Gardeners Gather In Golden Gate Park

Gardeners gather in Golden Gate Park Gardeners gather in Golden Gate Park If you need to know about evolving Andean microclimate impact on tillandsias - "air plants" that don't need soil - then Gregg DeChirico is your guy, and Saturday's 15th annual Summer Gardening Fair in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was the place to be. Dozens of people meandered through the free festival Saturday, swapping stories, asking advice and checking out just about all things homegrown - from succulents to orchids, beehives to backyard chickens, sheaves of lavender to yarn being spun on a pedal wheel. Mahoney then took pity on an interloper who was not down with the lingo, explaining that gesneriads are African violets "and many, many of their relatives." Lora Kellner, a member of the San Francisco Professional Gardeners Association, added chickens to her repertoire because she wanted their droppings as fertilizer for her vegetable garden.