I spent the morning in the pouring rain at the Friends Plant Sale at the State Fair Grounds. Let's just say it was a mad house, and I doubt I will go again next year. The even is just too big and too crowded. Granted, I got a lot of plants for the money, with the amount of people there, it was more of a hassle being there, when it should have been fun.
I got my wrist band at 8:30am, which they start giving away at 8 am, and I still had 13 groups of people ahead of me. So I waited until they opened at 11:00, thankfully under the umbrella I bought, and watched the crowd get bigger and bigger. By the time I got in, the building was swamped, and of course groups behind me kept coming in as well. Needless to say, they need to space the groups out better. At times, I was like a car in Los Angeles traffic, stopped in my tracks with no one moving to let people through. What's the purpose of coming early with congestion like that?
Oh, well. I experienced it at least.
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Oh, I am so completely with you on this one!! I went for the first time this year; got in as early as I could (group 27 by the time I got there from work) on Friday because I was afraid they'd sell out of the Hardy Kiwi...
Well, you already summed it up. I had my three-year-old with me (haha, big mistake, I completely misunderstood the size and crowding of this thing). Somehow my husband and I made it through with almost 3/4 of the plants we intended to get, and with the toddler (although we lost him completely at one point - he was hiding inside the plant racks - and lost his shoe before we got out the door)...
I can't imagine I'll ever go again. Although... every time I think that, a little voice says, "but what if you went alone? And maybe only got one or two plants so you could get in and out quickly? And maybe next year they'll have some hard-to-find plant that you didn't get this year, like that Sweet Fern..."
I hope you're enjoying your new plants! Even if planting them before tomorrow night is over is probably an iffy proposition...
So what did you get? At least give us a loot list!
I was group 14. Thankfully I did not bring my three year old with me as he would have complained of being cold the whole time.
Well, I went alone, and it was a mad house for me. Even if I only needed a couple of plants next year, I would not waste my time. Would rather just spend the extra money at a local garden store for the same thing, then have to endure the crowd at the Friends School Plant Sale again.
My plants are not in the ground yet as too wet and cold., But they are sitting outside right now enjoying the rain. It will probably take me two weeks to get everything planned and in.
Hi... the 2011 sale was much better, not only because it wasn't raining but because people were let in more slowly. The aisles felt more spacious, and the checkout line never got very long at all.
Go later in the day to avoid the crowds. It is crowded in the morning and at the end of the work day Friday.
I started volunteering, so I could go to the presale Thursday night. Lots of volunteers, so it is still crowded, but they won't be out of anything unless there was a crop failure.
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