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Northwest Flower & Garden Show
Seattle, WA, 2006
It had been a few years since I had last
been to this show…we always seemed to be on holidays when it came up but
this year I was able to go and besides being a wonderful respite from
winter, it was a very good show.
As you enter the Washington State Convention Center and head towards the
show, you can’t help but smell spring in the air with the lilies, hyacinths
and jasmine. I enjoyed seeing the historical exhibit called “A Place To Take
Root”. The first exhibit of this kind, it featured over 40 historical
American pots. Renowned potters Guy Wolff from Connecticut and John Weber of
Seattle demonstrated their art live for us to see and it was fascinating to
watch a pot come to life before our very eyes. We were in fact watching the
beginning of history.
The show people had made a few changes to this year with the hope that it
will renew and rejuvenate gardeners as well as educate the new gardeners
coming in. The show was called Spring Garden Festival and celebrated Spring
and growing with a new area for children called Sproutopia: A Place For Kids
– an entire area for children including hands on demonstrations and plenty
of activities. Their stage included performances by the Seattle Children’s
Theatre and special presentations on gardening, bugs, bats and worms. The
library also got together with them to present a daily story time.
There were 24 display gardens set up this year and as you will see from the
pictures, all were very nice and offered many ideas to try in your own
garden. The other thing that caught my eye in some of the gardens were the
lights they used. I saw the most wonderful little mushroom lights that I
would love in my own garden. I also loved the light that was blown glass
with grapes hanging down. This came from Italy.
The indoors is coming outdoors as was evident by a few of the gardens this
year - dining areas set up with candelabra, tablecloths and fine china. A
wonderful garden full of colour and a bench in a delicious shade of orange
to match the tulips with shots of red thrown in was a stunner. A garden full
of dwarf conifers and other very interesting and rare plants also caught my
eye as they were displayed not on the ground but on raised garden beds.
New to me was the Sky bridge – you can see the picture I took looking out of
the sky bridge heading towards Pike Place. Along the sky bridge they had set
up the container garden displays – wonderful displays packed with all kinds
of ideas and nearby a harpist was playing and people were sitting and
enjoying a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.
Of course the market was incredible. As you enter it, there is a huge
display showing great plant picks for the locals. I am always amazed at what
people can create and it seems to me that they have very creative people
living in this area. Wonderful garden accessories, like small umbrellas to
cover just certain parts of a table, whimsical glass seed holders, funny
people made out of all kinds of spare parts that move in the breeze,
gorgeous handmade jewelry and clothing, patio tables painted with flowers
and sealed so you don’t have to keep a cloth on the table all the time to
hide it. Something also new was a fresh flower market – now I don’t know why
they hadn’t done this before, because I for one always like to take a fresh
bunch of flowers home.
On the 6th floor you found the seminar rooms, educational booths, children’s
area and Bonsai and Ikebana.
I was just really impressed with the show this year and I would urge you to
see it next year if you haven’t been there lately.
Continued....
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