FESTIVALS

Hats Off To Mother Nature is the theme for Filoli’s 23rd annual Flower Show fundraiser starting the evening of May 5th through May 8th, 2011, where creative floral arrangements, table settings, special garden exhibits and floral vignettes pay tribute to Mother Nature and complement the splendor of the Filoli House and Garden. More than 75 amateur and professional designers from throughout the Bay Area display their creativity in concert with the theme.

Visitors will also enjoy the children’s floral entries, miniatures, bonsai exhibits and a display of Wayne Wichern’s hats, whose work is part of the de Young Museum’s Textile Arts Collection and whose clients include the San Francisco Ballet. This year a bee exhibit with beekeeper paraphernalia will be on display along with scheduled demonstrations about beekeeping and the workings of a bee hive. Scheduled Garden Chats regarding the important roles that bees, butterflies and birds play in nature and Flower Chats demonstrating floral arranging tips will also be featured, along with a talk by Richard Baxter, President of San Mateo County Bee Guild. Amongst the garden art, educational and horticultural displays will be a special exhibit of butterfly-attracting plants. Plein-air artists will be seen painting in the Garden. Live musical entertainment will be enjoyed in the House and Garden.

The Flower Show begins with the Opening Night Reception on Thursday evening, May 5th at 5:30pm. Guests can stroll the Garden at twilight, view the floral arrangements and meet the designers, while enjoying musical entertainment, wine and hors d’oeuvres. From Friday, May 6th through Sunday, May 8th, Filoli’s historic greenhouses will also be open for a rare chance to view plants that have been in Filoli’s collection from 1920 to the present.