The 21st Annual – and possibly the final – Northwest Flower & Garden show has just concluded. It was a week of gardens, lectures, gathering with friends and colleagues, sore feet, long days, and of course, shopping. Rather than tackle the whole experience in one post – I’m still processing the week myself – I’ve decided to briefly post about each day and take you along on the ride…save for the sore feet.
Wednesday the show opened to sunny skies and beautifully balmy weather (perfect for attendance and maximum spring fever.) After 17 years in the nursery business, this was my first show as a “civilian”; no market place booth to stock and staff, no display garden to fuss over. Just various volunteer responsibilities, professional meetings and oh yeah, a lecture to deliver…more on that later.
This years gardens were an impressive assortment of largely plant-driven designs. That may sound obvious but such has not been the case in recent years when you could easily miss the plants for the many barbecues, dining sets, fireplaces, and outdoor media centers (!!?!) I guess maybe the economic downturn (hellish recession!) has folks looking back to nature and away from littering the garden with expensive, and frankly redundant appliances. A good thing to my thinking; I love lounging and dining in the garden as much as the next gal, but I prefer more rustic accessories that I can leave out in rain without fear of damaging something that cost more than my car!
A brief gallery of some display garden highlights. It is almost impossible to shoot decent pictures of these beautiful vignettes – let’s not forget that this whole charade takes place indoors, under fluorescent lights, in a cavernous hall in the middle of winter.
Mid afternoon I attended a lecture by renowned garden colorist, Nori Pope. Along with his wife Sandra, the Pope’s are the authors of Color By Design, planting the contemporary garden (SOMA books, 1998), one of the definitive books on color in the garden based on their many years tending the garden at Hadspen in Sommerset, England. Passion and knowledge of color – how it works in the landscape as well as how we perceive it – are intensely covered hue by hue; shade, tint, and infinite nuance. Yep, color geeks unite. Many of us have moved on from our intensively planted perennial gardens, indeed the Popes themselves now reside on Vancouver Island, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate and revel in the work of these color masters. Plus it was good to get off my feet for a while.
The day concluded with a rambunctious gathering at the home of David Perry (a Photographer’s Garden Blog), master photographer, generous host and darn nice guy. Amidst flying pizzas, delicious rhubarbtinis, much laughter and dare I say, BRILLIANT chatter the evening was an uplifting and thoroughly affirming experience. I was honored to be in the accomplished company of Debra Prinzing (Shed Style), Mary Ann Newcomer (Idaho Gardener), Scott Calhoun (Zona Gardens), Julie Chai (of Sunset Magazine) as well as several of our loving spouses and partners. The imminent demise of the printed word seemed a distant threat in an evening of ideas, support and raucous cheerleading.
I ended the day exhausted but filled with visions of beautiful plants, several new packets of seed, and held aloft on the good will and kindness of friends. Let’s join hands for a round of kumbaya!
Please note I will post more photos of the show gardens with their appropriate garden makers noted as soon as I get the “official” versions.
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It sounds like you had a lovely time, both during and especially after the first day’s show. Look forward to all that caught your eye.
Brilliant chatter, indeed. Oh how much fun we had! And thank you for letting me pretend all week that I was still a Seattleite.
Love and hugs, Debra
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