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".
Hybrid Mode
