Although the garden show in nearby Orange County hasn't been worthy of the name for many years, a neighbor and I attended late last week nonetheless, mainly to peruse the vendor stands. We arrived on the first day of the event to avoid the crush of weekend visitors.
The event is held every year in the home goods wing of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa in late April. The light inside the mall is less than perfect so keep that in mind when you view my photos. I threw away more than half of the photos I took.
The main level was occupied by a floral centerpiece with an undersea theme created by Fiesta Parade Floats using floral and other natural materials.
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| The display was 25-feet tall |
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| Details shot from a variety of angles |
The subtitle given to the garden show is "At Home in the Garden" which is a nice way of explaining why the display gardens are focused on outdoor furniture and relatively light on plants. I took only a handful of photos of the displays.
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| This one was called 'Nature Reconciliation'. The frame in the background contained a "rain curtain" water feature. I wasn't sure what the rock-filled containers in the foreground were about. |
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| This one was called 'Peaceful Garden Getaway'. The rock fountain (right) was the nicest element. The fire pit was described as a "smokeless" unit that could double for use in cooking. |
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| This one was called 'The Serenity of Nature'. The waterwheel (lower right) was intended to the provide soothing sound of water but it wasn't running. The plant shown on the upper right looked like a shrub, possibly some kind of Viburnum, grown as a standard in a small pot. |
Once again this year, Fleurs de Villes installed mannequins decked out in floral designs. The majority of these were installed in the main wing of South Coast Plaza accessible via a bridge but we didn't make it there. There were just two installations in the home goods wing.
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| The one on the left was called 'Culinary Arts' and the one on the right was called 'Queen of the Night' |
There was a nice bonsai exhibit on the upper level, mixed in with vendor offerings.
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| The miniature landscape (upper right) was interesting. The exhibitor identified the one below it (lower right) as a Brazilian rain tree (Pithecellobium tortum), which appears to be a common bonsai subject. I'd like to have a Bougainvillea bonsai like the one on the lower left as I love the plants but my husband doesn't want them in our garden. |
When I looked up the garden show a month or more before the event, I viewed a vendor list that was much more extensive than the final list. I was disappointed to find that some of my favorite vendors didn't participate this year. I'd hoped to get another Muradian pot after a critter toppled one I had in my lath house but that didn't happen and the vendor displays were light on pottery altogether.
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| There were these odd pillows embedded with lights, though |
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| Most of the pottery I saw contained plants. The snake-shaped pot (left) was interesting but the empty version had more holes than were needed for drainage. The one in the middle contained a monkey tail cactus (Cleistocactus colademononis), a plant that appeals to me but once again I left behind. The pot on the right contained what appeared to be a small Aeonium. |
Luckily, there were numerous vendors selling plants.
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| Bird Rock Tropicals (top row) had bromeliads for sale. Various other vendors also offered bromeliads and Tillandsias. I think the Tillandsia on the lower right might be 'Curly Slim'. |
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| The epiphytic ferns (Huperzia) on the left were interesting but expensive ($75). While some of the tiny ferns were $20 each, others like the very tiny Deparia lancea (lower right) were $85. |
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| There were a LOT of orchid sellers but few bargains outside of the moth orchids (Phalaeonopsis) |
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| There were also a large number of succulent sellers. This was one of the nicest displays, meticulously curated with lots of small specimens and a nice selection of larger ones. |
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This seller also had a wide selection
Top row - Aeoniums in new (to me) colors and an especially pretty Crassula
Middle: Portulacaria and displays featuring Euphorbia squarrosa and E. stellata that develop twisted caudexes
Bottom: noID blushing succulent, a range of species, and a crested Myrtillocactus geometrizans |
I didn't buy much on this occasion, just one noID Tillandsia and a package of three Hippeastrum papilio bulbs at a very good price. In retrospect, I regretted that I passed on the pot containing the Aeonium shown above. Although the plant itself wasn't unusual, the pot was rather nice. My neighbor and I had a good time in any case.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
We'd all prefer garden shows to be massively tilted towards plants but when it's held at the "home goods wing of South Coast Plaza" mall... I know my expectations would be adjusted :-D
ReplyDeleteThe miniature landscape reminds me of the Vietnamese-style bonsai, hon non bo: very cool.
A potted dwarf bougainvillea could be a good compromise with hubby: all the beauty of bright blooms without the nasty invasive root system.
Chavli
My thought exactly on the Bougainvillea, Chavli! In the "old" days, that garden show was much better. The display gardens, while small, were numerous and also emphasized plants and garden design, NOT furniture. They also had many more vendors. I understand that the store owners revolted and demanded changes to highlight their goods and, less than 10 years ago, everything fell apart...
DeleteIt looks like a fine day, and you kept your money in your pocket. lol, that's a win. The snake pot is so cool, too bad so many holes. Dang, the prices are shocking.
ReplyDeleteThe empty snake pot was also $75 and as it was relatively small as well as leaky, I didn't have too much trouble turning my back ;) As to the prices, everything sold at South Coast Plaza comes at a premium.
DeleteWe had a good time too mostly just the change of scene getting out of the house. Went early, had breakfast at Ruby's then saw the show and was outta there as it started getting busy. Good walking practice on good even flooring, plus elevator. Alan took photos. The two mannequins were neat but the flowers were already drooping. Lots of McOrchids--I think a lot of people buy them as Mother's Day gifts. Did you see the ones that were dyed blue?
ReplyDeleteThe bonsai display yes, very nice. I got a Dudleya pachyphytum at the CNPS booth and chatted about Manzanitas with a very enthusiastic young guy. Bird Rock and Andy's Orchids, none of them dyed blue, were the other highlights.
I wondered if I might run into you but we waited out the rush-hour traffic on the 405 so we didn't arrive until a little after 10:30am. We had lunch at Ruby's ;) I'm glad you're getting around a bit more!
DeleteWe noticed the droopy flowers on the Culinary Arts mannequin too and also the horrid blue-dyed orchids. I regretted not going back to the CNPS booth to pick up a Solanum xanti and even checked Annie's site afterwards to see if it was for sale on their natives sale - it isn't.
Well at least they had plants ! Our so-called SF Garden Show was not on my agenda this year . This was primarily because the Exhibitor List on their website never went live which had to have been for a reason. Also never heard of any of the speakers . I wonder if they had light-up pillows ? At least your show had some plants -and I'm sure you went with low expectations !
ReplyDeleteI no longer expect anything of the so-called "garden displays," Kathy. They stopped being meaningful as garden exhibits years ago. However, I saw a vendor list 4-6 weeks before the event that looked promising. Overall, the vendors that participated were fine (there's always something like the pillows!) but their numbers were far fewer and less impressive than the original list suggested. I can only guess that they initially published an old list.
DeleteI'm theorizing that the vendors/plants/vibe "we" respond to are aging out of the plant show industry and the new scene will be more lifestyle focused...just a theory ;)
ReplyDeleteI hope it turns out to be a poor theory, Denise! I think an immersion in nature of one kind or another makes better people ;)
DeleteLight up pillows!?! Oh my. The displays were less than inspiring to me, but plant vendors are a good thing.
ReplyDeleteYes, having a lot of plant vendors in one spot is always a good thing in my view!
DeleteLove seeing what designers do at these shows.
ReplyDeleteThere was a LOT more garden design in the display gardens of yesteryear than there is at present; however, no disparagement of the garden designers is intended. Their assignment is to embellish the furniture and utilities rather than using these to add a functional component to the garden.
DeleteI did really like that pot with the Aeonium in it, but often adding a cheap plant doubles the price outside of what I am willing to pay. Many of the orchids no longer seem appealing to me. Too common, and many have been bred to look less natural and more artificial. I think Trader Joes ruined them for me. Ugh, like hb said - I saw the blue/purple dyed orchids at Safeway yesterday. Big no, wrong direction. I miss the cute, bright yellow, little Oncidiums that look like fat little bees.
ReplyDeleteYes, while TJ has made orchids, especially moth orchids, more accessible for many people, that makes them appear more mundane/common too. I like all orchids but, at a show like this, I expect to see varieties that can't be found at my local grocery store. And I shudder every time I see dyed blue orchids.
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