Coronado Flower Show Blooms into Beloved Local Tradition

Hold onto your gardening hats … it’s time for the 86th annual Coronado Flower Show on April 16 and 17. If you are a newcomer to Coronado, all the fuss may seem a bit quaint, but it’s a proud tradition in our little city and, for many residents, this is serious business!  

The theme of this year’s show is “Dig, Design & Dine.” For months, the 2011 Flower Show chairs Rob and Laura Crenshaw, with their flower show committee, have been working behind the scenes, planning all the details of the show. concluded last week and all over town. Residents really got into the spirit of beautifying Coronado, one yard at a time.

Now, it’s crunch-time. The tents are going up in , and the main part of the annual event begins on Saturday.

Presented by the City of Coronado and the Coronado Floral Association, the Coronado Flower Show is the largest tented flower show in the nation. Founded by Harold Taylor in 1922, Coronado’s longest-running tradition started in an effort to unite the community in a positive light, during a time when the city was divided by strong political issues.

Taylor worked hard to convince people that Coronado gardeners could grow enough flowers to make a flower show possible, and the first show became a big success. There has been a flower show every year since, except for a few years during World War II when the show went dark.

For the first few years, the event was an open-air affair. But soon, organizers started borrowing tents from the Navy to provide protection from the sun and other weather elements. Eventually, Coronado bought its own inventory of tents and dispatched the Public Works Department to build the show each year.

Today, the city contracts out the work to save money on tenting costs, repair and labor—a $50,000 endeavor, in addition to the more that 200 volunteers it takes to put the show on each year.

The Coronado Flower Show is a Standard Flower Show, conforming to standards set by National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC). The purpose of a Standard Flower Show is to educate the public and cultivate an interest in horticulture and floral design, as well as provide an outlet for creative expression.

Accredited NGC judges judge the Horticulture and Design divisions, based on the NGC’s Standard System of Awards. The process takes most of Saturday morning and ensures fair and objective evaluation of all entries, from novices to the ultra-serious gardener. It takes about three years to become a nationally accredited judge.

Remember, this is Coronado’s Flower Show, so all local residents should plan to enter something from their gardens. The divisions and sections of the show are highlighted in the Flower Show Schedule, which you can access online.

Entries will be accepted on Friday, from 4-6 p.m., and Saturday, from 7-9:30 a.m.

Insider tip: When entering a growing plant, it’s important to clean out the dead leaves and branches from the pot, as well as cleaning the pot itself. When entering cut flowers, the online link will tell you how many stems you need for each variety. If in doubt, bring extra stems, to ensure the requirements are met.  

Admission to the show is $5.00. Give yourself a couple of hours to wander freely.

Highlights include: the wildflower exhibit, carefully picked by volunteers who fanned out all over San Diego County, with special permission to gather; the very popular , motivating our youngest gardeners to grow and create; and the men’s creations, whose entries are always entertaining and whose winner is picked by popular vote.  

After the awards ceremony on Sunday, all cut flowers, including the roses, will be auctioned off. Come prepared to bid and leave with an arm full of beautiful flowers!

The Horticulture division features the best from area gardens, and the Design division inspires with table settings and floral arrangements.

Also, stop by the plant sale and educational exhibits. The Navy Spouses Club Sand Dollar Gift Shop and the local artists’ co-op, , will have signature Coronado and garden goodies for sale.

Coronado Peninsula Water Polo Club will run the Food Pavilion and, new this year to the flower show, the highly anticipated Beer Garden sponsored by the !

Live music will entertain from the bandstand throughout the show. Saturday night, the Coronado Floral Association will host Fiesta de las Flores, an evening party in the tents.   

On Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., awards will be presented to winners in all sections of the flower show.

There’s something for everyone at the Coronado Flower Show. Come be part of a great Coronado tradition. You never know, maybe you’ll even go home with an award!