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MONTHLY MEETING: My Life with Plants: Confessions of a Plantaholic


By Jim Bishop.

On Monday, August 14, 2017, please join us at Jim Bishop’s final meeting as president of the San Diego Horticultural Society. A self-proclaimed plantaholic, Jim will walk us through a humorous and educational evolution of the many memories, tales, people, and places that led to his life-long addiction and obsession with plants.


Jim was fortunate to grow up in many different environments in the U.S. and always noted the differences climate had on plants. From grade school on, he was already interested in gardening and growing flowers and vegetables from seed, taking care of his parents’ yard, and eventually landscaping the home they purchased his freshman year of college.

Plants played a critical role in his decision to accept an unusual job offer in San Jose, California, and relocate from his native Texas. Eventually, the desire to own a home and grow more plants would lead to his decision to relocate once again to San Diego. His home in Encinitas for 14 years became his personal test garden for many different plants, plant passions, and landscape trends. Plants also played a key role in Jim's meeting his life partner, Scott Borden. In 1998, they would purchase their current home and transform its outdoor space with plants and hardscape to create a unique and well-known San Diego garden.


Despite his life-long obsession for plants, it was only when in his mid-50s that Jim would briefly become involved in horticulture as a profession. He worked as a landscape designer and was the assistant coordinator of the Garden Show at the San Diego County Fair. In 2009, he joined the board of the San Diego Horticultural Society and was elected its third president in 2011. During his tenure, Jim has written a monthly featured column, entitled My Life with Plants, for the Society’s newsletter, Let’s Talk Plants!

The evening starts at 5:45 p.m. at the Congregation Beth Israel, 9001 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego. Parking is free and everyone is welcome. Admission is free for SDHS members and $15 for non-members. For more information, call (619) 296-9215 or visit sdhort.org.

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