Exotic Plant Show March 7th & 8th 2020

Exotic Plant Show 2020

March 7^th & March 8^th

Journey to exotic lands during this fun filled weekend full of fantastic displays, beautiful and unique plants, free seminars, and good food!

Ongoing Both Saturday & Sunday:

45 Market Street Bakery & Café

Locally made, fresh baked goods and lunch items available for purchase during the following times on Saturday 8:30-3:00 & Sunday 9:30-3:00

Orchid Repotting Station

Need some help repotting your orchid?  Let an expert walk you through the process and get your orchid repotted using only premium materials.  Potting fee will be based on material used, expert hands are complimentary 

 

Seminar Schedule and Lecture Details posted below:

Saturday, March 7^th 2020

9:00-3:00 – Wildlife Encounters – Derek Small, owner of Wildlife Encounters of Rochester, NH, will bring some of his exotic friends to visit with you for the day.  Learn about some of the creatures that coexist with the diverse plant groups on exhibit today.

Wildlife Encounters’ owner, Derek Small, and some staff are professional members of various zoological, wildlife and conservation entities and many have degrees in biology, wildlife ecology, sustainable agriculture, conservation and more! They believe that public education, and a resulting change in human and societal behaviors and practices, are key to the objective of living environmentally and personally responsible lives that will help conserve and protect global biodiversity.  Their philosophy, morality, conduct and messages focus on communicating the interdependent relationship between their three core mission components: Animals, People and Earth.

10:00 – Growing Begonias Indoors – Stuart Hammer has been killing Begonias for over forty years and growing them successfully for almost the same amount of time.  His first begonia was the Iron Cross Begonia, followed by lots and lots of begonias from all over the country.  He has a small greenhouse which gives him an unfair advantage over most of us, but that is more than offset by our ability to focus our attention on a smaller number of plants in our homes.  Stuart plans to bring representative specimens of the different kinds of begonias we can grow in New England (indoors), including Rex Begonias, Rhizomatous Begonias, Angel Wing and Cane Begonias and begonias that can only be grown in terrariums.  His talk will focus on begonia culture and propagation.  He will also discuss the use of pesticides and fungicides, as Begonias are not immune to them anymore than other plants.  Questions from the audience are encouraged, even ones he can’t answer!

Stuart Hammer is a past President of the Buxton Chapter of the American Begonia Society and the New England branch of The Gesneriad Society and has been growing begonias for over forty years.

1:00 – Up in the air about Tillandsia Care? -Air plants are currently seeing an explosive revival in their popularity. These bromeliads from the genus Tillandsia, with their many different sculptural forms and often quirky shapes, plus their ability to grow without roots and soil, lend themselves easily for use in all kinds of creative decorative ways. More importantly, if cared for correctly they can become long lived and cherished members of anyone’s plant collection. David, a longtime Tillandsia fancier, will discuss the basics for successful growing and bring along some interesting specimens from his private collection for you to see!

David Burdick of Daffodils & More in Dalton MA purchased his first air plants at the Boston Flower Show in the 1980’s and has been enjoying growing and learning about them ever since. David Burdick’s thirty some years of working in the horticultural industry has included extended stints at both wholesale growing and retail nursery operations, with a nine year run wedged in between as an educator and horticulturist at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA.  He will be displaying a wide array of Tillandsia, with special mention of those easiest for homeowner success.  

3:00 – The Art of Bonsai– Late winter and early spring is the perfect time to get started in Bonsai. Plants outside start to come back to life and Bonsai trees are no exception. Bonsai expert Joel Mullen will demonstrate exactly how to begin this mysterious hobby. Joel will show where horticulture and art intersect while also teaching how fun and easy growing your own bonsai trees can be. 

Joel Mullen has practiced, trained and apprenticed with many of the Northeast’s finest Bonsai artists. He has taught Bonsai at Tower Hill Botanic Garden and is the president of the Kaikou Bonsai Study Group based at the New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, MA. 

Sunday, March 8^th  2020

10:00-2:00 – Wildlife Encounters – Derek Small, owner of Wildlife Encounters of Rochester, NH, will bring some of his exotic friends to visit with you.  Learn about some of the creatures that coexist with the diverse plant groups on exhibit today.

Wildlife Encounters’ owner, Derek Small, and some staff are professional members of various zoological, wildlife and conservation entities and many have degrees in biology, wildlife ecology, sustainable agriculture, conservation and more! They believe that public education, and a resulting change in human and societal behaviors and practices, are key to the objective of living environmentally and personally responsible lives that will help conserve and protect global biodiversity.  Their philosophy, morality, conduct and messages focus on communicating the interdependent relationship between their three core mission components: Animals, People and Earth.

10:00-3:00 – Killer Plants in your home – Dave Sackett, President of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, will be visiting us  for the afternoon to talk about growing carnivorous plants.  Come chat with Dave and learn expert tips and specific growing requirements to successfully grow fly traps, pitcher plants, butterworts and sundews. 

Dave Sackett has spent 20 years growing carnivorous plants! He is a founding member of the volunteer group New England Carnivorous Plant Society and he is now the President.  Dave enjoys helping people learn to grow these amazing plants. Dave works as Corporate Controller for a high tech company and has two giant terrariums in his office that he tends to on a daily basis.  He maintains hundreds of exotic plants, mostly carnivorous, but also orchids, ant plants, fruit trees, etc. between his home and work without a greenhouse!

11:00 – Knowing and Growing Gesneriads – the African Violet Family– Bob and Dee Stewart will be visiting from Stow, Mass to teach you all about Gesneriads!  This family of plants includes African Violets, Streptocarpus, Gloxinia, Primulina (aka Chirita), Lipstick, Goldfish plants and more.  They will provide an overview of the groups of plants and growing information for each group.  Observe demos of repotting, propagating and pruning.  They will also showcase some really cool plants from their home collection, not to be missed!

Bob and Dee Stewart are both retired from the computer industry and now active members with The Gesneriad Society as well as their local chapter.  They stumbled upon the Gesneriad Society booth at the New England Spring Flower show back in about 1972 and have been growing gesneriads ever since! They graduated from a 2-foot light stand in their apartment bedroom to a basement full of light stands in their house to a 9′ x 30′ lean-to greenhouse along the back of the house to a 24’ x 30’ evenspan greenhouse.  Bob and Dee are particularly interested in species rather than hybrids and especially in unusual species, but the truth is they grow a little bit of everything in the gesneriad world!

1:00 – Favorite Orchids for your Home – Bob Cleveland, owner of Bob Cleveland Orchids, will guide you through plant selection, proper care and maintenance, repotting and mounting!  Growing orchids is nothing to be afraid of and Bob will prepare you with the information you need to successfully grow and bloom a beautiful orchid in your home.  Bob will also be selling his home grown orchids for the day, Sunday only 8am-5pm!

Bob Cleveland, owner Bob Cleveland Orchids, Portland, Maine, Past President, Maine Orchid Society.

3:00 – Traveling Cactus and Succulent Show – Learn all about cactus and succulents with Art Scarpa, current Vice President of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Mass.  Art will teach you how to select the right plant for your home, proper care and fertilization, repotting tricks and tips, and how to get your cactus or succulent to bloom.  On display will be some of his prized specimens for you to admire!  Come visit, learn and get all your cactus and succulent questions answered.  

Art was awarded Mass Hort’s Gold Medal in 2013 and has spoken at and led workshops at garden clubs and flower shows all over the Northeast. He is a founder and past president of the Cactus & Succulent Society of Mass. and is certified as a judge by the Cactus & Succulent Society of America.  Art has won multiple Best in Show awards for his entries at the Boston Flower & Garden Show, the Newport Flower Show and regional cactus and succulent shows. 

 No sign up is necessary.  Free and Open to the Public!