Last week's (October, 1997) magnificent garden show at the Aboretum in Arcadia had an Asian theme. Naturally the twenty-some display gardens were rife with ponds, bridges and pebbles. This was the third year for this event and it just keeps getting better and better.

Besides the exquisite theme gardens, the show boasted a huge marketplace of plants, tools, artifacts and garden paraphernelia not usually found in neighborhood nurseries. There were also lectures, cooking demonstrations and, of course, the perfect Southern California weather. Robert Smaus, garden editor of the L.A. Times was the star attraction with his slide show on how he turned his suburban Santa Monica front yard into a wonderful Cottage cum Cook's garden.

I can hear the roto-tillers going in all those front yards now! This event is a truly welcome addition to the California gardening scene...can't wait till next year.