Mounts Host Annual Plant a Palooza Exotics & Orchids Plant Sale September 21 & 22

Photo Credit: Mounts Botanical Garden

Friends of the Mounts Botanical Gardenis inviting nature lovers and horticultural buffs to one of its most popular annual events:

September 21 & 22 - Rain or Shine!
Plant-a-Palooza Exotics & Orchids Plant Sale
+ Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Members Only preview 8 - 9 a.m.; last entry 3:30 p.m.)
+ Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last entry 2:30 p.m.)
FREE for members, $15 for nonmembers (adults); $12 (seniors 65+, college students, and military with ID); $7 (ages 6-17); free for children under 6 and AHS Reciprocal Admission Program members. Tickets are nonrefundable.
Note: Admission is by credit/debit card ONLY; no cash.
Mounts Botanical Garden's Exotics and Orchids Sale features the finest plant growers, artisans, and experts from across Florida. Visitors can fully engage in the world of plants and learn new gardening techniques, discover what's trending in floral design, and enjoy Mounts Botanical's tranquil tropical oasis all at the same time. They can shop a wide variety of rare, exotic, and hard-to-find orchids, plants, trees, herbs, ornamentals, succulents, cactus, bonsai, butterfly/native plants, shrubs, and fruit trees, as well as garden accessories, baskets, fine crafts, and more, from 50 highly sought-after top growers and artisan vendors. Visitors can also learn about South Florida's plant culture by speaking directly with growers. In addition, speakers and authors who are experts in their respective fields will conduct fun and informative presentations and answer visitors' questions. Additional horticultural 'must-haves' and unique treasures for your home and garden are also available in the Garden's Gift Shop, Nursery, and Vintage Garden Thrift Shop. Food and dessert trucks will also be at the Garden throughout both days.

SPECIAL PLANT-A-PALOOZA PRESENTATIONS
FREE with Plant Sale Admission

No registration is required, but space is limited to a first-come basis.
** Saturday, September 21 at 11 a.m.
Amorphophilia: Growing Amorphophallus in South Florida with David Hernandez from LeafGardens
David Hernandez brings attendees into the fantastical phallic world of these aroids where they'll discover there's more than meets the nose. This talk will formally introduce them to the genus, the part they play in the ecosystem, and how easy they are to grow. Mr. Hernandez had an appreciation of the natural world for years which transformed into a passion sparked after experiencing a Titan Arum bloom in 2003. While dabbling in the tech industry after high school he maintained an active connection to nature in the form of a small collection of strange plants. Years later, LeafGardens was created to combine his interests in certain aspects of nature and technology under one umbrella, teaching visitors at various events about his unusual band of plants and enlightening guests about our world.

** Sunday, September 22 at 11 a.m.
Growing Food at Home: The South Florida Edible Landscape with Abraham Jantz from Palm Beach Farmyards
October marks the beginning of the main growing season in South Florida. Learn everything you need to know to grow like a pro this year. Abraham Jantz of Jantz Tropical Design works alongside Mike Kane of The Garden Shoppe at their sister company, Palm Beach Farmyards, a nonprofit urban farming and edible landscaping company. Jantz is also a certified beekeeper and has been a Florida Master Gardener for over 10 years. He has a passion for helping people to grow food at home.

** Sunday, September 22 at 1 p.m.
Common Orchids with Mike Sands from Tangles Roots Orchid Nursery
In this presentation, Mike Sands will discuss growing conditions needed to care for common and some not-so-common orchids found at most big box stores. A certified horticulturist and Master Naturalist who works for the City of Wellington as the head horticulturalist and head spray tech, Sands holds four different spray licenses through the state of Florida that include ornamental and turf, right away, aquatic and natural area. He has been with the city for the last 12 years after serving nine years in the army. At Tangled Roots, they specialize in bifoliate cattleyas, the misunderstood cattleya. Mike is also a past president of a local orchid society and is being voted in on the board of the local Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). He started making their own 3D-printed pots that are biodegradable after about five years. He has also developed their own fertilizer line that will be released in August. Their fertilizer line has three different types: a 20-20-20 with a built-in bacterial fungicide, which is a mix of copper and zinc (don't worry it's safe for Dendrobiums!); a 0-52-34 which focuses on roots and buds as well a preventive bacterial fungicide; and a 35-20-20 which has cal/mag built right into it, as well as a bacterial fungicide. Sands lives in Florida with our rainy season, wants to make plants as strong as possible, and has been using all three of these products in the nursery for the last two years.

Exotics & Orchid Sale Vendors at Plant-a-Palooza
Atizana Inspired
Backyard Blooms FL
Barefoot Orchids
Bonsai Brothers
Bromeliad Society of the Palm Beaches
Broward Orchid Supply
Dan & Margie Orchids
Dee Vine Candles
Fantastic Ferns, LLC
Florida Nursery, Growers, & Landscape Association (FNGLA)
Freund Flowering Trees
FTE Studios
Gardino Nursery
Green Vibes
Greenhouse Orchids
HoyaPlants.com
J&J Unique Orchids
J.G.'s Tropicals
Jax's Jungle
Jim-N-I Orchids
Johns Jungle African Market Baskets
Kool Treats by Mama Dukes
LeafGardens
Liquid Gold Honey
Lisette Cedano
Lucky Bamboo 4 U Flowers and Plants
Mac's Orchids
Marcus Coconut Crafts
Mounts Nursery
Olena's Design
OMG That's Good
Orchid Society of the Palm Beaches
Orchidique, Inc.
Peter's Crotons & Cordylines
Plants by Smitty
Quest Orchids Inc.
Red Hawk Nursery
Rooted by Two Sisters
Sierra Madre Orchids & Bromeliads
Spencer's Jupiter Farms Road Nursery, LLC
Spring Water Orchids
Stars & Stripes Woodworking
Tangled Roots Orchid Nursery
Tropical Oils & Incense
Tropical Orchid Society
UF/IFAS Master Gardener
Xain's World
Yellow Green Exotic Garden