By Terry Chamberlin.
I love plant people! We are a joyful, generous group who are passionate about our love of all things plants. The spirit of generosity was clearly evident at the Monday, June 11 Night at the Fair honoring Greg Rubin as the 2018 Horticulturist of the Year for his work with California native plants, and for his and Lucy Warren's beautifully written books informing the public about the benefits of adding California native plants to the landscape. His acceptance speech was touching and inspirational, and it is a testament to Greg that long-time friends and mentors drove hours to attend the meeting. Among those who made the journey to share in the celebration were Mike Evans, who I frequently saw during my forays to the Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano to select the California native plants, and his wife, Hilda.
Anyone who has worked on past SDHS garden exhibits know that a lot of time and effort on the part of many people goes into a garden's creation. I especially want to thank William Van Dusen, who took time out of his very busy schedule creating architectural millwork for vintage homes to create the whimsical cottage which the exhibit garden pivots around.
In addition, I want to thank my team members for their creative contributions and especially for helping me keep my sanity, and for the hard work of our volunteers for digging in over 100 plants! (You can see the plant list here.) I attended the fair and was delighted to see groups of people hanging around the garden taking photos, reading the educational signs, and looking up plants in the Plant Book. In representing SDHS, creating and installing a garden that meets SDHS's mission statement was my goal, and I am glad to see that it came true!
The 2018 SDHS garden exhibit earned a perfect landscape exhibit score of 500 points and won seven awards and three ribbons. San Diego County Fair Awards and Ribbons 1. Paul Ecke, Sr. Trophy for Outstanding Garden Display 2. Edgar Engert Educational Merit Award 3. Noteworthy Plant Specimens Ribbons: (1) Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. Asplenifolius (Fern-leaved Catalina Ironwood); (2) Buddleja davidii 'Black Knight' (Black Knight Buddleia), (3) Morus rubra 'Pendula' (Weeping Mulberry Tree). Donated Awards 1. Evergreen Nursery Green Leaf Award 2. California Native Plant Society—San Diego Chapter Award 3. Master Gardener Association Earth-Friendly Gardening Award & Earth-Friendly Garden Sign (also awarded to SDHS in 2017) 4. H.W. Buckner Cactus and Succulent Garden Award 5. American Horticultural Society's Environmental Award SDHS Team Members William Van Dusen Anne Murphy Francine Pandatea Cindy Essary SDHS Volunteers Georgana Winters (Volunteered 2017, 2018) Linda Canada (Volunteered 2017, 2018) Fernando Morales Bob Clark Donna McClay Carol Morgan Connie Forest Briana Taylor