HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

NEW - A Season of Celebrities at the Show

Appearing at the Show are stars from TV and Radio and fascinating well-known authors. Leslie Sbrocco, from KQED TV's Check Please! appears twice on Saturday, March 23, on the Chef Stage with Steve Mirassou of Steven Kent Winery, and with Staffan Terje, Executive Chef of Perbacco. Leslie is a passionate educator about wine and food. Amy Stewart has written a book, The Drunken Botanist, and will give us tips on making home-grown cocktails. Debra Prinzing will demo how slow flowers are the new thing - organic flower growing and arranging.  Billy Goodnick will take tours around the garden floor lecturing on design with a DIY slant. John Bagnasco, the star of the GardenLife will appear on Friday. Check out our line-up of all our carefully chosen expert speakers here and plan your visit around them!

NEW - Chefs at the Show

We love to celebrate the California lifestyle which includes so much fresh, wonderful food. Our celebrity Chef lineup this year includes Annie Somerville, Executive Chef of Greens Restaurant, the primo vegetarian restaurant in the Bay Area. Watch and taste with Laurence Jossel from Nopalito, Staffan Terje from Perbacco, Thy Tran on cooking with seaweed, and Willi Galloway on cooking with herbs.  We are very pleased to have Dennis Lee from Namu Gaji talking about his new Korean American style food.  Tastes and treats await our attendees!  Many other well-known food masters from the Bay Area will be in attendance – check out our Chefs' lineup and the seminar schedule for dates and times.

Wine at the Show

Our star attraction with year is Leslie Sbrocco of KQED TV Check Please! Bay Area.  Leslie is writing a new book called Adventures of a Thirsty Girl and she is a passionate and witty speaker on all things food and wine related.  Leslie is appearing on Saturday, March 23.  Open every day is the new Wine Garden where you can relax with a glass of wine. 

Floral Designs - California Garden Clubs, Inc.

See the flower arrangements created by members of floral design clubs within California Garden Clubs, Inc. (CGCI). CGCI promotes gardening, floral design, civic beautification, environmental responsibility and the exchange of information and ideas. For more information click here to check out the CGCI website.

Small Space Living

One of the hot topics in gardening is small space gardening. People in condos with balconies, rental houses with tiny side yards, a small deck, or those who just want to start out small, will discover a wealth or resources and advice at the Show. Many of the seminar speakers will be speaking on the topic and there are new displays in Expo Hall to illustrate this exciting idea. Our exhibitors are contributing and some new designers have come into the Show to demonstrate their small-space design talents.

2013 Small Space Gardens

NEW - California Kids Growing Strong in Sproutopia

Sproutopia has been taken over by fun and learning! Maryanne Lucas' organization Kids Growing Strong is taking over the children's area this year with lots of  fascinating activities and displays. This organization emphasizes educational activities which promote strong bodies, strong minds and a healthy lifestyle through garden-based education. Lots of fun stuff and some lovely seminars to keep those kids absorbed.

NEW - Bio-Dynamic Edible Garden Display

The team from Malibu Compost, lead by Randy Ritchie, are building a large edible garden under a tent on the lawn this year.  Malibu Compost and Randy are riding a wave of interest in bio-dynamic gardening and active compost and compost teas.  These almost miraculous recipes for our soil remove the need for any chemical use at all in the garden - both on edible plants and ornamental plants.  This science has been tested thoroughly in Oakland where chemcials are banned on all public gardens.  The staff at Morcom Rose Garden now grow organic roses - successfully - free of pests and disease due to cultivation of the soil and the use of micro-organism-laden composts and mulches. Randy, his team and the Morcom Rose gardeners, will demo and chat about "how to".  And don't forget many of our speakers, inclulding Pam Peirce, the author of Golden Gate Gardening, will also talk about organic gardening and recipes.

Shop until you drop

The Plant Marketplace has grown!  Tripled in size to over 14,000 square feet of plant nurseries - a candy store for gardeners.  And don't miss 200 other vendors with products for the garden, including many innovative green products, art and clothing. Wear sensible shoes and bring a large shopping bag – there is a lot here to choose from!

NEW – the Assocation of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) designs the Show entrance

Visitors will enter the show through the whimsical tableau created by Bay Area members of APLD. Their gardening dreams will be transported "up, up and away" with a centerpiece featuring a hot-air balloon taking flight, evoking the theme of wanderlust celebrated in this year's Show. The designers have included benches in their display, offering visitors a place to meet friends and take a more leisurely look at this lovely introduction to the Show. 

Expanded Seminar program

80 seminars and 60 speakers on 5 stages. Check out the seminar listing for new stars with great topics and some of the tested show favorites. Experts on green gardening topics from pruning, edibles, ornamentals, grasses, and lots of design tips.  Even more about food this year and yes, wine and cocktails have crept into the mix.