From my upcoming class, "Gardening Resources" (contact them for EXACT dates) ...

CALIFORNIA PLANT AND GARDEN SALES AND SHOWS

January -- South Bay Spring Home & Garden Show
Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA
www.southbayhomeshow.com

February -- Alameda County Spring Home & Garden Show
Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA
510-682-7227
www.capitalshowcase.com/alameda.html

February -- Peninsula Spring Home & Garden Show
San Mateo Expo Center, San Mateo, CA
1-800-765-3976
www.peninsulahomeshow.com

February -- Markham Regional Arboretum
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

February -- Descanso Gardens
Camellia Festival and Camellia Plant Sale
1418 Descanso Drive
La Cada Flintridge, CA 91011
818-949-4200

March -- UC Irvine Arboretum
Spring Plant Sale
North Campus Drive and Jamboree Road, Irvine
Early spring perennials and spring bulbs will be on sale
(949) 824-5833

March -- Fresno Home & Garden Show
Fresno Fairgrounds, Fresno, CA
800-897-7899
www.fresnoshows.com/cgi-bin/sitepage.pl?pg_id=2

March -- San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA
800-829-9751
http://www.gardenshow.com

March -- Ventura County Home & Garden Show
Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA
800-222-9351
www.capitalshowcase.com/ventura.html

March -- Yuba City Total Home, Garden & Recreation Show
Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, Yuba City, CA
530-671-9600
www.totalhomeshow.com/Spring_Home_and_Garden_Show.htm

March -- Long Beach Home & Garden Show
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA
www.sbhomeshow.com/mar28-30-show.asp

March -- Contra Costa Spring Home & Garden Show
Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, CA
510-682-7227
www.capitalshowcase.com/contra.html

April -- American Bamboo Society; The Northern California Chapter
"Annual Spring Bamboo Festival, Sale and Auction"
San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park.
ncal-chapter@americanbamboo.org

April  California Horticultural Society
"Specialty Nursery Plant Sale", In collaboration with a variety of specialty nurseries
Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland

April -- AnnieÂs Annuals
"Spring Party"
740 Market Ave., Richmond, CA
http://www.anniesannuals.com/info/ohouse/default.asp

April -- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Spring Plant Sale
1500 N. College Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
909-625-8767
or website: www.rsabg.org

April -- Fullerton Arboretum
"Green Scene Plant Sale & Garden Show"
$6 admission 1900 Associated Rd. Fullerton, CA 92831
714-278-3579
A large multi-vendor sale

April -- Markham Regional Arboretum
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

April -- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Spring Plant Sale
1500 N. College Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
For further information, call (909) 625-8767
or check our website: www.rsabg.org
Native California plants

April -- San Jose Home & Garden Show
San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA
www.sanjosehomeshow.com

April -- UC Berkeley Botanic Garden
Spring Plant Sale
200 Centennial Drive #5045
Berkeley, CA 94720-5045
510-643-2755
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/index.shtml

April -- UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Spring Plant Sale
Held in the Eucalyptus Grove.
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
(831) 427-2998 phone
(831) 427-1524 fax
http://www2.ucsc.edu/arboretum/calendar.html
arboretum@cats.ucsc.edu.

May  Cabrillo College
Annual Spring Plant Sale
(MotherÂs Day Weekend)
Environmental Horticulture Center & Botanic Gardens
6500 Soquel Drive (top of campus), Aptos, CA
(831) 477-5671
Over 1000 different annuals, bedding plants, culinary & medicinal herbs, cut flowers, natives, perennials, salvias, species & hybrid fuchsias, succulents and vines.

May -- AnnieÂs Annuals
"MotherÂs Day Party"
740 Market Ave., Richmond, CA
http://www.anniesannuals.com/info/ohouse/default.asp

May  Huntington Botanical Garden
Annual Plant Sale (the BIG one)
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
Questions? publicinfo@huntington.org
Free with museum admission.

May  Quail Botanic Garden
Palm and Cycad Sale
230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas CA
760-436-3036
e-mail: info@qbgardens.org

May  Los Angeles Arboretum
Annual Epiphyllum Show & Sale
Ayres Hall & Gate & Patios
301 N. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
626-821-3222
http://www.arboretum.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=getcatheadlines&Catagory=events&CFID=2027410&CFTOKEN=22730740

May-June -- Inland Empire Home & Outdoor Living Show
Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, CA
www.thorschproductions.com/index_hols.html

June -- Theodore Payne Foundation
Plant Sale
For more information go to their website www.theodorepayne.org
Or call 818-768-1802
10459 Tuxford St. in Sun Valley.

June  San Diego County Master Gardeners
"Summer Plant Sale"
Casa del Prado, Balboa Park
http://www.mastergardenerssandiego.org/

June -- San Francisco Botanical Garden
General Sale with emphasis on Perennials
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

June -- Markham Regional Arboretum
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

June -- Lompoc Valley Flower Festival Flower Show
Ryon Park, Lompoc, CA
805-735-8511
flowerfestival.org/festival.htm

July -- Aril Society International
Aril iris bulb and plant sale; open to members only.
Each June, a price list is mailed out to all the ASI members. New members can join the ASI at the same time they place their order (see membership info for details). Sale chair: Betsy Higgins, higgins881@mchsi.com
608 S. Buena Vista Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28792

July -- Huntington Botanical Garden
Cactus & Succulent Show and Sale
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
Questions? publicinfo@huntington.org
Free with museum admission.

July -- San Francisco Botanical Garden
General Sale with emphasis on Salvias & Shrubs
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

July -- Northern California Cactus & Succulent Association
Annual cactus and succulent show and sale
San Francisco County Fair Building
9th and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park

July -- Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society
Annual Show and Sale
Sepulveda Garden Center
16633 Magnolia Blvd.,
Encino, CA
Contact: Artie Chavez 818-363-3432

August  San Francisco Botanical Garden
Summer Gardening Fair
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

August -- San Francisco Botanical Garden
General Sale with emphasis on Shade Plants
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

August -- Markham Regional Arboretum
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

August  Los Angeles Arboretum
Inter-City Cactus Show and Sale
Ayres Hall, Gate, Kitchen, Patios
301 N. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
626-821-3222
http://www.arboretum.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=getcatheadlines&Catagory=events&CFID=2027410&CFTOKEN=22730740

August -- Southern California Home & Garden Show
Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
www.southerncaliforniahomeshow.com

August-September  UC Irvine Arboretum
Summer Bulb Sale
North Campus, UCI - building 96
Irvine, CA 92697
Contact: Laura Lyons ldlyons@uci.edu
949-824-5833
Annual sale of dormant bulbs from our winter growing southern Africa bulb collection, evergreen and summer bulbs in containers, and perennials for planting with bulbs.

September  UC Davis Botanical Conservatory
Specialty Plant Sale
Driving east on Interstate 80 from the San Francisco Bay Area or driving west on I-80 from Sacramento, take the UC Davis exit onto Old Davis Road to the campus.
In conjunction with the International Carnivorous Plant Society, Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society and Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society. A huge selection of cacti, succulents, Sarracenia, and house/greenhouse plants at this sale.

September -- UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Annual Fall Sale
Features a large selection of perennials, including extensive selections from the gardenÂs Mediterranean, South American, and Australasian collections. Numerous cacti and succulents from the gardenÂs collections will also be on sale, as will orchids, tropicals, California natives, grasses, vines, trees, and shrubs.
The sale for the general public will be preceded by a members-only sale and silent auction from 9 to 10 a.m. Memberships are available at the gate. For a list of plants available at the fall sale, see botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu.

September -- San Francisco Botanical Garden
General Sale with emphasis on Native Plants & Succulents
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

September -- Diablo College
Fall Sale
321 Golf Club Road
Pleasant Hill, California 94523
Email: kechols@dvc.edu
Phone: 925-685-1230 ext. 1958
Diablo Valley College Horticulture Club offers new and unusual plants for the garden. Other plant Sales are 4 times a year with thousands of unusual plants for sale.

September -- Markham Regional Arboretum
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

September  Quail Botanical Gardens
"WorldÂs Greatest Bamboo Sale"
Presented by the American Bamboo Society - Southern California Chapter
Quail Botanical Gardens
230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas
Admission: Members: Free to Bamboo Society & Quail Gardens Members.
Non-Members: $8 for adults, $5 for Seniors, Students and Active Military, and $3 for children 3-12. Under 3 is free.
For more information call: (951) 359-1706
Over 100 species grown by collectors and local growers with a special auction of rare bamboo. Most items not yet commercially available.

September  Los Angeles Arboretum
Fern & Exotic Plant Show and Sale
Ayres Hall & Gate & Kitchen
301 N. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
626-821-3222
http://www.arboretum.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=getcatheadlines&Catagory=events&CFID=2027410&CFTOKEN=22730740

September -- UC Berkeley Botanic Garden
Fall Plant Sale
200 Centennial Drive #5045
Berkeley, CA 94720-5045
510-643-2755
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/program/index.shtml
UC Berkeley also has several special/themed plant sales (e.g., drought-tolerant plants, bulbs) several times a year.

September -- Mendocino Coast Botanic Garden
Fall Plant Sale
In the "Gardens Nursery"
18220 North Highway One
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 964-4352
http://www.gardenbythesea.org/
info@gardenbythesea.org
All plants 20% off for nonmembers and 30% for members

September-October -- AnnieÂs Annuals
"Fall Planting Party"
740 Market Ave., Richmond, CA
http://www.anniesannuals.com/info/ohouse/default.asp

September-October -- Fullerton Arboretum
"Fall Vine Sale"
Free admission
1900 Associated Rd. Fullerton CA 92831
714-278-3579

October -- Chico Total Home and Garden Show
Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, Chico, CA
www.chicohomeshow.com

October -- Quail Botanic Garden
"Annual Fall Plant Sale"
230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas CA
760-436-3036
e-mail: info@qbgardens.org
Fee: Members Free; Non-members: Free with Garden Admission
A very wide range of plants, at extremely reasonable prices because all plants are donated. Over 100 growers, wholesalers, retail nurseries, and individuals donate to this event.

October -- Theodore Payne Foundation
"Fall Festival"
For more information go to their website www.theodorepayne.org
Or call 818-768-1802
10459 Tuxford St. in Sun Valley.

October  Huntington Botanical Garden
Fall Plant Sale
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
Questions? publicinfo@huntington.org
Free with museum admission.

October  UC Davis Arboretum
"Plant Faire"
At the Arboretum Orchard Park Nursery.
I-80 to Hwy 113 North to Arboretum
A great selection of the Arboretum plants.

October  San Francisco Botanical Garden
Trees, Ferns & Rhododendrons Sale
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

October -- Merritt College
Annual Fall Plant Sale
Held in conjunction with the California Native Plant Society
on the Merritt College campus in the Oakland hills.
Admission to the sale is free and ample parking is available. For more information, call Molly Sealund at (510) 436-2418 or e-mail her at msealund@merritt.edu. More information: www.merrittlandhort.com. (Merritt college plant sale)

October -- Ruth Bancroft Gardens
Fall Plant Sale
http://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/pages/plantsales.html
A wide assortment of succulents and other drought tolerant plants for sale as well as gardening books, t-shirts, note cards, gardening gifts, and more. Guided and self-guided tours will be offered throughout the day. Reservations are not required for this event.

October  Los Angeles Arboretum
Winter Cactus Show & Sale
Ayres Hall & Gate, Kitchen
301 N. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
626-821-3222
http://www.arboretum.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=getcatheadlines&Catagory=events&CFID=2027410&CFTOKEN=22730740

October -- UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
Arboretum Fall Plant Sale
Held in the Eucalyptus Grove.
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
(831) 427-2998 phone
(831) 427-1524 fax
http://www2.ucsc.edu/arboretum/calendar.html
arboretum@cats.ucsc.edu.

October-November -- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Fall Plant Sale
1212 Mission Canyon Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Phone: 805-682-4726 fax: 805-563-0352
Web: http://www.sbbg.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=calendar.main
email: info@sbbg.org

November -- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Fall Plant Sale
1500 N. College Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
909-625-8767
or website: www.rsabg.org

November  San Francisco Botanical Garden
End-of-the-Season Sale
located in the southwest corner of the Gardens, a five minute walk from the Main Gate at Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way.

November -- Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Fall plant sale
1500 N. College Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
For further information, call (909) 625-8767
or check our website: www.rsabg.org
Featuring thousands of native California plants

December -- Markham Regional Arboretum
"Half-price Sale"
The plant sales are held at the Garden Center located at 1202 La Vista Avenue in Concord.
925-681-2968
Web: http://home.earthlink.net/~markhamarboretum/plantsales.html

If anyone can offer corrections/updates, I would really appreciate it.

Joe

Joe - wow!!!

There's one more -
Fall Home/Garden Show, Sept. 12-14, Del Mar

Here is a link that might be useful: Fall Home/Garden Show

Joe: were all those dates for 2009?

There are no "dates". Just the months. This is a "universal" calendar that would be good for any year -- as long as you check out the exact upcoming dates and as long as the shows/sales stay in business.

If you see an event that has an incorrect month, please let me know.

Joe

I would avoid the Pleasanton show like the plague.It's almost all home, and little garden. Forget about finding a rare or exotic plant for sale.

Merritt College no longer hosts the native plant sale. There are native plant sales at Tilden Botanic Garden and at the Native Here Nursery in Berkeley.

The Environmental Horticulture Dept. at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills has plant sales, not sure of the month.

I think most of the "home and garden" shows are mostly home, little garden. I've been to a few of them over the years as a volunteer for one group or another.

macks, if you're looking for local garden resources and products, some of the garden tours hold smaller scale garden fairs. For instance, the Gamble Garden Tour in Palo Alto (April/May) has a plant sale, auction, marketplace, etc., and the Secret Gardens of the East Bay tour also has a marketplace. I'd guess that many other popular garden tours also offer a marketplace, plant sale, etc. -- and without the parking hassles, entrance fees, crowds, and travel time of the big "expo" events.

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa has a garden show in April every year. It's pretty good--I've gotten a lot of nice plants there.

The Fullerton Green Scene in April is good too.

Last weekend we went to the Monterey Bay Dahlia Society annual show. We fell in love. With Dahlias. We went both days and stayed until they told us to leave. So I googled Dahlia Society and found there is another annual show next weekend one county over, in Santa Clara. We'll be there.

So I googled Santa Cruz plant societies and found out there are orchid and succulent and native plant and herb and bonsai societies around here.

One of the best fairs I went to last year was the Master Gardener Faire. All these different plant growers and nurseries were represented and there were experts giving free lectures on many Topics. There was a bat expert there and we got to meet a cute little pet bat up close, and got a free plan for a bat house (Guano is great for gardens, doncha know, and they also eat bugs). We watched a pond being built. We bought plants at great prices. All the local growers had booths and you could talk to the growers themselves, experts on their type of plant. I learned valuable info from a clematis grower, and from the succulent man.

There are also have several open gardens tours throughout the year. Check your local events listings, in the paper or online.

We like to go to these events; we meet people who understand us, like why we're so dirty, LOL, sometimes.

Follow your Bliss.

Last weekend we went to the Monterey Bay Dahlia Society annual show. We fell in love. With Dahlias. We went both days and stayed until they told us to leave. So I googled Dahlia Society and found there is another annual show next weekend one county over, in Santa Clara. We'll be there.

So I googled Santa Cruz plant societies and found out there are orchid and succulent and native plant and herb and bonsai societies around here.

One of the best fairs I went to last year was the Master Gardener Faire. All these different plant growers and nurseries were represented and there were experts giving free lectures on many Topics. There was a bat expert there and we got to meet a cute little pet bat up close, and got a free plan for a bat house (Guano is great for gardens, doncha know, and they also eat bugs). We watched a pond being built. We bought plants at great prices. All the local growers had booths and you could talk to the growers themselves, experts on their type of plant. I learned valuable info from a clematis grower, and from the succulent man.

There are also have several open gardens tours throughout the year. Check your local events listings, in the paper or online.

We like to go to these events; we meet people who understand us, like why we're so dirty, LOL, sometimes.

Follow your Bliss.