Philadelphia Flower Show - Sweatpants Not Included

Each year, there is at least one competition which gives the entrants a space which is supposed to represent a certain type of room, and they are to interpret the theme with plants and various accouterments. For example, in 2019 the contest was an 'interiorscape,' showing any interior room of a house.

This year the intent was to create a "home office oasis for plant lovers that makes working fun." The name was Sweatpants Not Included.

Two entries tied for 2nd place, with no 3rd place ribbon awarded. I'll show you those first.

This is called "Aloha from the Mainland." Intent: "My mainland office has transformed into an island oasis."

The judges said, "the quality and diversity" of plants executed the category statement well, but they wanted the rug to fit the space better- they did not like how it overlapped the edge of the platform.

The other second place winner is my favorite. It's called "A Wet Suit Required." Intent: "The sailing ship is the oceanographer's home."

The judges said it was creative and they liked the warmth of the space. In this case, they thought there was too much diversity of plant material. (I basically think you can never make the judges happy.)

I'm going to show you the opposite corner of the same "room." I really thought they did a great job of using land plants to mimic a bed of seaweed.

Now for fourth place. This one was clearly not as good, but it was created by high school students: "Play is Work is Play." The Intent is: "When you are a child, is there really a distinction?"

The judges said it was innovative and unique, but there wasn't good balance.

Here's the one the judges liked and gave the blue ribbon, "Unlocking the Secrets of Plants." Intent: "The plants' intricacies and variations captivate her, inspiring continued inquiry."

The judges used words like "quality," "fun and cozy." They thought it captured the home work environment.

It's nice, but probably too formal for me. Not to mention pink and purple.

In other news: I spent the day cleaning out Sunny and repacking him. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and I wanted to get as much of that done on a nice day as possible.

I'm not sure I learned anything worth repeating. I couldn't sleep last night and spent the hours trying out the Draft2Digital print option. I learned that it's more expensive than KDP Amazon. But anyway, I now have an account, and I ordered a couple of copies to see how the quality compares. I signed up for Reading Rocks in Rockford which is all about children's books. I did errands. I learned (noted) that Sunny is no longer new. That's OK, because he's been well used and loved in the process, but it seems so recently that I was celebrating the pristine flooring and how well each of the parts fit together. Now, this summer, I'll need to do some repairs and re-fitting of some parts.

See This Year's Heuchera

This Year's Heuchera

As you know, I love Heuchera, also known as coral bells or alumroot. It's almost always grown for the foliage rather than the flowers. Gardeners have tinkered with it for centuries, and there are hundreds of varieties across the maybe 40 species. The species intergrade naturally, let alone with the help of breeders, so attaching an exact species name to any plant may be tough. However, the varieties are usually patented by various companies. The genus is named for Johann Heinrich von Heucher, a German physician of the 18th century.

This year, I saw a couple new ones at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and there was also a small garden vendor at the Expo this past weekend, and they had three more.

This is 'Ball Gown,' at the Expo. The leaves are large and a clear green. That's a little unusual- there is often some variation of color from the center of the leaf to the edge.

This is one with dark purple leaves called 'Wildberry,' also at the Expo.

This one is from the Flower Show, and I like it a lot. The plant seems to have been drenched in dappled sunlight because the leaves vary from bright green to almost yellow. Its variety is 'Citronelle.'

Back to the Expo. This specimen isn't very full, and it may look a bit faded in the picture. It's one of the many, many attempts to approach black with the leaf color. It's by Grande (TM) and is just called 'Black' with the hybrid number TNHEUGB. Pictures on the company web site are much darker. Of course, this is the risk with cultivars... what you get may not be quite what the pictures looked like or what you hoped.

I've saved the best for last, although it's actually a cross between a Heuchera and a Tiarella, called a Heucherella. The variety is 'Solar Power.' I've actually run across this one before, but this display was gorgeous. I may not previously have realized it was a cross between two genera, so that is my new fact for today.

I'm actively getting ready to leave for the trail. Later this week!

See Heuchera

Fred Sings for Me

  I am safely home from the weekend at the Women's Expo. I finished with the account in the black, but the total sales were disappointing for spending three days at it. There must be a more consistent way to market books or make money, but I sure haven't found it yet. I don't think I'm greedy, I just need it to be more than a hobby. It really needs to be supplemental income.

I will add that no one had stellar sales. Traffic was good, but nothing like the crowds of some other years. I'm not complaining, but one has to analyze what works and what doesn't. Given how much I hate driving into downtown Grand Rapids, the noise, and the logistics of inexpensive parking, I'm not sure I'll do this show again. On the other hand... there were 18 authors there, and being present is worth something that is a bit intangible.

It did feel surprisingly good to be back in the author world. I'm no longer anything like a newbie, and I like being able to help other people and introduce them to more people who might be able to answer their questions. I liked discussing author-type issues with other authors.

That said, I REALLY like being home where it is quiet and I don't have to do anything for the next few hours.

I stayed with my friends Fred and Margie for the overnights. We were all too tired to do much more than say hello the two evenings, but we did get a bit of quality time this morning. I neglected to take a picture of Margie or Zed the dog (one of my favorite doggie friends [cover your ears, Sophie Rose!]). However, Fred wanted to share a hymn with me that he had recently discovered, so he sang it for me. If you want to see Margie and Zed, you can follow the link below to another visit.

He also suggested a book series I might like to read. We have similar tastes, so I'm sure he's right.

Tomorrow, I'll try to keep working on my projects, and I also need to start getting ready to go back to the trail. I sure don't know how it got be be almost the end of March already.

See A Wonderful Weekend

Dinosaurs Didn't Read

  Dinosaurs didn't read and look what happened to them.

In fact, the dinosaur was so uneducated, it threatened several authors. I think it chose our tallest author because it couldn't even see us small people.

But then it came and got my books. I don't know if it wanted to eat them or try to read them.

And that's the end of the tale.

Selling books for 8 hours is a long day. Two in a row. Only 6 hours tomorrow. Several of us went out to dinner afterwards and that was a good time. I'm in the black on the event. Tomorrow is all profit. Yippie!

See PFS- Spiral Cactus

Philadelphia Flower Show - Spiral Cactus

  I'm way too tired to do a long post tonight. Have a very cool spiral cactus, Cereus repandus "sprialis."

I posted one picture of the Expo on Facebook. You don't need much else unless the authors get together for a photo. It's another vendor show, rght? Today was very slow. We all need it to be better tomorrow. I'm staying with friend, but we are all way too tired for pictures tonight.

See PFS- Brain Forest