Northwest Flower & Garden Show (2011) Part One

This year's theme was "Once Upon A Time..." so you can imagine the variety of display gardens created with some fairytale flair. As a child raised in a home that lacked much interest in children's stories, it was wonderful to see and it gave me so many ideas of ways I could enrich the lives of the kids we care for—even if it is only part-time. (In face, before we drove up to Seattle I had my friend A. save many of the long Douglas fir branches he cut down for us so that I can make a teepee this summer. That will become the outdoor TV room.)

Green walls are very popular so this is only one of many in the posts to come...

Repunzel-themed green wall picture by the Flower Growers of Puget Sound. 

I didn't really get the story aspect of this display, but there was a man carving and explaining the history of the business so that is also a version of storytelling and the story of the garden. Sometime this summer I hope to visit this nursery.

Elandan Gardens ltd. Display Garden 

Mossy top to a bonsai planting in the Elandan Gardens ltd. Display Garden.

I have to admit that I am not the best when it comes to orchid care, yet I am fascinated by them and I continue to buy them from time to time. This little one is one of many unusual types highlighted in the show this year. I may go back to seek on out tomorrow since it will be our last day at the show.

Dendrobium linguiforme, NW Orchid Society Display.

This is the Pacific Northwest and there is no greater local myth than that of Bigfoot so there was a garden for him too.

Bigfoot—aka Sasquatch—Kinssies Landscaping Display.

Of course Alice in Wonderland had to be included too. This garden included a live rabbit that seemed terribly sad. I felt sorry for it.

Alice in Wonderland themed garden.

There was also this garden below. The pine has the word "wolf" in it so can you guess the story?

This was a garden with a Three Little Pigs theme. Seeing a cleaver cracked up both up. 

There were a few other gardens with more adult stories focused on life and relaxation. They typically included strong design ideas with classic garden comforts. 

This design showed a way I could solve a design problem I have been having with the insertion of a gate in a way that I feel comfortable with and the husband liked it too.

This was a garden of memories past for many of us. It was a great scene to experience and my mind's eye was a bit weepy with memories wandering from my mentor Mr Palm to one of my old Sicilian cousins who liked to nap during the summer on his lath covered patio on a cot under his fuchsia baskets.

Christianson's Nursery. 

This was part of a very interesting display. It referred more to the interior of Washington State.

Suzy Dingle Landscape Creations.

It felt a lot like metro progressive greeniacs were not so in vogue as they were last year. This was a curious change of events that I didn't really mind.

Creative Gardener display gardener. It is the "new" container garden. 

I do not get out to Vashon Island as often as I would like to, but when I do, I drop by this nursery. It is an amazing place with amazing design ideas. You have probably seen them in gardening magazines.

DIG Floral and Garden booth. 

This is some great stuff. I think I know what I plan to make when I get home!!! This is an amazing Seattle area garden boutique and they always have something new and different to offer.

Ravenna Gardens Booth.

More tomorrow!!!

NW Flower and Garden Show

My husband and I were more than happy to attend the annual Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle this year. Somehow, this has accidentally become an annual vacation for us and as always, we were not disappointed by both the show, and by what Seattle had to offer us in terms of both delicious food and entertainment.

This year the display gardens interested me more than last year's, but the display created by the Seattle Urban Farm Company entitled "Crops for Clunkers" was a huge hit with both old and young alike. I was a huge fan myself. Our other favorite was the gently retouched natural installation by Elandan Gardens, out of Bremerton. The Seattle area has always pushed that NW style element we somehow inherited from Japanese design of the natural being only lightly touched by the hand of man. It was so graceful and fun to see the woods in the exhibition hall with us.

Instead of just sticking with the show this year, or simply visiting just the public gardens, we expanded our horizons a bit again and went shopping on a sunny and crisp day. For some reason I was really interested in finding more houseplants and odd vintage garden items. We found plenty of both, as well as amazing Japanese food not far from our hotel in Old Town.