By Lenny Goldstein
The month of December got off to a notable start on the 1st with the annual holiday party of the South Florida Palm Society. For the third straight year, we were joined by the Tropical Flowering Tree Society for an enjoyable evening.
Once again Peter Ostrowsky of TFTS did yeoman’s work in setting up and staffing the beverage station. He was ably assisted by Sally Philips and Val Carroll. No one went home hungry, either. There are some wonderful cooks in both clubs, and they brought their best. We feasted heartily, but, of course, not gluttonously.
And there were plants everywhere! Rhapis excelsa stems donated by the Kiem Foundation decorated each dinner table, and the assortment of live plants was stunning! Some of them were raffled off: TFTS director Paul Gehrke brought an array of new Poinsettia cultivars, and SFPS member George Bailey donated a large batch of Phalaenopsis orchids in flower.
Debbie Neville once again managed the silent auction which has become a Palm Society tradition. Before the start of the live auction, five SFPS members were elected to its board of directors for three-year terms starting in January. Incumbents Karen Bradley, Horace Hobbs, and Laz Priegues were reelected, and Ben Koubek and Clay Porch were added to the board.
Then came the highly-anticipated live auction, and it did not disappoint. As usual Ellis Brown had performed miracles in rounding up donations from a number of nurseries, and other individuals added to the really impressive collection of plants. Below is a list of those who contributed to the auction. (It’s possible that in the rush of arrivals just before the party, we might have missed recording the name of a donor; if so, we apologize.) Beneath the names of contributors is a partial list of the plants that were auctioned off. Ellis Brown once again merits kudos for giving bidders information about every plant that was auctioned off.
Added note from David Lord. Lenny Goldstein volunteered at the last minute to be our auctioneer, and he did a terrific job.
DONORS
George Bailey
Tom Dickinson
Lewis Eastlick
Paulette Johnson
David Lord
Armando Reyes
Brad Stark
Peter Warner
J+K Nursery
Nature’s Tapestry Nursery
Redland Nursery
St. Germain Nursery
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Naples Botanical Garden
PLANTS
Acrocomia crispa
Agave nizandensis
Aiphanes minima
Allagoptera caudescens
Archontophoenix purpurea
Archontophoenix tuckeri
Areca catechu (dwarf)
Areca vestiaria (maroon)
Areca vestiaria (red)
Calyptrocalyx hollrungii
Carpoxylon macrospermum (multiple)
Chambeyronia macrocarpa
Chelyocarpus chuco
Chloroleucon tortum (multiple)
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens (dwarf)
Coccothrinax proctorii
Coccothrinax spissa
Coccothrinax hybrid (crinita X ?)
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Fishbone’
Copernicia fallaensis
Copernicia hospita (seedlings)
Copernicia rigida
Cordyline cultivars
Cryosophila stauracantha
Cyrtostachys renda (multiple)
Cyrtostachys hybrid (renda X ?)
Dictyosperma album var. conjugatum
Dypsis rosea (multiple)
Enterolobium sp.
Guaiacum sanctum
Howea forsteriana
Hydriastele sp. ‘Obi Island’ (multiple)
Iriartea deltoidea
Itaya amicorum
Licuala peltata var. sumawongii (multiple)
Phoenicophorium borsigianum
Pinanga coronata
Pseudophoenix lediniana
Ptychosperma lineare
Ptychosperma schefferi
Rhapis excelsa (dwarf)
Socratea salazarii
Syagrus amara
Thrinax radiata (multiple)
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