LESLIE CRAWFORD
The Rose section is one of the largest and most popular in the Flower Show. Roses are judged by American Rose Society accredited judges with 18 special awards presented at the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
In Full Bloom
Coronado Flower Show celebrates spring on the island By LESLIE CRAWFORD
A
pril is one of my favorite months in Coronado. It’s when the Coronado Floral Association holds its annual flower show in Spreckels Park. This year’s theme is “2020 Vision, Looking to the Future,” chaired by Diana Drummey. Our town’s longest-running, and well-loved, tradition, the Coronado Flower Show began in 1922 by Harold Taylor, Coronado photographer and horticultural enthusiast. Taylor was a close 54
CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
friend to Alfred Robinson, the founder and president of the San Diego Floral Association. With good connections, help from the community and, assuming some mentoring from Robinson, Taylor founded the Coronado Floral Association and subsequently held the first flower show. The schools loaned desks and typewriters, the Hotel del Coronado provided trellises and tables, the Navy provided tents and local Boy Scout troops camped in | APRIL 2020
the park to provide security. Other than canceling a few years during WWII, the show has become a yearly tradition and a signature event for Coronado. Planning for the show begins months before the event when a theme for the upcoming show is chosen and sections are organized. Collaborative meetings with the City of Coronado coordinate all city services for the weekend. Tent layouts are configured and arrangements are made for
