The Cupertino Courier
Gardening
SF Flower and Garden Show is one of the best in the world
By Tony Tomeo
It may be difficult to believe, but one of the three most important horticultural events of the San Francisco Bay Area--which happens to also be one of the most prominent horticultural events in the world--is not in the Santa Clara Valley. It is the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, which begins today and continues until March 25. During this event, the Cow Palace will be filled with acres of exhibits, vendors, seminars and display gardens.
The marketplace features 355 vendors of specialized horticultural accessories and gardening paraphernalia. Even those who are not interested in growing the various seeds, bulbs or newly introduced varieties of plants will enjoy the books, tools, garden art, patio furniture, water features or planting containers. The orchid market alone is an impressive exhibit.
Sixty seminars and workshops by horticultural professionals address a broad range of horticultural issues. These seminars are free with admission to the show. More than 20 display gardens that have been designed by local landscapers demonstrate contemporary landscape design innovation and a few recently introduced plant varieties.
I think that the most impressive attraction is as much an art exhibit as it is a horticultural exhibit. The exhibit that has been assembled by the San Francisco Bonsai Club features remarkable mature bonsai specimens that have been meticulously cultivated for years or decades. The ancient art of bonsai is the epitome of extreme horticulture.
The flower lobby is for floral display designed by California Garden Club members. This is always an unpredictable exhibit that displays everything from very unusual flowers in traditional design to common flowers in very uncommon design. All sorts of plant parts, such as leaves, fruit, stems, bark and sometimes even roots, add their particular color, form and texture. There are also orchid and succulent displays.
The container garden display demonstrates the use of interesting and practical containers for cultivation of a broad range of plants. It is fun to see how tropical plants, as well as vegetables and flowers, can be grown in very limited space and the very small gardens of many contemporary urban homes.
Sproutopia is a place for kids. The sprout stage features activities and presentations that show kids how much fun gardening is. They just might learn why parents enjoy it so much! Child care is available on a limited basis by Kinder Care.
The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show is at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City, and will be open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. until March 24, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 25. Tickets, as well as more information about the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show or horticultural establishments that have tickets available, can be obtained online at www.gardenshow.com or by telephoning 800.569.2832. Tickets may of course be purchased at the show.
Admission is $20, or $28 for two days, or $65 for all five days. Admission for children ages 6-17 years old is $4, and free for children 5 and younger. Half-day passes are $13 after 3 p.m. With a student I.D., admission for students 25 and younger is $9. Parking at the Cow Palace is $8.
Succulent of the Week:
Aloe Brevifolia
Aloes really deserve more credit. They need only warm sunshine to excel in containers as well as in the ground. Some form small clumps half a foot deep. Others form picturesque trunks taller than 15 feet. Most have bluntly pointed grayish leaves with small teeth. Their tubular orange, red, yellow or pale yellow flowers bloom mostly between the middle of winter and summer, and continue to bloom sporadically all year. Their branched or unbranched floral spikes stand well above dense, fleshy foliage. Aloes generally do not need much water.
Aloe brevifolia forms broad low clumps of stout and prickly grayish leaves about 3 inches long. Mature clumps are only about a foot tall and 3 or 4 feet wide, but can get larger. Small, tubular red flowers bloom sporadically during warm weather, on stems about a foot and a half tall.
Listen to Tony Tomeo's 'New Image Garden Report' Friday mornings at 8:10 a.m. on KSCO-1080 AM (or online at www.ksco.com). He can be reached at www.ttomeo@newimagelandscape.com or 408.358.2574.
