Dry weather at Trade Secrets — at least for a day

SHARON — From a purely functional point of view, this might have been the best Trade Secrets ever.The annual rare plant/garden antiques sale and garden tour to benefit Women’s Support Services in Sharon is now in its 11th year. Its maturity showed in the impressive level of organization and the ease with which everything happened, from vendors setting up their booths and wares to food sales and preparation in the indoor cafe (run again this year by The Farmer’s Wife in Ancramdale).As if in tribute to the well-oiled garden machine that Trade Secrets has become, the weather more or less cooperated this year. Although it was overcast on Saturday for the sale on the grounds of Elaine LaRoche’s LionRock Farm, the temperatures were relatively balmy (no one ever forgets that there was snow on the ground during the first Trade Secrets, in 2001). The wind, which can be bracing and brisk, was nearly nonexistent. The ground was not muddy and soupy (although of course many vendors and shoppers came wearing tall Wellington-style boots, in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors).Yes, it did rain (hard) most of the day Sunday. But the deluge waned at around 10 a.m. and the many people who were hardy enough to tour the five featured gardens were rewarded with exceptionally nice lighting that, in the words of one woman who is both a master gardener and a professional photographer, “made the colors absolutely pop.”Sales were brisk on Saturday, and before noon many of the vendors said they had nearly sold out of plants and decorative items. The sale and tour continue to attract ticket buyers from as far away as Canada. This year, the booksigning with local authors expanded to include Carolyne Roehm and Matthew Patrick Smyth (who are Sharon residents), Tim Street-Porter and his wife, Annie Kelly, Jane Garmey and Florence de Dampierre. They sat behind a table in the steamy poolhouse, which was also, appropriately, the home for a day to Ann Levine’s gorgeous mist-loving orchids.Information on ticket sales was not available at press time. For more information on Trade Secrets and Women’s Support Services, go online to www.tradesecretsct.com and www.wssdv.org.