Hi, I’m baaaack!

California Spring Trials are over, customers wined and dined,  display materials put back in storage, greenhouses cleaned and we are back to normal. I thought I’d share a bit about what I’ve been doing the past several weeks.  My previous post, “Please Stay Tuned”…, gives a brief description of what my job entails. After months growing flowers and vegetables for this week-long endeavor, it’s finally almost show time. It takes two to three weeks and a small army to pull a California Spring Trials flower show off. I hope you will enjoy the photos I’ve included.

As you know, we’ve gotten a significant amount of rain in California this year. Set up in the rain is always a memorable experience. Here are some photos of my colleagues enjoying the rain and mud.

 

 

 

After we bring in the hardscape (display tables, brick, banners) we arrange the plant material. Setting up displays take a lot of planning, time and energy.

 

 

 

 

Beds are filled with mulch.

 

 

And Viola! Instant garden

 

 

 

 

This is our living wall. I’ve been growing it since December 2016. It’s made of over 1500 Ornamental Cabbage plants. Thirty-three individual panels are connected together and hung on wood framing.

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After six months of sowing, growing and showing, it’s time for a cold one

 

 

Another awesome thing that happened during CAST was my retirement was officially announced. Now I can shout it from the mountaintops!!! Hurray!! My retirement date is set for December 31, 2017.