3rd Annual Show & Sale
Saturday, October 4
Sunday, October 5
10 am to 3 pm each day
7209 County Rd 12, Naples NY 14512
Public welcome, no admission, free parking
What:
- Judged show with 200 exhibition quality plants
- 1,000's more for sale
- Educational information
- Refreshments
The schedule:
Saturday, October 4. 9:00 am.
"Making gesneriads irresistible: Unlocking their horticultural potential".
Dr John L Clark, botanist from Selby gardens in Sarasota, Florida. John has spent a lifetime in collecting native gesneriads in Central and South America and is an expert in his field. We are honored that he's accepted our invitation to speak and you won't want to miss this opportunity. Pre-registration is required to attend this presentation.
Saturday, October 4. 10 am to 3 pm.
Sales and show open to all.
Saturday, October 4. 2 pm.
"The rare and unusual. What about them?"
Olive Ma Robinson of the Violet Barn. Rare and unusual doesn't mean difficult to grow. It might mean knowing what makes it happy. Rare and unusual often just means what they need is different than what you provide your other plants. Not all plants are the same!
Sunday, October 5. 9 am.
Tour of Violet Barn facilities and growing areas.
Olive will take you "behind the scenes", on a tour of the entire Violet Barn (some of which won't be open to the public later) with insight on how we work and grow plants here. Pre-registration is required to attend this tour.
Sunday, October 5. 10 am. to 3 pm.
Sunday, October 5. 10 am.
"Succeeding with Episcias".
Ralph (Rob) Robinson of the Violet Barn. Episcias are the most colorful of the African violet relatives and are easier to grow and bloom than you might realize. They do need to be "tamed" to grow and look their best. Rob will give a "hands on" demonstration of how we grow episcias.
Details:
Our previous two events were a huge success, with visitors travelling from far and wide. More than 150 attended over the two days, with more than 1/4 of the visitors from out of state. This year's event should be even bigger and better.
There will be both large (standard violets, streptocarpus) and small (miniatures), among others, displayed as fully grown specimens (we started growing them as soon last years show ended). Last year's event had close to 200 showplants on display, most of them large specimens. We are now growing, and hope to show as large specimens, an even greater variety of plants this year, including many of the other gesneriads.
A "sneak" peak at new varieties that we are growing for 2026 and beyond!
Sales plants will be available of the displayed, and not displayed, plants. The "show" plants will be for sale as well and can be taken home at the end of the event. (Sorry, we cannot ship the larger plants--these must be picked up in person at the shop). If you come on Sunday, you will not miss out! We will have unique plants available both days and will restock the sales items. Special offers on plants sold after 1 pm Sunday.
Our staff will be on hand and happy to answer questions, should you have them, or provide advice, should you request it.
Complimentary snacks and refreshments (both hot and cold, beverages and other "goodies") provided. When not viewing or shopping, sit back, "talk plants", have a snack, and enjoy!
As we don't have regular visitor hours, we hope that you attend this event. We plan to make it worth your time. If you do plan on attending, let us know so we can plan accordingly.
Interested? RSVP* at: comments@violetbarn.com
Not required (please attend even without telling us!), but helpful.
Comments about last year's event:
Soo happy my mom and I were able to stop by yesterday! Beautiful set up! Hoping to purchase a few show plants next year
Absolutely outstanding!!! See you all next year.
It was amazing! Thanks for opening the doors to us.
It was Awesome!!!!
Our group had a great time. The tour was great, the flower gorgeous, education of the various ways to grow, and your great staff!
After attending your open house, I put to use all the tips that you shared. What a difference! Of my 27 violets, 21 have been in continuous bloom and I can finally relate to other customer's reviews.
It was a great presentation! If you like African violets and or gesneriads AND you are able to, you should definitely check out their open house!
Enjoy fall in Naples and the Finger Lakes!
There are many things to do and see in our area. Our area is a place of natural beauty and is a popular destination for day-trippers and sightseers. Our barn is located overlooking Canandaigua lake, in the beautiful Bristol hills. The village of Naples is a short 3 mile drive down the hill. The small city of Canandaigua is on the lake's north end, about a 20 minute drive from us.
For information on recreation, shopping, dining, and lodging visit: explorenaplesny.com