By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! July 2023.
The San Diego Horticultural Society is proud to have given two "Most Educational Garden" awards to display gardens at the San Diego County Fair. These awards recognize the exceptional efforts of the many people who design and install the demonstration landscapes. Judging was based on the educational information that each garden presented. There were many qualifying entries this year with most gardens including an education aspect. Awards were given for the best Adult Garden which includes a $400 award, and best Youth Garden which includes a $100 award.
Most Educational Adult Garden
With its many educational signs and well labeled plants, the Bromeliad Society's garden was selected as the award winner. There were an amazing number of garden-worthy plants in this garden and signage complete with all their botanical names.
Additional signs in the Bromeliad Society garden. (Click on arrows to scroll through the signs.)
Photos of the Bromeliad Society Garden. (Click on individual photos to see a full screen view)
Most Educational Youth Garden
The award was given to the San Diego-Imperial County Boy Scouts of America with nice educational design and selection of labeled local native plants. The theme of the garden show this year was "Get Out There", so many of the gardens incorporated the idea of camping. This proved to be an excellent choice for this first-time exhibitor. Congratulations!
Parts of the signs are covered during judging so as not to show who created the display:
We'd be remiss not to also point out the wonderful garden created by our new membership coordinator, Debbie Dunn, in conjunction with the San Diego County Water Authority emphasizing smart water usage. Here's a photo of the garden:
