This weekend I had the good fortune to attend the San Francisco Flower & Garden show in San Mateo.  It has years—at least a decade—since I last was able to go (back when the show was still being held at the Cow Palace).  So I was quite excited about seeing all the latest gardening trends.

Frankly, there was so much to see—display gardens, vendors, seminars, and plant market—that it was overwhelming!  I’m not much of a trendspotter, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t see any particular themes or trends to report on (other than succulents are still going strong these days).  But I did enjoy perusing the Western Horticulture Society’s Hot Plant Picks for 2013.  They had some beautiful plants on display, ranging from a stunning columbine, colorful primula, to larger perennial shrubs.  Unfortunately, the Society hasn’t posted its 2013 list yet, but you can check their website for when they do (http://www.westernhort.org) or take a look at past year’s lists.

Sunset also had a display at the show, handing out brochures for its 2013 Sunset Western Garden Collection, which includes new varieties of low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants for the garden.  The Salvia ‘Amistad’ with its dark purple flowers stopped me in my tracks before I even noticed the rest of the display!  You may find the collection online at http://sunsetwesterngardencollection.com.  What I found particularly useful about the website is the search key where you can narrow your search to certain specific features such as salt tolerance, deer resistance, firescaping, and more.  If only I had room for one of each plant . . . .