Went to the show once again for this year over the weekend. Took some photos around. Really notice a lot less plant vendors at the Fiesta Hall. But the marketplace is thriving. Still a nice way to start Spring season!

Every year, there is a show stopper display, this year, at the entrance, there are these animatronic insects:
The huge grasshopper:


And the huge praying mantid:


I always enjoy the bonsai exhibits, one day I will try and grow them!




I am more into drought tolerant plants, so I really like this landscaping idea, nice combination of drought tolerant plants:


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Other landscape design ideas:


a backyard bocce ball court



I saw this vendor that sells these repurposed oil drums into artistic garden decor, so pretty!


I always go to the plant sales..as alway, lots of succulents!:



There used to be that vendor from Hawaii where they sell plumeria cuttings, ti plants, this time around they were not there.

To complete my day, got some plants:
A lovely Sarracenia carnivore:


A couple of succulents:



I also got this nice hummingbird feeder, I like the design, shallow enough and easy to clean, lots of drinking holes for the hummies, and will not drip, so it will not attract ants!

No garden shows here...sigh....

It will be the last year I go, got a few things but we were so underwhelmed with the few display gardens compared to the past years, I think we looked at them within 5-10 min. tops. We really missed several vendors too. The Watsonville succulent grower was the most popular one and the other two we like, the geranium one and Digging Dogs, we can shop directly from them. It's nothing like the huge glorious shows from a few years aback that took all day and had so many wonderful seminars. I felt so sad at how small it is now.

I hear the same from other people visiting various shows.....the economy is not good, people don't buy, vendors quit going, vicious cycle......people at the farmers' market we were doing in Fallbrook complained about the same thing and I would just ask them if they bought anything......

Yes, it was really sad how this show is shrinking and factor in the costly parking and entrance..really dents any plans for plant related shopping, and with lesser vendors, lesser choices too. This is one of the major shows I visit, but I already missed the Pacific Orchid Show in SF this year, so I went to this one. Thankfully at the San Mateo show, I saw a post card of a local orchid society in Cupertino, so I was able to visit their show during Easter.

The closest I have to compare is the Master Gardener sale coming up in May in Gold Beach...55-60 miles north and I'm afraid to let myself go......around here the time to buy is, as they say, "When you see it"....cuz you probably won't see it again.....and if there's good stuff, I will have to buy it all.....okay, now that I think about it, I probably couldn't get it back through the bug station anyway....plants brought in have to come from a licensed nursery, with a receipt so they know there are no bug / infestation problems. I should probably be glad to have that limiting factor...and also be glad that the station was not open the first year I was here when I was bringing back truckloads of plants from Pistol River.....

This is the posting have at the orchid forum, for the orchid show I visited in Cupertino, CA during Easter. Just adding it here as well:
http://garden.org/thread/view_...