Each gardening year includes shows and\nsales of favored plants, hosted by local garden groups. This column describes\nthese recurring events, organized by three basic scheduling models. Specific\ndates vary a bit each year because of various factors, so this overview\nprovides only a heads-up for interested gardeners to be on the alert as each\ndate approaches. Locations are mostly the same, year\u2013to\u2013year, but changes\nhappen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following this overview, we\u2019ll focus on\nfour upcoming big events in April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blooming\n+ Planting Model<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this model, shows occur at the peak\nbloom period, so growers can display their best blooms, spectators can \u201cOOO\u201d\nand \u201cAHH,\u201d and thoughtful gardeners can select varieties to add to their\ngardens during the next planting season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The sales then coincide with planting\nseason. The Monterey Bay Iris Society (MBIS) and the Monterey Bay Dahlia\nSociety (MBDS) provide clear examples of planting season sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Show\n& Sale Combo Model <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some plants grow year-round, so their\nshows and sales can be combined on the same weekend. Exemplars of this model\ninclude Santa Cruz Orchid Society (SCOS), Monterey Bay Area Cactus &\nSucculent Society (MBACSS), and Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai (SCBK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Show\nor Sale Only Model <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A third pattern includes either show or\nsale, but not both. The Monterey Bay Rose Society (MBRS), the California Native\nPlant Society (CNPS), UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden (UCSC-Arb), and\nCabrillo College Horticulture Department (Cabrillo Hort) follow this pattern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Monterey\nBay Dahlia Society\u2019s Annual Tuber Sale <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you visited the Society\u2019s annual\nshow at the Museum of Art & History last August, you would have enjoyed the great diversity of the\narray of dahlia blossoms. This plant offers an extraordinary range of blossom\ncolors, sizes, and forms, making it a source of endless fascination and a great\ntemptation to become a collector. The blossoms can be appreciated both\nindividually and as a grand display of natural specimens of botanical beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you anticipate spring in your\ngarden, you could be thinking about adding new blooming plants for summer and\nfall color splashes. The dahlia is an excellent bloomer to add to your garden,\nand now is the right time to find dahlias to plant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Monterey Bay Dahlia Society will\nhold its annual tuber and plant sale on Saturday, April 6th, 2019, from 9:00 \u201311:00\na.m., at Deer Park Shopping Center in Aptos, on the Center\u2019s upper level, near\nthe Red Apple Caf\u00e9. This sale provides a fine opportunity for gardeners\nto select from a wide variety of cultivars that have been grown locally, and\nbenefit from good prices. Prospective buyers should arrive early, as the tubers\nare sold quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Santa\nCruz Bonsai Kai 31th Annual Exhibit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n April 6 \u2013 7, 2019 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.\nboth days at \u2020he Museum of Art and History, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz. The\nhighlight of each day\u2019s show will be at 2:00 p.m. when Bonsai Masters, Mike\nPistello (Saturday) and Sensei Katsumi Kinoshita (Sunday) will demonstrate the\ntechniques for creating an artistic tree from common nursery stock. The newly\ncreated bonsai tree will then be offered in a raffle drawing along with other\ntrees and items donated by club members. These trees have been cared for,\ndesigned, wired, and potted in bonsai pots so individuals winning the trees can\nbegin enjoying this art form immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Monterey\nBay Area Cactus & Succulent Society\u2019s Spring Show & Sale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Society will hold this event on\nApril 13th<\/sup> & 14th<\/sup>, at San Juan Bautista\u2019s Community\nHall, 10 San Jose Street. We\u2019ll have more about this increasingly popular show\n& sale before that date, but mark your calendar now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n California\nNative Plant Society, Monterey Chapter\u2019s 58th Wildflower Show <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This amazing, eye-opening event will be\nheld April 19-21, 2019 at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, 65\nForest Ave, Pacific Grove. While visiting nature\u2019s bounty in person is an\nincomparable experience, this show provides a unique opportunity to study and\nappreciate California\u2019s wildflower treasures without trampling them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a gardener with broad\nhorticultural interests, you develop your own calendar for benefitting from the\ncreative offerings of our local garden groups. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Each gardening year includes shows and sales of favored plants, hosted by local garden groups. This column describes these recurring events, organized by three basic scheduling models. Specific dates vary a bit each year because of various factors, so this … Continue reading