed and random between the rare and more common.



- 11:07AM - The great mood of the day kept everyone ready to laugh at the next funny comment.



- 11:09AM - Next up was the rock. Jeff picks it up in a hurry and finds out it was heavier than he thought.



Ryan
 
- 11:10AM - [thud] Jeff drops the rock on the ground to start the bidding.



- He went on to describe the rock with help from others as to what one could do with it.



- Jeff held the rock up high so everyone could see it, as he waited for bids.



- 11:13AM - Everyone's individual stashes started to grow near their seats as the auction went on.



Ryan
 
- 11:14AM - As another plant was being auctioned off, I noticed the next Croton up for bid was the 'Jeff Searle' specimen that was part of the Jerry Shilling group.



- 11:16AM - The auction of the plant started with conversation. Jeff introduced his namesake and the original background story stated by Jerry on how he got it from a 'Ganza sale as 'Elaine'.



- Those who commented seemed to agree that it was not 'Elaine'. The auction then started on a new cultivar for the Croton world.



- 11:18AM - The bidding rose fast. The first bid was high and the increments were significant. A mix of different bidders were in on the fight. Each big jump in bidding caused a round of awe to spread through the crowd.



Ryan
 
- 11:19AM - The auction was well past the halfway point so those who were waiting to bid on material did not hold anything back. The bidding slowed down to two people and Jeff prodded them for the tiniest increments until the 'Jeff Searle' sold for $130.00.



- 11:24AM - The auction continued, moving from plant to plant both common and rare.



- 11:26AM - There was a cultivar in the auction for every level of collector or enthusiast. There were brand new cultivars for the diehard veteran collector, some came unnamed where the winning bidder could name the plant. There were also well established and proven cultivars for those new to the Croton world.



- 11:30AM - Another one of Jerry Shilling's plants that received a lot of attention was the one in the tan pot, center of the photo...



Ryan
 
- 11:30AM - It was the new cultivar 'Daisy's Dance' and it was very popular. It was one of the most fought over plants in the auction eventually going for $205.00.



- 11:44AM - Some piles were bigger than others.



- 11:49AM - With about ten plants left on the table and on the ground, the auction was coming to a close. Tim and Ron both had looks of "Hmm" as they look over the remaining stock.



- 11:53AM - As the auction was winding down, people began to give up their seats and spots to go get something to eat or drink.



Ryan
 
- 11:53AM - Ron grabs one of the remaining plants in the auction. A future addition to the Moose land.



- 11:54AM - A few plants had their names written on the pot and some were legible. Jeff made this one out with Tim's help.



- 11:57AM - Jeff auctions off the last plant of the day to an enthusiastic, but heated crowd...



- 11:58AM - ... and then the auction was over. A big success for a well planned event. Everyone scattered to pay for their plants, get some water, get a bite to eat, tour the yard if they arrived late, or check out the trade/sell area.



Ryan
 
Top