Tropical Florida Gardens

We’ve had a few more Garden Market vendors offer special discounts and free giveaways for Garden Market “early birds” on Nov 20 and 21.

Hunter’s Leaves, Flowers & Feathers – A one gallon elephant ear “Pink China” free with $10 purchase to the first 20 customers on Saturday. Selling apple, peach, plum and other fruit trees, jams, jellies, unique garden art, pottery, and butterfly plants.

Rege Malone Horticulture - Saturday: Get 3 one gallon butterfly plants for $10 (normally $4-5 each) to the first 20 customers.  Sunday: 2-for1 special on bromeliads while supplies last.  Normally $10 for one gallon, $25 for three gallon size.  Selling flowering tropicals, bromeliads, edibles, butterfly and garden plants.

Calusa Palm Nursery - Free one gallon Hispaniola palm, Sabal domingensis, with purchase to first 25 customers on Saturday.  Selling potted palms and heliconias.

Louisiana Iris Nursery – by 5 get 1 free – offered Saturday and Sunday.  Selling irises native to Florida – perfect for rain gardens or irrigated areas of your yard.  Can survive as far north as New York!

Lee County Compost – first 20 buyers of a 25 lb bag of compost (just $2!) will receive a free set of gardening tools – offered Saturday and Sunday.

Angel Gardens – 20% off for first 10 buyers on Saturday only.  Selling a variety of roses including Old Garden roses and shade-tolerant roses.

Garden Market hours: 9-5 on Saturday, Nov 20, 9-4 on Sunday, Nov 21.  Helpful gardening demonstrations will be held throughout the day.

Please join us November 20 and 21, 2010 for the Edison Garden Market. Not only is it a FREE event, but vendors will be giving away products and offering deep discounts.  Here’s the list of the planned specials so far:

Calusa Palm Nursery - Free one gallon Hispaniola palm, Sabal domingensis, with purchase to first 25 customers on Saturday.  Selling potted palms and heliconias.

Louisiana Iris Nursery – by 5 get 1 free – offered Saturday and Sunday.  Selling irises native to Florida – perfect for rain gardens or irrigated areas of your yard.  Can survive as far north as New York!

Lee County Compost – first 20 buyers of a 25 lb bag of compost (just $2!) will receive a free set of gardening tools – offered Saturday and Sunday.

Angel Gardens – 20% off for first 10 buyers on Saturday only.  Selling a variety of roses including Old Garden roses and shade-tolerant roses.

Garden Market hours: 9-5 on Saturday, Nov 20, 9-4 on Sunday, Nov 21.  Helpful gardening demonstrations will be held throughout the day.

The Estates is looking for a few volunteers willing to work on special projects within the gardens.  Due to the training involved, each position requires a six-month minimum commitment.

Plant paparazzo/paparazza – One volunteer needed to sneak around the grounds on a weekly basis, catching our plants by surprise and snapping their picture while they are blooming.  The Estates will supply the digital camera and at the end of each photo shoot, the paparazzo will download, save, edit and label photos in Microsoft Picture Manger on an Estates computer.  Paparazzo should be comfortable using the different settings on a point-and-shoot digital camera and using Microsoft Picture Manager software without assistance. Personal cameras may be used but cannot be replaced if damaged or lost while the plant paparazzo is on assignment at the Estates.

Sign czar – One person needed to systematically roam the Estates and check each plant’s sign for readability and accuracy.  Signs not meeting the czar’s high standards will be removed and, in consultation with the Plant Curator, replaced.  This is the perfect position for a volunteer who wants to work on the grounds and with plants but doesn’t want to get their hands dirty! It’s helpful that the czar has some knowledge of plants but it is more important that the czar is detail-oriented, especially when it comes to spelling. For example, the czar doesn’t have to know what Caesalpiniaceae are, but should be able to easily recognize the difference between the words Caesalpiniaceae and Caesalpineaceae.  Czar must be able to bend and stoop frequently and be comfortable using Microsoft Word and laser printers without assistance.

If you’re interested in either of these positions or just want more information about volunteering at the Estates, please contact Holly Shaffer, Volunteer Coordinator, to fill out an application.  She can be reached at hshaffer@efwefla.org.  You can also call 239-334-7419 and ask for Holly or Bobby.

Please join us November 20 and 21, 2010 for the Edison Garden Market.  Vendors from all across Florida will be selling plants including orchids, roses, tropical fruit trees, butterfly plants and more.  Artists with garden-related pieces will also be exhibiting and selling their work.  Gardening-related demonstrations will be given each day.  This event is FREE to the public with plenty of parking available.  Here’s a peek at a few of the vendors who will be at the event:

Angel Gardens - selling a variety of roses including Old Garden roses and shade-tolerant roses

Orchids Amore – selling a variety of orchids as well as orchid-growing supplies.

Lee County Solid Waste Division – selling 2 lb bags of their OrganicLee compost.  Come talk to Lee County employees about their new processing plant and how this high-quality compost is produced.

Keep checking back for more details on additional vendors.  If you would like to be a vendor, please contact Debbie at 239-334-7419.  The Market will be open from 9-5 on Saturday, November 20 and 9-4 on Sunday, November 21.

As promised yesterday, here are more photos of plants currently blooming and fruiting at the Estates.

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Here’s a peek at some of the plants currently blooming and fruiting at the Estates.  Check back tomorrow for more photos of additional flowers!

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