Tickets On Sale for 29th annual San Francisco Flower & Garden Show at San Mateo Event Center / March 19-23

The 2014 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show (SFF&GS), the nation’s third largest show of its kind and one of the top ten garden shows in the world, will provide an opportunity for gardeners of all ages and levels of expertise to learn more about gardening, and to learn about gardening in a drought year. The SFF&GS which attracts garden enthusiasts, horticulturists, and home gardeners, takes place March 19-23 at the San Mateo Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, CA. Over 200,000 square feet of space will be filled with display gardens, exhibits, chef/cooking demos, seminars by the industry’s leading experts, children’s activities, garden products,  and much more. Tickets are available through Eventbrite and offer a range of choices including an All Show Pass (5 day pass) for $30; early bird Adult Day Ticket purchased by March 9th at $16; Adult Day Ticket $20; and group advance tickets.  For show information visit sfgardenshow.com

“A drought year is not the end of the world and it's not the end of gardening,” says renowned horticulturist Chris Woods, Show Director and one of the nation’s leading designers. “It's an opportunity for gardeners to learn more about growing low water use plants from the five Mediterranean regions of the world which include California, South Africa, Chile, Australia and the European Mediterranean, which have some of the most beautiful and easy to grow plants of anywhere in the world.”

Chris Woods in collaboration with “garden designer to the stars”, John Greenlee, and international floral artist Natasha Lisitsa has designed a Grand Allėe, a 200ft. long promenade leading to the display gardens. The Grand Allėe will emphasize drought gardening with an avenue of olive trees, drought comfortable ornamental grasses, California native plants that have evolved to tolerate dry climates and succulents that need very little water. 

SHOW GARDENS  - Considered a prime feature of all world-class flower and garden shows, below is a sampling of a few of the show gardens:

Goulart Designs (Hayward) – “Plantasia” – This fantasy-based garden is inspired by the imaginative gardens of Pandora from the movie Avatar.  The floating gardens of the Hallelujah Mountains will be the main focus.  Suspended from above, light weight chunks of land spilling forth with plants creates the illusion of a floating garden.  These will meander down toward a mountain top where beautiful waterfalls will cascade down to a path, sitting areas and an outdoor room.

Clearwater Design (Campbell and Grass Valley/Folsom) - This garden will integrate the "Nautilus"  a full-sized replica of the Nautilus used in the1954 Disney adaptation of the Jules Verne novel and originally commissioned by Christopher Bentley for display at Burning Man. The Nautilus' water cannon is operational and attendees can venture inside for a peek.

East Bay Wilds (Oakland) – “Shades of Beauty” is a unique drought-tolerant shade garden that brings the beauty of color and texture found in a native plant garden to the forefront proving that  a water-sensitive shade garden is not only timely but can also be a beautiful place to relax.

DMT Designs – (Petaluma) –Titled “On the Move,” this garden uses the energy of movement to create a whimsical, relaxing space.  The incorporation of used and repurposed material reinforces the drought tolerant nature of the garden.

American Community Garden Association –“Growing Community across Cultures” illustrates a congenial gathering place for multi-cultural neighbors, uniquely designed to incorporate edible plants from seven continents that represent the cultural diversity of the Bay Area.

Hortisculpture Landscape – (San Francisco) – “Days Gone By” – Illustrating how a garden can embody the unique character of a place’s heritage while incorporating modern details, this garden features original cobblestone used in San Francisco in the 1800’s evoking the feeling of wandering through the city in “days gone by.”

Garden Hortica – (Oakland) – “Sanctuary Steppes” is a garden sanctuary where you enter a realm that soothes and calms with healing plants and herbs. Stand inside a beautiful yurt and gaze at the stars through the opening in the roof. Paths facilitate walking meditation.  This garden features an open courtyard and fire pit as well as a variety of sculptural elements.

Ploughshares Nursery – (Alameda) – The beauty of an edible garden is the inspiration for Ploughshares Nursery design.  Ploughshares Nursery is a social enterprise of the Alameda Point Collaborative supporting the local housing community. 100% of Ploughshare sales support housing for formerly homeless families.

Arizona State University – Last year, students from ASU won the 2013 Best of Show. This year, their garden will feature the Agave plant. Using few precious resources, the agave provides food, beautiful flowers and the nectar used for tequila.  The plant palette will focus on edibles to provide a healthier table for us all. 

Bueno Luna – (Berkeley) – “The New Leaf” is a garden of water, stone, and primarily California native plants that illustrates the transformation of a shady lawn into a place of daily rejuvenation and enduring beauty.

Terra Ferma – (S. San Francisco) – A garden inspired by the wine country landscape and the periodic clearing of vines highlights the rustic beauty of the region.

McKenna (Los Gatos) - Inspired by the marine spirit found in the boatyards of the Northern California coastline, this garden uses practical materials such as discarded decks, arbors, play structures, tailings, and concrete forms, and fence boards, to create space, pattern and texture.

MORE SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

• Flowers – flowers of all kinds and floral designs
• Seminars – Learn from the experts
• Cooking Demos -  with renowned chefs and wine experts
• Workshops - From pruning and composting to building a garden wall
• Edibles - learn more about growing fresh produce for beauty as well as for healthy eating
• Plants – thousands of plants on display and for sale; the largest selection in CA.
• Outdoor Living Marketplace - purchase furniture, fountains, garden tools, and more.

The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show is an annual public show serving the northern California/Bay Area region.  Attendance can reach as high as 60,000. The five-day long show includes 20 show gardens, over 150 speakers, and a marketplace offering thousands of plants and garden-related products. Seminar speakers include garden and design experts from across the nation.  Still America’s third largest show if its kind, the show was acquired by business partners Sherry Larsen of Larsen Enterprises, and Maryanne Lucas, Founder and Executive Director of Kids Growing Strong, on May 1, 2013.