Trade Secrets 2018

May 21, 2018

Among my favorite events of the year is the Trade Secrets rare plant and gardening antiques sale - I always try to go if my schedule allows.

This weekend, despite all the rain here in the Northeast, more than a thousand visitors attended the annual Trade Secrets event in the picturesque town of Sharon, Connecticut. This philanthropic sale draws 60 of the region's finest growers, dealers, and artisans together every spring to sell unusual plants, garden antiques, and other unique outdoor objects. Trade Secrets was developed by interior designer, Bunny Williams, when she conducted the very first sale to downsize her collection of plants in her greenhouse 18-years ago. It was a success from the very beginning, and is now run at LionRock Farm. The proceeds go to the Women’s Support Services in northwestern Connecticut.

It's a wonderful sale and a very important cause - here are some photos. Enjoy.

: This is Trade Secrets’ 18th year anniversary. I always like to get there bright and early on the first day of this two-day event. It’s such a wonderful place to learn about unique and beautiful garden plants.

: The town of Sharon is surrounded by Salisbury to the north, the Housatonic River to the east, Kent, Connecticut to the south, and to the west, Dutchess County, New York. It was a foggy, cold and rainy day, but gardeners still arrived early and eager to shop.

: With all there is to see and learn, it’s a good time and a good cause rain or shine. Vendors from around the northeast region set-up their wares under tents at the LionRock farm, a 600-acre working farm often used for large events. http://www.lionrockfarm.com

: One of the first people I saw was master potter, Guy Wolff. His tent is always filled with beautiful pots. Guy’s shop is in nearby Bantam, Connecticut. http://www.guywolff.com

: I am always happy to see Guy’s pottery – everything he makes is so beautifully handcrafted in his studio.

: I have been using Wolff pots for many years. Guy has been on my television shows, and his pottery has been featured in my magazines, on my web site at marthastewart.com, and on this blog. http://www.themarthablog.com/2015/12/a-visit-to-guy-wolff-pottery-in-bantam-connecticut.html

: This tent was filled with plants from Atlock Farm. I visited their farm in Somerset, New Jersey several years ago. They always have such wonderful specimens. http://www.marthastewart.com/908015/visit-atlock-farms

: Among their specialties is topiaries. Atlock Farm began producing topiary plants in 1987.

: Trade Secrets has so many beautiful plant specimens from which to choose. This is Polygonatum ‘New Yorker’, also known as Solomon’s Seal. All of the stems arch in different directions giving it a pretty bouquet appearance.

: Podophyllum peltatum or Mayapple. I planted many of these in my Stewartia garden at my farm. These plants with big umbrella-like leaves are great for use as ground cover.

: This is Jeffersonia dubia, Asian Twinleaf. It’s a popular plant among beginning gardeners because it is easy to care for and maintain.

: Trade Secrets benefits Women’s Support Services, an organization which offers free confidential assistance to victims of domestic violence. It is so nice to see such a good turnout every year to help them. http://www.wssdv.org

: RT Facts Design is located in nearby Kent, Connecticut. It offers modern furniture made to coordinate nicely with antiques or contemporary settings – and everything is made in Litchfield County. https://www.rtfacts.com/

: Here are two handsome dog figures at the RT Facts Design booth.

: Pergola is also based in Litchfield County. They offer unusual and interesting pieces that change with the seasons. http://www.pergolahome.com/about.html

: Here are two elegant stone urns – perfect for planting on the next sunny day.

: There were many different kinds of antique planters – made from every material known, such as marble, stone, clay and metal. Here is a very large and heavy planter from Passports Antiques. http://www.passportscollection.com/

: We also saw these planters and the canine trio made of stone – a nice choice for a garden. The two bigger dogs were bought soon after this photo was taken.

: The distinctive pots of Pennoyer Newman were also at this year’s Trade Secrets sale – I love these pots. They are containers that have been cast from estate originals. They’re made of pummeled stone and marble blended with resin, which help make them so lightweight. http://www.pennoyernewman.com

: This year, they also had this charming Whippet.

: Trade Secrets is also a nice source for other outdoor antiques such as these giant antique fire pits from Marvin Gardens. http://marvingardensusa.com/

: Conifer Kingdom carried a lot of wonderful specimens that I love. Conifers are any gymnosperm tree or shrub of the phylum Coniferophyta. They typically bear cones and evergreen leaves and include pines, spruces, larches, yews, junipers, cedars, cypresses and sequoias. http://www.coniferkingdom.com

: In the back of one of the fields is this installation set up by Black Barn and Topiary Design in Richmond, Massachusetts.

: Cricket Hill Garden has a booth here every year. They bring dozens of gorgeous tree peonies – it’s always a popular spot for buyers. https://www.treepeony.com/

: On this day, they had lots of pink, red and white colored peonies.

: Kent Hunter and Jonathan Bee are the owners of Hunter Bee, a quirky collection of industrial objects, mid-century modern furniture and American country pieces. http://www.hunterbee.com/

: Here is one of two metal tabletop peacocks from Hunter Bee. It reminded me of my dear peafowl back at the farm.

: These smaller items are from Plain and Elegant Antiques. They offer larger furniture pieces and outdoor garden ornaments as well as smaller indoor objects. http://www.plainandelegantantiques.com/

: At the Privet House booth was this interesting wood sculpture. Privet House bills itself as ‘An Emporium of Home Goods, Antiques and Curiosities’. https://privethouse.com

: When buying items at Trade Secrets, everyone is assigned an ID number, which is then tagged on each purchase and taken to a holding area for pick-up at the end of the visit. This very organized system makes it convenient for patrons to continue shopping.

: Some of the vendors were from other states. Hoffman & Woodward is located in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. They displayed many interesting and more utilitarian objects for the home and garden.

: Hammertown Barn is also another longtime Trade Secrets vendor. This year, they had these fun ottomans and pillows. https://hammertown.com/

: For this Trade Secrets, I was invited to do a book signing for my newest book, “Martha’s Flowers”. Before the book signing event started, visitors were able to buy copies of the book.

: There were also copies available to buy as guests stood in line – it’s a great gift for anyone who loves flowers.

: The book signing was scheduled mid-morning, so I was able to do all my own shopping before the event. Kevin and I signed more than 100-books.

: And the line was out the door – even on such a rainy day.

: Kevin and I stopped for a photo with Elaine LaRoche, event host and owner of LionRock Farm. We conducted the book signing from the front hall of her home.

: All around Elaine’s gorgeous farmhouse were beautiful floral arrangements.

: These tulips looked so pretty on the coffee table.

: And more lilacs were in this vessel on the kitchen counter.

: While Kevin and I signed books and greeted visitors, Ryan carefully placed each item into the back of the truck and checked it off the list to make sure we got everything we bought. Fortunately, we drove two trucks up, so there was plenty of room.