Orchid Eros - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Roberta · #11 03-07-2023, 11:14 PM

I won't be able to make it, but have been to that show many times in the past. Well worth the journey. And of course you should also make a visit to Santa Barbara Orchid Estate and Cal Orchid - only about 10 minutes from the Earl Warren Showgrounds where the show is. So take the day and wallow in orchids.

avian · #12 03-07-2023, 11:24 PM

Thanks Roberta. Is there a better day to go? If I decide to go, I don't think I want to drive there and back on a Friday. I'm assuming the traffic will be lighter on Saturday but then who knows.

Roberta · #13 03-08-2023, 01:25 AM

I'd go Saturday if you can do it. Sunday is OK too, but the shopping is better earlier in the show, and the plants in the show fresher. Get an early start, to get ahead of traffic. And since it's cold, you won't have to deal with beach traffic getting back.

---------- Post added at 10:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 PM ----------

If you go up to SBOE and Cal Orchid (my suggestion is do the show first, then hit the nurseries), park at SBOE, there's plenty of parking. Then you can walk over to Cal Orchid (which is just about a block away) My strategy is to do my shopping at SBOE first, at least in past years they have had a "plant hotel" where you can stash purchases, then wander over to Cal Orchid and shop there, bring your purchases back to the car, pick up anything you have parked at the SBOE plant hotel, and hit the road to go home. Since it will be cool, plants left in the car (like from the show) should be fine. Have fun!

avian · #14 03-08-2023, 01:14 PM

How many hours would you estimate it takes to get through the show and sale and then go to SBOE and Cal-Orchid? A friend of mine said he would go but he has to be back home at a certain time. He's only about 1 1/2 hours from Santa Barbara depending on the traffic.

It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive for me and will cost me about $70 in gas so I don't know if I want to do that. Unfortunately I don't have a vehicle that gets excellent mpg.

Roberta · #15 03-08-2023, 01:38 PM

I'd allow about 4 hours at least. You can probably do it in less, depending on your "shopping speed". Also suggest that you pack a sandwich, so you don't have to lose time looking for lunch - the snack bar at the Fairgrounds is "meh", they may or may not have a food truck. And actual sit-down lunch takes time, also some searching (to find restaurants you mostly have to go the next offramp past the nurseries, into Isla Vista) My all-time record for getting there early on Saturday morning is 1 hour 53 minutes but that assumes treating speed limits as a "suggestion", haven't had traffic that light in years, 2.5 is hours more realistic from my house too. No shortcuts on fuel. So depends on your motivation. (I have found that the return is 3 hours at best, I have spent more than 4 but that was in the summer where there was beach traffic making it slow to get out of Santa Barbara, not going to be a problem this weekend) If the forecast rain hasn't already moved through, a reason to not do it - nurseries mostly outside, and people don't know how to drive in the rain causing significant extra traffic.

avian · #16 03-08-2023, 05:00 PM

Rain is predicted for both Friday and Saturday although it appears that the Sat. rain may be lighter and not last as long. I know what you mean about how people drive in the rain here. How large are the SBOE and Cal-Orchid nurseries compared to SVO? It took me a few hours to walk around SVO and pick out plants.

Roberta · #17 03-08-2023, 05:32 PM

SBOE is huge, but the area for shopping is a fairly modest subset of that. I tend to gravitate to the tables with their $7.50 specials... typically seedlings or small divisions, often of some really interesting things. (Don't bat 1.000, but I have gotten some really neat plants from there, for the price one doesn't need to win on all...) And they also have divisions of L. purpurata and L. anceps... they divide big plants. If you happen to be there when a new batch is put out, you can hit the jackpot. On all of these, look for new growth/roots. Cal Orchid also tends to have some nice show specials. So there's not as much hiking as you have at SVO, nor the density. I think if you allow an hour for each, you can do pretty well. And a couple hours for the show (which is really nice, should be really special this year since it's been 3 years since the last one, they tragically were shut down a day before opening - all was already set up - when COVID first hit... will be making up for lost time I think.) plus shopping at the show site. So in 4-5 hours you'll be saturated. And exhausted. You'll be sitting down for the ride home...

This is the first time since COVID that SBOE has had a full-blown open house but hopefully, they're back into the swing of things and will do one during the summer (usually early July), Cal Orchid did a summer open house last year and has had a couple of other events. So with any luck, next summer should give another chance to buy what you didn't get this time

without the distraction of the show. In years past, during the summer open house Cal Orchid has a terrific lunch for sale, so that's a big plus for that time. During the show, neither has more that snacks, hence the "sandwich suggestion".

avian · #18 03-08-2023, 07:59 PM

Thanks again for all of the information, Roberta. Do they put out the specials daily or are they gone by Friday? Sounds like I might be able to go with my friend and he would be able to make it back by the time he has to return home. On the other hand, I could just go straight to the show on my own without the stop.

I was going to go last year but then they closed it down. I really felt bad for the vendors and those involved with the show.

Roberta · #19 03-08-2023, 08:15 PM

Both nurseries put out their specials daily. So as long as supply lasts, they get refreshed. (By Sunday afternoon it's getting a bit sparse, but on Saturday there should still be plenty of stock. Especially since I expect that with rain, Friday will not bring thundering herds of people)

avian · #20 03-09-2023, 01:20 PM

It was suggested by someone from my orchid club to go to the nurseries first and then on the way back go to the sale followed by the show. She said that this way one might have a better chance getting some of the specials. Thought she was going to go but she said she doesn't want to drive out there, has been there multiple times and doesn't need any more orchids right now.

She also wasn't interested in any of the vendors at the show and reminded me that both Cal-Orchid and SBOE have open houses at certain times of the year.