When plans go awry...

11 years ago

Had a good time at the Ocala Spring Festival. I went with a limited
budget, telling myself that I wasn't going to spend much and the money I
did spend would be those 'Wow' plants that just stand on their own.
And I did fairly well for a while, helping my mother pick out plants for
her butterfly garden more than anything. Then I got to one stand and
saw Liatris for sale and thought, "Ooh, Liatris. I keep failing on
getting those started from seed, I'll get those." Then I passed another
booth which had some interesting Coleus, "Hmm, that will be easy to
propagate and I can border my lanai with it." As I rounded another
lane, I found Purple Brazilian Salvia and again my mind went to easily
propagating to fill in another section of the yard. I realized that I
was getting close to my budget and still hadn't gotten one particularly
'Wow' plant. So I put a lock on my wallet and wandered the vendors,
returning to a few repeatedly and making a mental and then paper list of
the plants I had to choose from. Heliconias, Alocasias, Butterfly
Gingers, Bamboo, Cordylines. They were all spinning in my head and
jostling for position as THE plant I was going to get. So what did I
finally settle on? A nice-sized Tea Olive. While not visually
spectacular in any regard, it seemed there was not a corner of the fair
that I wasn't smelling it, with possible exception being around the food
vendors. So my 'Wow' plant is one that instead of seeing it, you can
smell it on the breeze and just go, 'Wow'...

Purchases:

Purple Brazilian Salvia:

Coleus (One on the left is the one that caught my eye the most):

Featured Answer

User

11 years ago

Sigh, I was in another state playing with my little grandsons. Wouldn't trade that for a truckful of plants, but...! Tea Olive in particular has been on my must-have list since I got here. The one I had up-breeze from our front porch in California bloomed on and off most of the year, a constant gift. Since the breezes shift direction so much here, I figure I need at least 3. :)

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Comments (8)

thonotorose
11 years ago
Tea Olive... Great choice!!!
katkin_gw
11 years ago
You did good keeping to your budget. I love that coleus. I never manage to do that when it comes to plants. If I don't have it I'll probably buy it. :o)
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Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
Original Author
11 years ago
This morning the Purple Bazilian decided to show off its flowers and not just the calyx.
whgille
11 years ago
Michael, I know what you mean about the impulse buys.:) I also went shopping with some things in mind and got another ones. You did good with all your plants, I like the scent of the sweet olive too, it is not strong like others...

Silvia
ariel73
11 years ago
My local Lowes just got some Tea olives.
Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Ariel, that's what sort of bugs me about my purchase of the Tea Olive. While I am enjoying the scent (it was wafting through the bedroom window during late afternoon today), I could have picked this tree up anywhere. I console myself by noting that it is fuller than what I have seen in my own big box stores, was a few dollars cheaper than what those stores offer and I was supporting a 'local' grower instead of a big box store, but still... I could have had a very nice Heliconia or some other hardy Tropical taking center stage somewhere instead. Oh well, there's always other sales, right? Or even next year. Or even... hey! I have their business cards! Heh.

And besides, center stage or not, I wouldn't have been enjoying one of those Tropicals through the bedroom window the way I was with the Tea Olive, right?
ariel73
11 years ago
Don't regret your plant choice. Tea olives are one of my favorite fragrant plants. I was only telling you my Lowes just got them incase you wanted more, or if someone else was looking for one. I will love supporting my local growers, their plants are almost always in better condition than the box stores, not to mention the personal service and knowledge they have.