Top 10 Reasons to Visit the San Francisco Garden Show

Adriana and I just got back from our whirlwind trip to Northern California to see the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. We had a FABULOUS time! We got to meet people we only knew through the magic of the internet, people who use Twitter, have blogs, and I even got to meetup with someone I met through LOTB (Hi Kimberly! It was so much fun hanging out with you!). I had such a good time, saw so many great garden ideas, and so many awesome vendors selling plants and interesting products, I wanted to encourage you to go to the show if you can. You won’t regret it!

I actually have 10 good reasons…

1. The food is surprisingly good, and very vegetarian friendly. I can personally vouch for the veggie corn dogs and garlic fries. And I heard that the mini-donuts, chicken gyros and quesadillas were excellent. Oh, and the limeade. I heard someone say they really liked the limeade.
2. The display gardens were amazing! You will get so many great ideas just from looking at them, and each landscape designer is usually sitting right next to their creation and very friendly and eager to share all sorts of details with you.
3. There are so many vendors selling plants! All sorts of unusual plants too. Orchids, Japanese Maples, succulents, hard-to-find varieties of tomatoes, dahlias, lilies, and on, and on, and on. Annie’s Annuals is there. If for no other reason, at least stop by and gaze at the beautiful Linaria they brought.
4. The bonsai displays are AMAZING! There is a wisteria bonsai that is in full bloom, it is breathtaking.
5. There is a vendor there selling outdoor furniture that has the most amazingly comfortable chair. It is kind of like a wood slat hammock. I wish I could have fit it into my carry-on luggage.
6. There are four chickens in two different coops that you can ohh and ahh over. The pair in the victory garden are babies and so cute, and the pair in one of the display gardens are adults. One of the adults has some crazy plumage.
7. There are great lectures you can go to on all sorts of topics. I heard Debra Lee Baldwin speak about succulents, Rosalind Creasy speak about edible landscapes, Maureen Gilmore talk about budget gardening, and one kind of crazy chili pepper guy.
8. If you’re into garden ornaments, there are so many different kinds to see at the show. Modern metal, and rusty metal, colorful glass sculture, ceramics, concrete, etc.
9. The show had a very eco-friendly spin on it, with many different vendors selling things for the environmentally conscious shopper, such as one company that was selling biodegradable pots in all sorts of colors and shapes. I am really kicking myself for not buying any.
10. Where else can you see a water fountain planted with succulents and alligator heads?

I’ll post more photos on Sunday. For now, I am exhausted, my feet are covered in blisters, and my throat hurts from talking with so many people. Go to the show so we can swap stories and photos!