San Diego Floral Association
California Garden Magazine
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March/April 2024 Volume 115 No. 2
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In This Issue
President's Message
SDFA Quarterly Meeting and Program
Plants and Shrubs of Balboa Park
BOOK REVIEW Gems From Our SDFA Library: Gertrude Jekyll
Growing Grounds: A Tale of Two Grasses
On Floral Design: 'Tis The Season Redux
Polymath Extraordinaire
Ramona Transforms Into Provence
Battling the South American Palm Weevil Invasion in California
Dog Memorial Garden at Del Mar’s North Beach
NOW IS THE TIME
Mix-and-Match Glass Table Garden
SDFA Affiliates
March/April Gardening Events Calendar
From the Archives of California Garden
Download The full issue of On The Eve
Vol105 No4, July August 2014
Magazine Deadlines
May June Issue 2024
Articles due and Advertising Reservations March 20th
Print Ads Print Ready April 1st
July August Issue 2024
Articles due and Advertising Reservations May 20th
Print Ads Print Ready June 1st
September October Issue 2024
Articles due and Advertising Reservations July 20th
Print Ads Print Ready August 1st
November December Issue 2024
Articles due and Advertising Reservations September 20th
Print Ads Print Ready October 1st
January/February 2025 Issue
Articles due and Advertising Reservations Nov 15, 2024
Print Ads Print Ready Nov 28, 2023
March April Issue 2025
Articles due and Advertising Reservations Jan 20th
Print Ads Print Ready Feb 1st
Editorial Team
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Rachel Cobb
ASSOCIATE EDITOR - Nancy Carol Carter
CONTRIBUTORS
Pat Hammer, Carolyne Hultgren, Judy Kirsten, Lynn Langley
ADVERTISING - Kay Harry
EDITORIAL BOARD
John Blocker, Nancy Carol Carter, Thea Gurns,
Kay Harry, Lee Somerville
The first issue of California Garden magazine was printed in July of 1909.
The magazine specialized in information for growing plants in the San Diego area. It is the oldest horticulture magazine in continuous publication in the United States. Except for a brief two-year period, all writers, editors, and photographers have been volunteers, many of whom are well-known authorities in their fields.
Even though the organization was founded for beautification of San Diego, many people wanted to grow vegetables and fruits, so California Garden expanded to give advice on growing edible items. Today subscribers include readers in foreign countries with similar climatic conditions, as well as in colder areas of the United States, where the information is used for growing plants in greenhouses.
In Memoriam California Garden magazine contributor Pat Hammer died after a short illness on September 2, 2023. No single title could describe Pat’s storied career and her multiple contributions to horticulture for the past three decades in San Diego. Pat was a horticulturist, artist, author, lecturer, educator, shop owner, businesswoman and administrator. A plantswoman extraordinaire, she connected people to plants. Click to read more about Pat from Volume 113 No 6.
October 15, 2021
From the San Diego Floral Association Co-Presidents, Jan Thoresen and Lee Somerville
San Diego Floral Association congratulates members Rachel Cobb, John Blocker and Nancy Carol Carter on being recognized by the San Diego Press Club for their work in producing “Balboa Park’s Botanical Building: A Tour of San Diego’s Historic Lath House.” The video was recognized in the “Photo Essay” category at the Press Club’s annual awards ceremony on October 25, 2021. Rachel Cobb was the videographer, photographer and editor, John Blocker wrote and narrated the tour and Nancy Carol Carter provided historical research on the Botanical Building. The video is a production of the San Diego Floral Association and may be viewed on YouTube.
Download Maps from previous issues.
San Diego Press Club Again Recognizes California Garden
California Garden magazine received an Excellence in Journalism awards at the 49th annual awards program of the San Diego Press Club on October 25, 2022. Rachel Cobb, executive editor and creative director, and members of the San Diego Floral Association Editorial Board, John Blocker, Nancy Carol Carter, Thea Gurns and Lee Somerville were honored. This is the third time the Floral Association has been recognized for journalistic excellence by the Press Club.
California Garden Wins First in Journalism Contest
California Garden is the proud winner of a first place prize in the annual Excellence in Journalism Awards presented by the San Diego Press Club during an Oct. 24 ceremony in Balboa Park.
The professional organization is the third largest of its kind in the United States. More than 400 print, television and online journalists attended the event, now in its 39th year.
California Garden was honored in the trade publication category as the best association publication. Executive Editor Mary James accepted the award on behalf of SDFA, publishers of the magazine since 1909, and her California Garden colleagues, Associate Editors Nancy Carol Carter and Aenne Carver and Art Director Rachel Cobb.
Judges praised the magazine for its “variety of useful and fascinating information, from how you can get a free tree to when to prune your kiwi vines to how to take better photos of flowers. History, background, events – it seems as if this publication is a labor of love by many, many contributors and the love fairly glows on the pages.”
A freelance writer and editor, James also won first, second and third place awards for garden features that appeared in San Diego Home-Garden/Lifestyles magazine. She also took home second place honors for a design story also published in San Diego Home-Garden/Lifestyles.
A plaque celebrating the SDFA win is on display in its Balboa Park office, Room 105 of Casa del Prado.
Congratulations to all involved in producing the magazine, published six times a year and distributed to SDFA members. Included are Kay Harry, advertising director; Bonne Gebhardt, associate editor and copy editor; and Editorial Board members Amy Wood and John Blocker, author of “Growing Grounds.”
Mission: To promote the knowledge and appreciation of horticulture and floriculture in the San Diego region.