Best and Worst of the Northern California Home & Landscape Expo



This weekend is the Northern California Home & Landscape Expo at Cal Expo.  If you have an interest in going, the show is still going on tomorrow from 10am-6pm.  I normally don't like going to these types of events because I am allergic to salespeople, but my friend Kat gave me free tickets (and even dropped them off after midnight last night on my doorstep!) so of course I was going to go!  I brought my mom along with me because she's wanting to do some bathroom and kitchen remodeling this year.  I can swoon over the garden decor', and she could swoon over faucets.... it was a win-win for both of us.  Here are some pictures of my favorite and least favorite things, starting with the display pictured above from Verde Creations, Inc.  I'm actually disappointed that I didn't get more pictures of their display because I really loved it.  I was too busy checking out the patio space above and dreaming of ways that I could rip out more lawn in order to implement it.  I checked out their website once I got home and I have to admit, they have some beautiful, colorful creations- and I can't wait to see more from them. 



The garden pictured above I adored.  I couldn't tell you who it was by because the people working this garden didn't really approach me in any way.  As much as I say I hate salespeople, I do like to have someone approach me if I walk into a display.  Ask me about my projects.  Heck, ask me what I think of your display....  anything is better than silence.  One company that was great with communicating was FiveStar Landscaping.   I met landscape architect Karen Blanor at their display today and she was a great communicator- and asked a lot about the projects I wanted to do in my garden.  Another great company I connected with today was G&D Landscape Construction.  Greg Phelps spent a lot of time chatting with me about my garden projects.  At these types of events you often get designers that come in with these grand displays and they are a little overwhelming, and they kind of scream "I'm expensive!" and it scares me away.  I am more interested in the displays that scream "I'm practical!  There's no project too big or too small!".  G&D also gave me the business card of someone who might be better at giving me what I was looking for (Howard Ma of HM Design), and any company that is willing to say "I might not be able to do what you want, but I know someone who can" earns major points in my eyes. 



Taking a break from garden stuff and moving to home decor', Mad Imports had a very popular display, and I can't wait to visit their store.  Think of it as Restoration Hardware type decor, at half the price.  The pieces were fun and unique, and I can't wait to see what they have in their warehouse.  The hook set pictured above was only $27, and one half this size was around $14.  You can't beat those prices!  For directions, hours, etc, you can call them at (916) 599-0600.



Lets visit some things that I didn't like.  The doorway fountain thing pictured above looks cool, right?  I can picture it in a restaurant, but where the heck would you put this in your house?  And if you're the type of person that would put this in your home, that's just spending money where you don't need to.  It's over the top.  It's way too much. 



The same goes for this spout of water.  What a waste!  The best part of a water feature is the sound, which this had none.  I would agree that my 5 year old would probably love to have this in our backyard, but the practical person in me was thinking it's a waste of water, it's probably really expensive, and it's probably a huge pain in the you-know-what to keep it clean. 



The practical person in me would rather have this in my backyard.  This is dreamy....  This I would use.  I would use it every week!  A dual purpose fireplace that could also make yummy pizzas?  Um, YES PLEASE!  This was done by Gloria Landscaping, and if I could pick one item I wanted out of the entire expo, this was it. 



My favorite display award would have to go the Green Acres.  I loved the colors, how they had so many products, and edible plants in one display without making it look over the top.  It was beautiful.  I am already a huge fan of their nurseries (most of my citrus trees are from here too), but I was happy to be greeted by a friendly staff member that works at their Roseville location.  She reminded me that their Folsom location was opening soon and that it was going to be amazing! 



 The grand opening for the Folsom location is February 15th, but they have major sales for it going through mid-March. The best time to go according to their handout would be March 1-4. March 1st has classes on combining edibles and ornamentals. March 2nd is doorbuster specials, March 3rd they have gift bags for the first 300 guests plus free food from 12-2pm, and March 4th they'll have doorbuster sales and lots of free educational workshops. 



What was I saying about non-practical items being a no-no in the garden?  Yeah, that went out the door once I saw these.  The company is called Vin de Flame, and these are their super cool propane fire pits.  Made out of old wine barrels, and each on wheels, these are perfect for your evening parties.  The practical side of me says "but I'd only use them a couple times a year", well, thank goodness you can also just rent them for events (no need to store or maintain them yourself!  Awesome!). 



My last favorite thing at the show was the display from Executive Care Landscape Mgmt.  Arthur Navarette, President, was absolutely adorable running around with his camera and snapping pictures.  You could tell he was having fun, and you could tell he was passionate about what he does.  The above photo is a picture of his drought tolerant display.  He even admitted it was over planted, but he wanted to show homeowners how you can have lush color and use less water, and this was a great example.  You can see by his website that he likes to remove lawn and make the space more usable, and more beautiful. 



And last on my list was another one of those ridiculous designs, where you wonder where the heck would this be useful.  They tried by showing that it was a perfect family backyard, and even included a little sand pit off to the side for the younger kids.  The practical mom side of me immediately thought to myself that this was an accident waiting to happen for someone with small children (ladders to fall off of, lots of sharp edges, etc).  Fast forward 15 years for me and I'm thinking I'd be too old to climb that ladder, and storing all of those cushions through the winter is just a hassle. To summarize, this design is for people in their early 20's.  The ones that can't afford it.

It's great to go to these types of events and dream big about what I could do if I had tons of money, but I'd much rather see how I can improve the appearance of my garden at a reasonable price.  Why can't they just cater to the average home owner?