Dianne Davis, the founder and president of the area America in Bloom was surprised at the turnout but pleased.
“It was a mob!” she said later.
“We had maybe three-thousand plants and we haven’t counted how many were left,” but many, many more plants found new homes than were left on the sale tables.
Davis was pleased by the reception given to the event: “We had a lot of comments, many people said this was a great idea, how much they love succulents and because of the drought they want to cut down on watering.
“Others said they came out just to support AIB and the FFA because they like what we’re doing for the town,” with regular plantings, cleanup events and maintenance.
AIB is famed for the hanging flower baskets and street planters in the historic Downtown area, an effort started by Davis and her husband Dudley, who recently retired from their Do Right’s Plant Nursery.
America in Bloom also stages the annual Big Plant Sale with Santa Clara Valley Hospice-Home Support Group, this year to be held April 23 and April 24 at the former car dealership on South Hallock Drive.
The succulent sale very possibly will be back next year: “I was really surprised and pleased with the turnout…we had an awful lot of people show up for the sale,” including AIB members and community volunteers who were kept busy by the crowd.
And, noted Davis, “It was a lot fun! All the FFA kids were there with their official shirts on and were so helpful…they were waiting on customers, so helpful, such a great group of kids, the best, as is Alex Flores,” the FFA advisor.
“In our first hour when we were mobbed and I gave one of the FFA kids my cell phone and a sixty-second lesson on how to process a credit card on it…she took right to it, said ‘this is really fun!’ The FFA kids are great to work with!”
For more information on AIB visit the Facebook page: America in Bloom Santa Paula or the webpage, http://www.santapaulainbloom.com/
