”
If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy
hyacinths, for they would feed my soul.
”
~ Quran
“If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul.” ~ Quran
Don’t sleep late on Saturday, April 10, or you’ll miss out on the spectacular sight at Goldsmith Seeds greenhouse of thousands of the most beautiful blooms you’ve ever seen.
“I owe becoming a painter to flowers,” said Claude Monet, and you can see why when you step into the Goldsmith greenhouses. Last year when I took an early sneak peek inside, I was stunned by the sight of an ocean of flowers in scarlet, periwinkle, salmon, thistle, goldenrod, lavender, lemon, and every other color. People will start lining up for this sale, hosted by Gilroy’s Rotary Club, as early as 7:00 a.m. to be the first to pick plants from 70,000 square feet of color. The sale starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.
Each year for 39 years Goldsmith has been a test site where new seed-grown flowers are evaluated from around the world for home garden performance. After the March 27-April 3 flower fields spring trials are complete, the best looking, most pristine plants go on sale to the public at market rate prices.
“With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.” ~ Lope de Vega
Goldsmith Seeds supports many community causes with its donations to scholarship fundraisers, the South Valley Middle School Band and flowers to beautify Gilroy’s library and parks. Last year the company donated 600 columbine plants for Rod Kelley’s Mayday Celebration. Goldsmith Seeds was one of the first organizations to give seed money (yes, pun intended) as a founding member of the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
“Goldsmith Seeds has contributed staff time, space and thousands of flowering plants from their seed trials,” says David Cox, co-organizer of the plant sale. “None of this would be possible without the Goldsmith family’s generosity.”
The flower sale, along with the money Gilroy Rotary raises from its wine tent at the Garlic Festival, its casino night event and generous donations from members raises more than $100,000 each year which is given to the Gilroy community with a smaller portion of that going to international service projects.
Locally, Gilroy Rotary has demonstrated a particular focus of support for youth programs: For example, raising more than $12,000 in scholarships, sending seven high school juniors to a week-long leadership camp this summer, funding youth community service clubs, youth speech contests, youth reading programs, academic achievement recognitions, and the upcoming school district program to recognize achievement in Gilroy schools. Gilroy Rotary also helps register people to become bone-marrow donors, participates in creek cleanups, co-hosts the upcoming senior barbecue, has one of the top teams every year at the Relay for Life (to fight cancer), distributes poinsettias in December to more than 50 volunteer organizations, donates some $24,000 to many other community-based service organizations and providers, and stands available to respond to special needs that may arise in the community.
“The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
Robert Barham, “the somewhat slightly biased President of Gilroy Rotary,” as he describes himself, said, “buying the genetically unique and beautiful flowers at the flower sale we hold in conjunction with Goldsmith Plants is a way to support all these many things Rotary does and will continue to do for our community. So come on out and be part of a force of good will!”
Plant Sale: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 10, Goldsmith Seeds, 2280 Hecker Pass Highway. No credit cards accepted, but wagons are okay.
