“Another Opening, Another Show… ”

I know that’s a line from a Broadway show, but also how it feels around here after our Open House and Plant Sale last Friday.

We had such an outstanding response from clients, former and new. This place was jumping with people asking about Tower Gardens, Living Walls and AquaPonics. Our event made the calendar in the San Diego Union-Tribune so we had a lot of folks that came that would have otherwise had no idea what we are up to. It was a treat to meet so many new people. And we sold a lot of beautiful plants and containers. I know those happy green plants went to wonderful homes and will thrive in their new environments.

It’s always so much fun to see old friends as we meet new ones. This was the perfect day for it too: warm breezes and happy cookie-munching people. I sometimes forget how talented our staff is and how much they know about everything from horticulture – to making people feel warmly welcomed to our office. I was proud of everyone.

The time seemed to just whiz by. We started at 11:30 a.m. and closed up at 5:30 p.m. At times, there seemed to be a blur of people pulling up and then pulling out with SUVs filled with pots, planters and slightly “used” house plants. I got caught up in taking people up in a scissor-lift to look at our headquarters building green roof, the first permitted green roof in San Diego. The spring growth was perfect for showing off some beautiful California native plants and assorted succulents.

We had some amazing horticultural displays set up for viewing. Guests could get up close and see our Tower Garden filled with ready-to-harvest Swiss chard, parsley and basil. You could see our new Aquaponics fish tank and the vibrant basil and peppers growing on the top of the tank system in our front lobby. Those tropical fish are happy! When we go full scale, the catfish and Tilapia wont be so happy when they end up being on our dinner plates. And of course, we had staff talking up our Living Wall systems and showing off the newest additions.

Thank you to everyone who came to visit us. We are planning a summertime Open House and Plant Sale on July 26, something new for us. Picture leaving work a bit early on a Friday in summer and coming to see us (again!) welcomed by a cool bottled water and warm staff, buying just the right plant (or two or five!) for your home and learning something new about Living Architecture and Rainwater Harvesting.

See you in July!