SF Flower & Garden Show Loses Its Bloom

After 21 years, show comes to an end

After 21-year run one of the nation's largest flower shows  will be coming to an end.

For more than two decades the Northwest and San Francisco Flower & Garden Shows has inspired millions to embrace gardening via their dramatic display gardens and extensive seminar programs. But sadly 2009 will be the last year the curtain is lifted.

"My wife Alice and I have decided that this year's events will be our last as organizers and we are pulling out all of the stops to make them the best on record. We've enjoyed every minute doing this the last two decades but are ready to pursue some other passions," said Duane Kelly, chairman of Salmon Bay Events, the company that owns the shows.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show, which takes places in Seattle, and the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show are the second- and third-largest flower shows in the country. The largest is in Philadelphia.

"We had hoped to sell the shows to buyers that are committed to maintaining their level of quality and recognize their importance to the community," Kelly said. "However, to date, we have been unsuccessful."

The final San Francisco Flower & Garden Show will take place March 18 to March 22 at the San Mateo Event Center. Over two and a half million people have attended the two shows since they first started and annual attendance ranges between 40,000 and 80,000 people for each show.

Kelly invites gardeners from throughout the Pacific Northwest and California to visit the 2009 events and celebrate over two decades of flower show magic.

The cost of admission, which includes entrance to gardening seminars, is: $20 for adults; $9 for students 25 and under with valid student I.D.; $4 for kids ages 6 to 17-years-old; and free for children under 5.

For details and tickets visit the shows Web site.

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