Wrapping up the Cal State Home and Garden Show

It's 7 am and I'm leaving Los Angeles, heading back to Sacramento. The Cal State Home and Garden Show opens tomorrow at noon. I've never been a vendor before, and this booth and my presence is being thrown together! Sherry Larson, owner of the show, has a spot for me if I want it. I want it! Sherry has been so encouraging and supportive of me (and, of course, totally willing to throw me in over my head!). While this is my first vendor outing, I've done display gardens at her last two Cal State Flower, Food and Garden Shows at Cal Expo. This should be easy, compared to those undertakings!

After a hot drive up the 5, I stop in at Cornflower Farms in Elk Grove to pick up plants for my booth. I spot this beautiful maiden grass, load up my car and my friend, Jenn (The Vegetable Garden Coach)'s, truck  and head for the Sacramento Convention Center.

The Show - we all agree the show is slow, competing events, attendance is down, it's not bustling, but there are many, many good things. Farmer Fred does 3 killer workshops (he's the only one I hear cuz he's just around the corner from me). I discover 3 vendors that I think my clients will love and I meet some great people who I think will be great clients!

The Plants (all provided by Cornflower Farms, super source for CA natives and drought tolerant plants. Visit them on their open public 2nd Saturdays in October and November, and at the California Native Plant Society sale at McKinley Park, September 24th and 25th from 9 - 3)

• Panicum virgatum 'Haense Herns'
  Red Switch Grass
  U.S. Native grass
  full sun to light shade
  any amount of water
• Scabiosus 'Butterfly Blue'
  Pincushion Flower
• Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues'
Little Bluestem 2 - 4 'tall x 1-2' wide U.S. Native reg water, sun
• Salvia clevelandii 'Allen Chickering
  Allen Chickering Sage
  CA Native
  3 - 5 ' tall x 5 - 8'
• Populus fremontii
  Cottonwood, CA Poplar (same species as Quaking Aspen)
  Sunset Western Garden says, get yourself a male Poplar, if you don't want to be dispensing the cottony seeds all over your neighborhood (ahem)
  
  
• Rhamnus californica
  CA Coffee Berry
  4-8' tall x same
  Evergreen, upright growth habit, birds love its berries
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Arabesque'
  Arabesque Maiden Grass
• Miscanthus transmorrisorensis
  Evergreen Maiden Grass
  2.5 - 3.5'tall x 3=4' wide, 5-7' tall with blooms
• Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence
  Provence Lavender
  2 x 3
  Good Hedge
• Penstemon x gloxinioidies 'Firebird'
  Border Penstemon/Bearded Tongue

• Agastache barberi 'Tutti Fruitti'
  Mexican Hyssop
  2x2
  moderate water
• Bulbine frutisens 'Yellow Form"
  Caoe Balsam
  little to regular water
  South Aftrican Native
  Full sun to part shade
  10-20" x 3'
• Erigeron karvinskianus
  Santa Barbara Daisy
  great evergreen groundcover, blooms year-round
• Achilea 'Salmon Beauty'
  Salmon Yarrow
• Rosemarinus offinialis 'Mozart'
  Dwarf Mozart Rsemary
• Lupinus albifrons
  Silver Bush Lupine
  Evergreen (ever gray-green?) with pretty blue spikes in the spring.
  Full Sun

(Also along for the ride, a Toyon and a Garrya from my house. What was I to do, they begged to come along!)

Other Vendors - I was particularly interested in ... MiJardin, here's their window-box like planter filled with my plants,

Schroeder Patio and Garden, great hardwood and synthetic tables and chairs for eating, loungers for, well, lounging,

...and, Northern California Grills - source for professional barbecue islands.

All great products at reasonable prices. I'll certainly be recommending them to my friends and clients.



Well, guess I'm done. and, like they say, (do they really?), "That's a wrap!"

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.