Jan 22
The Northwest Flower & Garden Show has always kicked of my gardening season. I get inspired by the display gardens and seminars and purchase new plants and art from vendors. I look forward to it every year. Read more
Mar 4
Every winter the Northwest Flower & Garden Show helps me brush off the cobwebs and get excited for spring. This year was even more exciting because I met up with many of my garden idols and online friends. I even got to listen to seminars by Jessi Bloom, Rebecca Sweet & Susan Morrison, Teresa O’Connor & Jayme Jenkins, Ivette Soler and Joe Lamp’l (check out their hyperlinked books).
I loved every minute of this show so I thought I’d share what I loved most (aside from the people).
Here’s some cool stuff I found:
Here are my favorite display gardens:
Christianson’s Nursery was most like my own garden (but better). I really enjoyed their A Day Well Spent garden because it was simple, elegant and classic. It also had veggies and easy to implement ideas like the short fence covered in vines pictured below. Most of my pictures of this garden were blurry.
www.christiansonsnursery.com
Christianson's Nursery
Short little fence covered in vines.
Also by the front entrance was Courtney Goetz’s garden: Paradise (to be) Regained. Not saying anything bad about Courtney, but I was SHOCKED when I learned the person who designed this garden was only 17! It was not only beautiful but also very thoughtful – it was full of great ideas, plant picks and had a recycling message. I bet (hope) this isn’t the last we hear from her.
www.thecreativegardener.com
Repurposed shipping container
Greenhouse on top of the shipping container!
Use for plastic water bottles
Radiator borders
Metal grates as stepping stones
Key chain rain chain
My favorite themed garden was by far the Run Little Pigs,RUN! garden by Susan Browne Landscape Design. I walked around this one a couple times (at least) and found something new and fun to look at each time. Plus, my dad did an amazing job reading me this story as a kid. I still remember.
www.fancyplantsgardens.com
Straw house planted with complementary reds
The twig house - my personal favorite.
The brick house with views of the other two.
The BIG BAD WOLF's house - situated right behind the straw house.
Here are a couple other photos I liked from the other display gardens.
Meadow lawn
Giant Urn
I got some of these cattails in burgundy!!
Stone bench and rock wall
Pink Flamingo Croquet
Wine cork stepping stones?
Here are my favorite container gardens:
Since I LOVE succulents and repurposed pots, it was no wonder I loved The Lusher Life Project container garden display.
So many succulents!
Bottle terrarium
Love the contrast with the red/orange box
And last but not least, the Eat, Pray, Love, Garden. My friends Christina Salwitz and Janit Calvo (Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center) combined forces to create this beautiful garden.
Good thing the book was there or I would've sat down!
View of the garden's back wall & India miniature garden
Indonesia miniature garden?
Italy miniature garden
That’s all for this year. See you all next year!!!
Feb 7
Yesterday I attended the Northwest Flower & Garden Show and loved every minute of it. Today I’m going to share my pictures of the display gardens. Below are my show favorites; you can also click here to see all my show pictures.
I'm incorporating these evergreens into my garden for sure!
I love this rock/cement water feature.
I want this Golden Hinoki Cypress!
Loving the Corylus avellana 'Contorta'
Great green winter interest.
Great cold frame! Beautiful!
Cute veggie & tulip filled pots
My favorite! Maybe I can add one these to my next yard?
Aside from these pictures, you can click here to see all my show pictures on Flickr.
Feb 5
In case you didn’t know, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is going on NOW at the Convention Center in Seattle. I look forward to this event all winter (and all year for that matter). And really can’t imagine a better way to kick off spring than looking at display gardens, shopping for garden stuff and buying new plants!
For those of you not living in the Seattle area (since that’s only excuse for not attending yourself), I’ll do my best to capture the display gardens in a post following the show. I’ll also share some of my favorite vendors, like Glass Gardens NW in booth #1104 (this is where I get my glass pond floats)!
For the folks attending or working at the show, I’ll be wondering around all day Saturday. I should be pretty easy to spot in my new black Hunter boots. If that’s not easy enough, here are the seminars I plant to attend:
Hood Room
Rainier Room
For more information on the show, visit the official site at http://www.gardenshow.com/seattle/index/.
See you at the show!
FREE-RANGE CHICKEN GARDENS. I have the pleasure of being included in Jessi Bloom's beautiful book (pages 27, 51 upper left, 112, 114-117). Check it out!
THE NEW LOW MAINTENANCE GARDEN. This book by Val Easton is one of my favorite design books.
WICKED PLANTS: Great read about poisonous plants by Amy Stewart.
THE VEGETABLE GARDENER'S BIBLE. My favorite vegetable garden reference book by Edward C. Smith.
GROW. COOK. EAT. by Willi Galloway is a beautiful vegetable garden cookbook. Great recipes and tips on eating ALL parts of the veggie - not just the mainstream parts.
Gardening in My Rubber Boots 