Yesterday, my girlfriend, a couple of friends, and I went to the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show in San Mateo.  And I have to be totally honest, succ-ers: I was a little underwhelmed.  Not because there weren't a lot of plants there (there were), and not because the display gardens weren't great (they were), but mainly because there was so dang much for sale that had only peripherally to do with gardening.  At times, it felt like more one of those outdoor "festivals" where people sell various wares at small booths.  Items for sale included BBQs, freestanding hot tubs, bar soap, and paintings (not of plants, nor gardens) on silk.

All of which is *not*, by any means, to disparage the show or the folks who were selling things there.  I was just expecting more plants--well, let's be honest--more succulents.  And to be fair, my visit did not coincide with the succulent-relevant seminars held by succulent luminaries such as Debra Lee Baldwin and Robin Stockwell, and I'm sure those were terrific.

A few highlights.  Agave attenuata "Kara's Stripe" was featured in the "hot plants" room.  Judging from the array there, I understood "hot" to mean "newly popular" rather than "best for hot climates."  And there were a lot of gorgeous bonsais there, too, several of which were many decades old, and truly amazing.

Succulent Gardens was one of only two succulent-specific vendors present, and they had a predictably terrific array of plants and books.  In addition to picking up a few plants such as the unnamed euphorbia pictured, right (which I would have sworn was a hoodia, but there were a bunch of them, all labeled "Euphorbia sp.," which just goes to show that I still have a lot left to learn).  I also had a chance to say hello to the lovely Tiffany Polli, the SG Retail Manager, knows a great deal about succulents and has a wonderful sense of humor to boot.  At last year's show, Succulent Gardens displayed the famous globe.

The other mostly-or-solely-cactus-and-succulent purveyor, Sticky Situation, was new to me, and had come all the way from Tucson, Arizona to show their wares.  I picked up two very cool gymnocalyciums from them a g. mesopotamicum (cresting!) and a g. friedriechii.  Check out that amazing purple color!

Sticky Situation also had the most drool-worthy plant I saw at the whole event: a huge crested myrtillocactus geometrizans (pictured below).  Hmm...  My birthday's coming up in a couple of months...  anyone wondering what to get me?  Look no further!

There was a smattering of other cool succulent-related stuff (check out the succulent display wall below, for example) but for the most part, I think I'm going to need to keep an eye out for cactus and succulent shows, since they're probably more likely to have the kinds of plants and pots in which I'm most interested.

I put this planting outside a couple of days ago, and the color has just taken off!  Thought I'd share it with you.  And now...  I'm going to go outside and play with my plants!

My girlfriend and I took a trip to Sonora over Valentine's Day weekend.  In addition to binge-watching "House of Cards," hiking at Glory Hole, and drinking marvelous tea, we ventured to a place called K&L Cactus.  I had no idea what to expect, but my girlfriend gamely agreed to drive an hour out of our way to middle-of-nowhere Ione, CA.

Oh my gosh.  It was SO worth the trip.  K&L Cactus consists of two enormous greenhouses positively bursting with incredible plants.  K&L's proprietor, Lorraine (pictured below in one of her greenhouses; I'm the one on the right), is not only a very kind, interesting, and cool person, but is stunningly knowledgeable about succulents and cacti.  She talked patiently with me as I peppered her with questions and wandered slowly through her beautiful greenhouses.

I've been to a lot of succulent and cactus places, and K&L is easily in my top two or three.  If you prefer the meticulous labeling, easy-to-read pricing, and impeccable organization of a place like Flora Grubb, K&L might not be for you.  But if you're like me and love a sprawling jungle of a nursery every bit as much, you've got to make the pilgrimage to K&L.  It's easily worth the trip just to meet Lorraine! 

I spent so long in the greenhouses that my girlfriend eventually retreated to the car with the dog and played games on her iPhone (talk about a good sport...).  But before she did, she unleashed her formidable photography skills on K&L.  The pictures in this post were all taken by her.  Enjoy the eye candy!

My only regret is that, starving grad student that I am, I couldn't afford to spend more money there!  Still, I took home several goodies, and I'm hoping this post will throw some more business Lorraine's way.  I know I have a lot of readers in the Davis/Sacramento area, and Ione is only an hour away from you.  Call K&L and set up an appointment to visit--it's well worth it!