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.
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!
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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.
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