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'Garden Party' has something for green thumbs or all thumbs
By Tony Tomeo
It is finally time for the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show of 2002. "Garden Party" is the theme of the event this year, which begins on March 20 and continues through March 24. The show will again be held at the Cow Palace; it runs from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show features many fascinating exhibits and events. Many newly available plant species and cultivars will be displayed by the California Horticultural Society in the New Plant Exhibit. Equally interesting plant material, as well as sculpture, art, furniture and tools and accessories for the garden, can be found at the Marketplace. Grills, fire pits, spas and more garden furniture will be exhibited at the Garden Living Pavilion. The Koi Festival 2002 features some of the most impressive specimens of this exotic fish, as does the 2002 International Koi Competition.
The Bonsai Show and Ikebana Show both exhibit some of the most exquisite examples of these ancient Asian arts. Hundreds of varieties of orchids will be on display in the Orchid Pavilion. Bay Area children from kindergarten through sixth grade have designed and composed their own creative container gardens and window boxes in the Cow Hollow exhibit.
The seminar series, organized for the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, addresses various compelling topics, including streetside gardens, how to grow great roses, floral design trends, grasses, and allergy-free gardening and pruning. Two seminars that I am interested in attending are, "Plants for Winter Color,"taught by Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul and Rosendale nurseries of Watsonville, and "New, Fun and Fabulous Annuals," taught by Annie Hayes of Annie's Annuals of Richmond. All seminars are free with paid admission to the show.
The Show Gardens are a collection of 23 landscapes designed and composed by various horticultural professionals. Trees in the Recycled Garden was designed by arborist Brian Fenske of The Professional Tree Care Company of Berkeley to demonstrate appropriate use of plant material around existing trees. This landscape utilizes recycled materials such as wood chips and "urban lumber" created from removed trees. Another garden, Neighborhood Landscape, by Steve Rasmussen-Cancian, "demonstrates how the four feet on either side of the sidewalk can bring beauty, ecology and community to your street."
Tickets are $15 in advance for individuals, $14 for groups of 20 or more arranged in advance, $18 at the door, $12 at the door after 2 p.m. and $7 for children. Children under 3 are free. This year, an all-show pass, good for all five days, is available for $59. More information and tickets can be obtained by calling 800.829.9751 or visiting www.gardenshow.com on the Internet.
The list of horticultural establishments from which tickets are available, which I wrote about last week, was incomplete. (I neglected to turn the page over to see the rest of the list.) Those listed last week are Yamagami's Nursery of Cupertino, Patt's Greenhouse and Los Altos Nursery of Los Altos, Al's Nursery and Ladera Garden Center of Portola Valley, and the Woolworth nurseries of Campbell, Cupertino, Mountain View and Palo Alto. El Real Nursery of Santa Clara, Almaden Valley Nursery of San Jose and the Woolworth nurseries of San Jose and Sunnyvale also have tickets available.
Flower of the Week: Grape hyacinth
Last summer, I dug and potted a small clump of grape hyacinth bulbs, Muscari armeniacum, that had been getting mowed with the lawn since the lawn grew over in 1976. They are very resilient! Consequently, they are popular among those who would like bulbs to naturalize. The small, bright blue or indigo flowers appear about now in spikes on top of short stems less than 6 inches tall. Foliage is dense and resembles clumps of rubbery grass. Other species and cultivars exhibit different flower types and colors but are generally a shade of blue or white, or, rarely, reddish purple.
Bulbs should be planted in autumn about 2 inches deep. Good sun exposure is preferred. Light shade is tolerated, but bloom may be diminished by too much shade. Dense clumps may be dug and divided when dormant in summer.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
Grape hyacinths, easily recognized by their dense, purplish-blue flowers on short stems, are bulbs that naturalize easily in gardens.
