Meet The Experts

Whatever your next house or garden project...
you'll find the experts at the San Diego Fall Home/Garden Show.

Do your research as you get new ideas and inspiration from the experts who have created vignettes and display gardens just for the show. Most of them will be available to answer your questions.

Schedule an appointment with an interior designer to go over your personal interests and ideas for your home.

Bring your garden pest and disease problems to the Master Gardeners.

Browse the vendor displays for the latest home products. These folks come with a lot of knowledge. From structure to systems to furnishings and artwork, it's all at the show.

Talk about building codes, restrictions, inspections and processes with representatives of the City of San Diego Building Department. They have lots of information and want to keep you from making costly mistakes.

Check out the Garden Market Place at the show. The plants are all grown for local San Diego conditions and these experts will tell you how to make them thrive in your garden.

If you enjoy plants don't miss the San Diego Horticultural Society whose members have probably tried growing everything there is to grow and can let you know what's easiest to kill as well as what's easiest to grow.

Fascinated with orchids but don't know a thing about them, consult the Orchid Doctor!

You can even choose the perfect pet by consulting the experts of the San Diego Humane Society.

Bring your questions, you're sure to find answers at the Fall Home/Garden Show!

Meet The Designers

Free consultation with a professional interior designer!
This is your opportunity to get advice from a professional interior designer free of charge and with no obligation. ASID members and affiliates are volunteering to help people with their design interests and problems. Designers will be available throughout the show hours and will be glad to address any questions from how to find a designer to a specific design question. First come, first served, so come to the Showcase Building when you come to the show and set an appointment time for your consultation while you are at the show.

University of California Cooperative Extension
Master Gardeners of San Diego

The University of California Cooperative Extension office is a strange and wonderful hybrid of cooperating government agencies. These include Federal, State and County Departments of Agriculture and the University of California agricultural programs.

Under this umbrella, the Master Gardeners of San Diego are a trained group of volunteers who help extend the reach of these services to home gardeners. This group of dedicated people are not paid but are compensated by the gratitude of solving problems for individuals in their community.

Many of the Master Gardeners agree that the training to become one just opens the door to so many different aspects of horticulture that they spend the rest of their lives learning. With the latest research information from the University of California, they stay up to date on the pests and diseases affecting local plant material and means to control them.

They may not have the answer to your problem at their fingertips, but they have the resources to research it and get back to you. We are lucky to have such a devoted organization in our community.

Garden Marketplace

Growers Direct

San Diego County has a myriad of specialty growers and nurseries. Come, take advantage of the Garden Marketplace filled with local San Diego nurseries, growers and plant lovers. These are the people growing the plants right here in our region. They welcome questions and love to share their tips. A browse through the marketplace is like driving all over the county to find the very best plants.

California Tropical Fruit Tree Nursery – Tropical fruit trees for our climate.

Daylily Hill – Shrubs, ornamental grasses, daylilies, succulents, cactus, roses and perennials.

Oasis – Water efficient gardens.

Succulent Gardening – Wide variety of succulent plants, plus pots and tools.

Plant and Garden Organizations

Plant societies and garden clubs love to share their enthusiasm and knowledge on plant-related topics. While there are some general gardening groups, many of the plant societies are specialized to a particular type of plant. Stop and talk to these folks; they have a wealth of knowledge and would love to have you join their group.

San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society – Information about the club and membership and plants and pots for sale.

California Rare Fruit Growers – Information, fruit display, membership and plants for sale.

San Diego Horticultural Society – Information about the organization and membership, selling our book Ornamental Trees for Mediterranean Climates. Plant Forum with interesting plant specimens.

San Diego County Master Gardeners Association – Information on home gardening and pest control.

California Citrus Research – Information and advice.

CHIRP for Garden Wildlife – Live caterpillars to grow-your-own butterflies, discount coupons and information for Sage & Songbirds Festival.

California Landscape Contractors Association – Are you looking for a landscape professional to maintain or manage a current property, renovate an existing garden or design or install a new landscape? The professional you select should be qualified. Ask us what to check on.

Homeowners New Project Checklist

Thinking about building a custom home or upgrading your current home?

Here are a few things to think about before you get started:

	Location: different governments and regulations govern the building codes in different areas, see which ones apply to you.
	What is the zoning where you want to do the work?
	Will the project require a permit? (Almost everything does!)
	Will you need a drawing? Who will do it, an architect or contractor? The more complex the project and detailed the drawing, the more it will cost but the more accurate and complete the bids will be.
	Who will do the work? You really will want a licensed contractor. Two excellent websites are those of the City of San Diego (http://www.sandiego.gov/development-services.com) and the State of California Contractors License Bureau (http://www.clsb.ca.gov). The information on these two sites is exceptional. You can even look up the specific contractor to make certain he or she is licensed for the type of project you need.
	You really want three bids. IF your drawings are complete, and IF you make NO changes, there will be NO surprises. The project should come in on budget.
	Do not pay the full project in advance! State law provides for a maximum of a 10% deposit, if required, in advance. And, always hold back approximately 10% until after the inspector (city or county) signs off the project. Once the project is signed off, pay the final balance.
	Whether you live in the City of San Diego or not, use their website as a guide for your building and remodeling project. It is thorough, it is good, and it is free. The State of California site demonstrates and explains the necessary written agreements which you must have, and allows you to look up the individual contractors by name or license. Make certain they are qualified for the type of project you need.

Art Face to Face

Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder... and there will be plenty to behold at the Fall Home Show. Artists find beauty and inspiration in a vast array of subjects and media — and are ready to share their unique outlook and talents with art lovers of all types. The Fall Home Show’s "ART/Face to Face" serves as a special canvas for artists and artisans to exhibit what inspires and touches them. As visitors meet the artists and explore the creations of their world, they’ll no doubt be inspired themselves.

Art also takes many forms. Find out about just some of them at the "ART/Face to Face" exhibition from sterling and oils to wood, glass, textiles and ironwork — the forms you’ll find art taking at the show are as varied as artists, and art lovers, themselves.