The Golden State is home to redwoods and oaks, a rugged coastline that eases into rolling hills and vineyards, and gardens that thrive in the Mediterranean climate. Our daytime excursions will take us to Botanical Gardens at Quarryhill, The University of California at Berkeley, and San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco. Rare and wonderful magnolias will be revealed among the important global collections represented at those institutions. We will also visit two specialty nurseries - Sonoma Horticultural Nursery and Garden Delights - destinations for serious gardeners in the San Francisco Bay area. During our evenings we will be honored to hear presentations from world-renowned speakers. The culmination of our meeting will be our highly regarded plan sale, with opportunities to purchase rare and unusual plants, as well as few surprise offerings.

Those of you who can extend your stay one day will enjoy galleries of garden design at Cornerstone Gardens, followed by lunch on your own in one of the charming local communities and a tour of at least one CAlifornia winery.

At the end of the 2012 meeting, you will leave with plenty of magnolia memories along with an appreciation of the beauty of the scenery and lifestyle found in Sonoma Valley, California, USA!