Trade Secrets 2019
Among my favorite events of the year is the Trade Secrets Rare Plant and Garden Antiques Sale - and this year, the weather was absolutely perfect.
I always make it a point to attend Trade Secrets every spring. On Saturday my schedule was exceptionally tight - Trade Secrets in the early morning, and then to New York City for my granddaughter's dance recital in the afternoon, but it all worked out. More than 1500-visitors attend Trade Secrets in the picturesque town of Sharon, Connecticut. The philanthropic sale draws growers, dealers, and artisans together to sell unusual plants, garden antiques, and other unique outdoor objects. Trade Secrets was developed by interior designer, Bunny Williams in the year 2000 when she conducted the very first sale to downsize her collection of plants in her greenhouse. It was a success from the very beginning and is now run at LionRock Farm. The proceeds from Trade Secrets 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.
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- This is Trade Secrets’ 19th year anniversary. I always like to get there bright and early on the first day of this two-day event. This year, because of all the rain over the last few weeks, parking moved to nearby LimeRock Park, so we arrived there even earlier than usual. We left my Bedford, New York farm promptly at 5:30am and pulled in to LionRock just before 7am.
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- With all there is to see and learn, it’s a good time and a good cause, rain or shine. At least 60-vendors from around the northeast region set-up under tents at LionRock, a 600-acre working farm often used for large events. http://www.lionrockfarm.com
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- The grounds of LionRock Farm, owned by Elaine LaRoche, are always so beautifully manicured. And this year, it was a beautiful day – little to no wind and highs in the 70s.
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- One of my favorite stops is Conifer Kingdom. It always carries 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
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- I love the more rare specimens with unique and colorful cones – there were many from which to choose.
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- I selected these two Pinus contorta var. latifolia ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ – a narrow, upright tree form of Lodgepole pine with short, open branching and medium-length dark green needles. In spring, it shows off fresh growth in bright golden-yellow.
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- These six hanging planters also caught my eye at the Dave & Bonnie Ferriss tent. I often like to buy multiples of items I like – they look so pretty displayed together. Dave and Bonnie are dealers from Lake Luzerne, New York who specialize in architectural garden ornaments, folk art, and country furniture.
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- Glendale Botanicals from Glendale Massachusetts also had some beautiful plants for sale. https://www.glendalebotanicals.com/
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- I call this Lady’s slipper orchid “Jude’s orchid” after my granddaughter – the long, hanging petals remind me of Jude’s pigtails.
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- Glendale Botanicals also carried some gorgeous Staghorn ferns, Platycerium. I purchased two of them.
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- This particular booth was run by Hillside Nursery, a small nursery, plant culture lab, and research facility in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. I visit this tent every year. http://www.hillsidenursery.biz
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- At the Privet House booth was this pretty settee. Privet House bills itself as ‘An Emporium of Home Goods, Antiques and Curiosities’. Their displays are always very pretty. https://privethouse.com
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- I took this photo of this interesting table with three large animal feet as its legs – so many interesting pieces this year.
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- Dawn Hill Antiques had this whimsical set of woodland themed plates with rabbits frolicking through a garden – much better on plates than in real life. https://dawnhillantiques.com/
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- McCue Gardens based in Wethersfield, Connecticut offered many young plantings – so colorful and so lush. https://www.facebook.com/mccuegardens/
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- This year, there were two more plant vendors than antiques vendors – a nice combination of specialty dealers who are very knowledgeable about the items they sell.
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- Green Bee Greenhouse is a small family-owned nursery located in Cornwallville, New York that focuses on growing vegetable starts, perennials, and shrubs including small fruits. http://www.greenebeegreenhouse.com/
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- In the back of one of the fields is this giant trellis planted with hornbeams.
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- Nearby, this installation set up by Black Barn and Topiary Design in Richmond, Massachusetts. Beautiful sights of Sharon can be seen in the distance. 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.
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- Jeffrey Henkel, a private antiques and design dealer had these faux bois planters at his tent. I love the faux mushrooms on the sides. https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyhenkel/
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- Judy Milne always has many large and beautiful outdoor garden ornaments and planting containers. I almost bought these peacocks, but unfortunately, they were a little too small to display near my peafowl palais.
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- Judy Milne has a shop called At Home Antiques and Design in Kingston, New York. She carries folk art, furniture, decorative accessories and garden antiques. http://milneinc.com/
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- There were many different kinds of antique planters – made from every material known, such as marble, stone, clay, and metal. Here are two that I love because of their size and shape – I purchased them both from Passports Antiques. http://www.passportscollection.com/
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- Passports also offered this table of canine garden ornaments – alas, no French Bulldogs or Chow Chows this time.
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- Pondside Nursery from Hudson, New York was another great tent to visit. I got several plants here for the farm. http://www.pondsidenursery.com/
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- Hammertown Barn is a longtime Trade Secrets vendor. This year, they had these fun pillows and benches. https://hammertown.com/
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- Trade Secrets is also a nice source for unusual outdoor antiques such as these metal blue agaves from Marvin Gardens. http://marvingardensusa.com/
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- One of the vendors I always stop to see is master potter, Guy Wolff. His tent is always filled with beautiful pots. Guy’s shop is in nearby Bantam, Connecticut. http://www.guywolff.com
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- I am always happy to see Guy’s pottery – everything he makes is so beautifully handcrafted in his studio.
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- 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
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- At the Marston House tent, I loved this large plant stand. Marston is located in Wiscassett, Maine. http://www.marstonhouse.com
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- 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 such as these shears and handmade pruners.
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- Here is a basket of dibbers for planting seeds and bulbs.
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- 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. It is always so nice to see how much people buy for this great cause. Trade Secrets benefits Women’s Support Services, an organization which offers free confidential assistance to victims of domestic violence. http://www.wssdv.org
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- All my plants and other purchases are ready to be loaded onto the trucks. Ryan carefully places each item into the truck and checks it off the list to make sure we got everything we bought.
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- Fortunately, we had two trucks to carry all my purchases. We put one heavy planter in each and strapped it securely. All the plants filled in the rest of the space.
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- Somehow, I always know just how much I can buy in order to fit it all into the vehicles. Everything arrived home in great condition. Once everything is back at the farm, it is organized by type in front of my gym garage and given a good drink of water.
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- It’s always so much fun at Trade Secrets where I always find new and unusual specimens. I can’t wait to start planting.
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