I’d been thinking about checking out the Austin Home & Garden Show for a while now, but just never made the time to actually do it. Thanks to Sammis | Ochoa for providing me with tickets to this fall’s expo! Here are a few vendors that really stood out to me.
There was a large space dedicated to various home tech companies, “Top 10 Life-Changing New Products.” I had a blast playing around with all the different pieces. Simple Human has a new smart trashcan that has voice command capabilities. I know you’re probably like, “I don’t need a smart trashcan,” but there are definitely times when it’d be really handy, after cooking or baking, to not have to grab the trashcan lid with your messy hands! I met the Jibo Robot, “The first social robot for the home who looks, listens and learns. Artificially intelligent, authentically charming.” He had some trouble following commands, but that could have been to all the noise surrounding him. Levi has a new smart jacket! You can control things on your phone through Bluetooth by moving your arms or performing gestures like swiping. Very unique! My favorite piece of tech was the Nanoleaf Lights. These smart LED lights can be controlled by your phone and arranged in a variety of shapes and designs.
Cindy from The Herb Cottage had a wonderful little gardening set up. She sells seeds, Vetiver grass, and a few succulents, but more interestingly, she sells fairy garden furniture and these cute stacking planters. Cindy runs the Herb Cottage out of her own backyard! Pretty impressive. The cottage is at 442 County Road 233, Hallettsville, TX  77964 and loves visitors! Please call ahead of time though, so she knows you’re coming.
Walking around the expo made us kind of hungry, so we met Ken of Ken’s Cowboy Beef Jerky. In addition to jerky, he was selling candied pecans. OH, MAN, those pecans were so good. We had some samples of jerky, which was tasty, but we ended up buying the pecans for the way home.
Do you need a dog? There’s one waiting for you at God’s Dogs! They drummed up a lot of attention at the expo, so I really hope some dogs found new homes!
There was a booth dedicated to the many Austin Area Garden Center Clubs. All club meetings are held at The Zilker Botanical Garden. There are clubs for everything – herbs, succulents, bonsai, rose, orchids… and so many more. From what I gathered, the clubs are pretty open and welcoming. They often have plant trades and I’m sure there are TONS of knowledgeable members to learn from.
While many of the vendors weren’t quite relevant to me, I can see the value in talking to specialists one-on-one. I’m not really the kind of person that wants to talk to people one-on-one, I’d much rather research on the internet, but I can see how others may feel differently. If you’re planning a major landscape project and want several professionals to brainstorm with, the Home & Garden Show is for you. If you are thinking about putting a new roof / windows / outdoor patio on your house and want several professionals to brainstorm with, the Home & Garden Show is for you. Otherwise, if you’re not that into talking with people or don’t really have a large home project to undergo, a better use of your time would be visiting specific companies outside of the show when the need arises.
