Palmarum
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The Croton Society
Spring Meeting
May 14th, 2011 - Mike Harris Residence (Palmboo Gardens)
Spring Meeting
May 14th, 2011 - Mike Harris Residence (Palmboo Gardens)
Spring Croton Society Meeting - The Spring Croton Society meeting had been in the planning stages for a long time even before the first person arrived today, which was me by the way. Living only a few minutes away made this unavoidable, but I was eager to see who was going to arrive just after I did. This was set to be one of the highest attended meetings of the year. Society member and Forum member Ron Kiefert (Moose Knuckle) first mentioned the meeting to me way back in February. He had been the key person planning and organizing the event starting back in the early stages known only as notes on paper, all the way to this mornings early activity. The anticipation was high as the online chatter regarding the meeting increased as the date drew closer...
Early Meeting & Arrivals...
- 9:18AM: As soon as I arrived and parked in the right spot, I took out my camera and started shooting, as I did not want to miss anything. I was greeted by Mike's dog platoon and after passing the sniff test, I began strolling about and warming up to take quite a few pictures during the day. There was a nice welcoming breakfast prepared and I added a nice box of donuts to the spread. Some of the last minute touches were being prepared as I was moving about, cleaning chairs, getting trash cans spread out, etc.
For those of you who have not been to Mike's place he has his 5 acre estate divided into sections usually dominated by primary plants and groups, often mixed together. In the center is a large turf grass expanse that runs between the pond at one end and the house up the hill. It was immediately evident that Mike had spared no time or efforts in making his yard look flawless.
- 9:19AM: There are many planted areas or 'beds' planted out around the border of the property and they often join each other. There are trails and paths that navigate through the yard and divide the beds and sections. When Mike first acquired the property, there were a few large trees and nothing else. Every palm and tropical plant you see, he has planted.
- I was not the sole attendee for long. I could hear vehicles making their way around the long driveway as I was taking photos, including Jeff Searle's Ford F-250. The plan was to keep the entire center of the yard devoid of vehicles. After everyone dropped of their auction plants and other items, they continued around the driveway to the front. It turned out to be a great idea. After Jeff unloaded his plants and gear for the meeting, I had to break the news to him that Dunkin Donuts did not make his favorite type of donut anymore...
- Being a Palm person, I can't resist taking palm photos whenever I can, as there will be some mixed in with the crotons. I made use of a new way of taking notes so I could keep many of the croton names correct to the best of my ability. I am sure I will need to make changes to the topic if I need to, including spelling and naming corrections. Here is a duo of Cryosophila stauracantha, Rootspine Palms featured in one bed off the driveway.
Ryan
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