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- The path led me back to the section of mist houses. I kept trying to digest it all but I could not. I was fighting to keep it all from becoming a blur. - I was at the main pathway again, looking into various benches and areas under shade cloth when the sun began to shine in stronger...

- My new companions and I passed through the mist house and made our way through some utility sections of the nursery. One of them didn't care too much for spider webs so we had to carefully maneuver on through. We rounded a big corner and headed down a long pathway that followed along the front...

- Next to the Ptychosperma elegans, was a 'sort-of' familiar flowering shrub. It looked just like the Pagoda Flower, Clerodendrum paniculatum, but the flowers were white instead of orange. I found out later this is a different species of Clerodendrum altogether, but I forgot to write it down...

- We looked over the Medinilla sieboldiana for a few minutes then the conversation quickly shifted to Crotons. I decided I could cover more ground and see more plants if I stuck with a group of people. I followed Marie and Jeff as they went further into the nursery to one of the Croton vaults...

- Almost two full hours into the night after the preview started, the auction was still going strong. Humor was around every corner and could have been included in any plant description. This is part of the greatness found in most plant societies. Reggie held up an empty mounting plaque and...

- The outer tables began to empty as plants were brought up front and placed behind the auctioneers. Multiples of the same plant were auctioned off together with a group style of bidding that worked well. I had to choose my shooting position carefully to make sure I was out of the way, but I...

- The uproar in laughter was kept mostly to the front few rows of the audience. It seemed to be more subdued as people began to bid on the variegated Lady Palm, R. excelsa. The giggles were still contagious though. It went on to sell for $140.00. - Every time I looked to the back, the...

- "Hold her, hold her up!" This Croton got the preferred treatment as it was held up high for all to see during its auction. - The Encephalartos hildebrandtii was up next and provided a modicum of attention and bidding. A little extra attention was given since the gender of the plant was...

- A rather spiny species of Neoregelia made its way into the auction. This bromeliad had the unique behavior of clumping at large distances. A new pup would emerge at the end of a long section of stem a good distance from the mother plant. - The audience began to thin out about an hour...

- A welcome surprise to the auction, a 'species' Begonia. I could not hear the name during the description but this is a species of Begonia, as opposed to the numerous hybrids and cultivars that one usually encounters in the plant world. In the left of the frame, Craig Morrell - Director of...

- Certain plants came with visual aids, some of which were a black and white copy. This did not to justice to a plant your trying to promote with colorful flowers. It became a running gag when people asked "What color..." something was the auctioneers replied with "they're black and white." One...

- The Plant Holding area in the back room filled up fast. I still don't know how they squeezed all those plants into this one area, but they pulled it off. - Tom was auctioning off another plant being moved around the room, as Reggie gets ready to do the next plant, another Croton...

- Next up, a 3 gal. White Torch Ginger, Etlingera elatior. It was donated by Jeff Searle who was on my left describing the plant and how it grows to the audience. - Jeff went on to mention how the flower originated from a landscaped specimen in his yard, and not from the pot. He had...

- People were still getting over the extreme bidding that had just occurred as the auction continued unabated. The plants came fast and often. It was at times hard to keep track of it all, but in the end it was a good thing for a good cause. There were a lot of plants to go through in only a few...

- Let the stars of the galaxy shine down upon thee. People were still reeling from the previous croton in the auction when we went right into the next one. Another token plant of the evening and the title plant of the topic, the 'Milky Way' specimen was up for bid. The paper plates also went up...

- In addition to the plant auction, there were also many books on display as part of a silent auction. This area I went to first. There were many Fern books and other books covering different plant groups. Some items of note included the third edition of Hortus there on the left, and a copy of...

- Hmm what to get, what to try... Lenny carefully looks over his dessert options. - Food! Many donated plates and various dishes supplied a wide range of delicious food. You had to sample everything or as much as you could, and I tried. It was a few days before Halloween so a few holiday...

- The weird, strange and very rare could be found all in one plant. This is Psilotum complanatum a species of whisk fern, originally collected near Kota Bharu, Malaysia. It is technically a fern, although it has differences that make it stand out, including the fact that it has no leaves. It is...

- The reactions to plants and plant names were exuberant. I began to believe that this auction might have some heavy bidding involved. People were doing their mental checklists as they walked around, ate food and greeted friends and fellow enthusiasts. They mentally arranged favorites...

- Many of the plants, especially the Ferns were unknown to me, so it was a good time to learn new species. This is a Silver Dollar Maidenhair, Adiantum peruvianum. The leaflets are large for a maidenhair fern, and grow to a size roughly larger than a silver dollar. As seen on the lower part of...