We have a guest blogger today. Don Delano is Fairplex’s resident horticulturist. The plants, greenery, fruit orchards and flowers are in large part due to Don’s designing and truly green thumb. Don is extremely passionate about gardening and very interesting to chat with. Here is his update on what’s going on in preparation for Fairtime:
Well, the Landscaping Department is busy prepping, cultivating, ripping out and generally 
getting ready for the upcoming Fair. In following with the Escape to Hawaii theme of the Flower & Garden Pavilion, one of our remodeled sections has been the area directly behind the garden area of the pavilion. In place of the 15-foot Italian fountain from last year is emerging a lush Polynesian lagoon, complete with flowing waterfalls, flowering bananas and other tropical eye candies for our guests enjoyment.
In the FairView Farms and Big Red Barn areas work is finally underway, having finished the last year- round events in those specific areas. A new duck pond is under construction, and we will start soon on the goose enclosure. It is a challenge to develop an interactive area that keeps the animals safe and healthy, yet allows us to view them going about their daily lives and activities. I would never have believed that ducks can move rocks the size they do if I had not seen it with my own eyes. Industrious they are. The gardens planting has begun and we have a bumper crop of Valencia oranges on the trees and a fairly large crop of almonds and English walnuts.
Thanks Don. Make sure you check out the area of FairView Farms where we grow California commodities lilke kiwi, tomatoes, cashews, corn, lettuce, persimmons, pistachios, raisins, artichokes, apples, peaches, prunes, avocados and more. Bet you didn’t know we grew all those, did you? See? You always find something interesting at the L.A. County Fair, which, by the way, is 53 days away.
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