The final morning of April's Bromeliad Summit, in Santa Barbara, kicked off bright and early at San Marcos Growers, a large wholesale nursery.
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This was my second visit to San Marcos, the first was back in 2009. During that visit I was able to buy a small Aloe marlothii which I've grown on to respectable size, starting from just a small 1 gallon plant. I knew we weren't going to be able to shop during this visit. That took a little pressure off I suppose. I was able to just wander and enjoy...
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I really wanted to grab one of these and go for a joy ride...
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Instead I walked.
The folks at SMG had pulled a lot of their plants in the bromeliad family from inventory and had them displayed up near the offices for our visit; although I didn't see many of the participants actually walking around the nursery. Most just hung out by the auction table.
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Deuterocohnia lorentziana
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Did I mention we were there quite early? The time stamp on this photo says 7:32 am!
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Hey, those aren't bromeliads!
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Two plants I torture by growing them in containers; Bocconia frutescens and Sonchus canariensis. It's nice to see them happy in the ground.
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You might have noticed the plant names I've shared thus far are all hyperlinked? They're linked to the San Marcos website, which is one of the most useful and trustworthy nursery sites on the internet. Their descriptions and detailed info are excellent. Most of the listings are written by SMG's Randy Baldwin, who was a fellow attendee at the summit, sadly I never got to chat with him. He earned high marks—in my book—way back in 2009 when he commented on my original SMG visit blog post. I'd only been blogging for a few months and it was encouraging, to be noticed like that.
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Acacia cognata Cousin Itt on the left, a cart full of protea on the right.
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I want to grow all the leucospermum.
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Oh hell, all the grevillea too!
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Puya coerulea var. coerulea on the left...
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And that orange number on the right is Aechmea recurvata var. recurvata.
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STOP the echium madness!
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Kumara plicatilis, formerly Aloe plicatilis
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Plants as far as the eye can see...
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Echeveria agavoides 'Lipstick'
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Agave celsii var. albicans
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Those mountains, I don't think I could ever tire of them.
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Agave 'Sharkskin Shoes'
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Agave 'Snow Glow'
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Agave asperrima
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The display garden...
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Agaves on the move!
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They have the plant trucking thing down to a science.
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This photo makes me think 1970's California, and yes, those staghorns are mounted on the sides of plant boxes.
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I've wandered back up by the office now...
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Mangave madness! I think the one with the bright pink tones is Mangave 'Kaleidoscope'
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Hechtia 'Silver Star'
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Unknown Hechtia (?), cleaning the debris out of these plants must be fun...
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Orthophytum
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The tag on this one says Orthophytum lotusland
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Neoregelia 'Hannibal Lecter', maybe
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x Sincoregelia Galactic Warrior
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Close-up
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Agave attenuata 'Variegata'
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Phylica pubescens and Cordyline 'Electric Flash'
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What a visit! So many magical mysterious things all around...
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Weather Diary, July 21: Hi 91, Low 58/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
This was my second visit to San Marcos, the first was back in 2009. During that visit I was able to buy a small Aloe marlothii which I've grown on to respectable size, starting from just a small 1 gallon plant. I knew we weren't going to be able to shop during this visit. That took a little pressure off I suppose. I was able to just wander and enjoy...
I really wanted to grab one of these and go for a joy ride...
Instead I walked.
The folks at SMG had pulled a lot of their plants in the bromeliad family from inventory and had them displayed up near the offices for our visit; although I didn't see many of the participants actually walking around the nursery. Most just hung out by the auction table.
Deuterocohnia lorentziana
Did I mention we were there quite early? The time stamp on this photo says 7:32 am!
Hey, those aren't bromeliads!
Two plants I torture by growing them in containers; Bocconia frutescens and Sonchus canariensis. It's nice to see them happy in the ground.
You might have noticed the plant names I've shared thus far are all hyperlinked? They're linked to the San Marcos website, which is one of the most useful and trustworthy nursery sites on the internet. Their descriptions and detailed info are excellent. Most of the listings are written by SMG's Randy Baldwin, who was a fellow attendee at the summit, sadly I never got to chat with him. He earned high marks—in my book—way back in 2009 when he commented on my original SMG visit blog post. I'd only been blogging for a few months and it was encouraging, to be noticed like that.
Acacia cognata Cousin Itt on the left, a cart full of protea on the right.
I want to grow all the leucospermum.
Oh hell, all the grevillea too!
Puya coerulea var. coerulea on the left...
And that orange number on the right is Aechmea recurvata var. recurvata.
STOP the echium madness!
Kumara plicatilis, formerly Aloe plicatilis
Plants as far as the eye can see...
Echeveria agavoides 'Lipstick'
Agave celsii var. albicans
Those mountains, I don't think I could ever tire of them.
Agave 'Sharkskin Shoes'
Agave 'Snow Glow'
Agave asperrima
The display garden...
Agaves on the move!
They have the plant trucking thing down to a science.
This photo makes me think 1970's California, and yes, those staghorns are mounted on the sides of plant boxes.
I've wandered back up by the office now...
Mangave madness! I think the one with the bright pink tones is Mangave 'Kaleidoscope'
Hechtia 'Silver Star'
Unknown Hechtia (?), cleaning the debris out of these plants must be fun...
Orthophytum
The tag on this one says Orthophytum lotusland
Neoregelia 'Hannibal Lecter', maybe
x Sincoregelia Galactic Warrior
Close-up
Agave attenuata 'Variegata'
Phylica pubescens and Cordyline 'Electric Flash'
What a visit! So many magical mysterious things all around...
Weather Diary, July 21: Hi 91, Low 58/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.