It wasn't even the official spring has sprung date when we were inundated
with gardening shows and conventions. The honey and I have been going
to the Indianapolis Flower and Patio show since we were in high school.
His family was in the nursery and landscaping business and they always had a
beautiful full garden display.
It was last Friday afternoon about 3:00. The show was winding down
or gearing up for the last weekend. There were plenty of close in parking
places. Should have been my first clue. No line at the ticket
booth where we shelled out $12.00 EACH to get in.
Should have paid attention to the most OBVIOUS clue when we went to the
building we always went to and there was a sign pointing around the corner,
down the sidewalk and across the street to what used to be the 2nd building
of the Flower and Patio Show.
Although nobody cares about my opinion, I'll tell you with all honesty
and a straight face that the Indianapolis Flower and Patio show was a
complete BUST this year. The reason our usual building entrance wasn't
open was because the show didn't make it that far. The 'cattle barn' at the
State Fairgrounds was as far as it went and as good as it got.
I think there is some good common sense in using a cattle barn for a
flower and patio show. All that organic fertilizer smells a lot
like the cow poop aroma that usually permeates the building no matter how
hard they power wash the floors. Truth be told, with all the flowers
and food smells, the cow poop is pretty much sublimated.
So ok, there was only one building, we sighed at the $24 non refundable
admission we paid and vowed to find one cool new thing at the show. There
were famous horticulturists from Purdue scheduled for presentations in 2
hours. The lecture/show area was deserted.
There were waterless cookware and chopping knife demonstrations. All of the
gardens were nearly identical in that they all used the same rocks. And
I don't mean the same color rock. The same rocks. Every display used
exactly the same rocks as the previous one did. I'll admit that there
isn't much huge variety in spring blooming flowers and shrubs but every
display had every flower with very few exotic or interesting species.
There were no corn dogs which almost caused the honey to cry and came
close to making us leave after only one short trip around the room.
That whole $24 thing got to us again so we groused about it and made one
more slower more careful trip through the poorly described 'show'.
We found NOT one cool new thing. We did show some interest in rain
water collection and irrigation systems. The cost of which well and beyond exceeding our five
year water usage bill. Oh and it required a hole in the ground bigger
than the swimming pool I want. This is what I told the over eager
sales boy, "There is no way in hell there will be a hole that big dug in my
yard if there isn't a swimming pool installed in its place." Hated to
burst his bubble that way but he was just pissin' me off. Ya know?
So we had seen what we could see, tried twice around to find one cool new
thing. We sat dejectedly on a bench and I looked at my watch. It
was 4:00. One whole hour. Oh great, we get to drive home in rush
hour.
And then.... And then.... on Saturday we had just the greatest fun!
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