Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Plants + Music + Discovery = One amazing Northwest flower and garden show!

Wow, I don't know how they do it every year? Turn the convention center into a gardeners drool fest!! Again, the creative minds behind The Northwest Flower and Garden Show wowed the senses and blew my mind with an overwhelming garden giddiness! Yeah I was that girl you saw with the dumb expression of...wow wow wow on her face. Honestly, if there had been a glass window, I would've been the kid squishing its face hard against it just to get a better look!


This year held a few firsts for me....
My first show as a garden blogger. Which was fun as it put a whole new perspective on the day for me. Not to mention it was interesting as everyone there looked sooooo familiar. I even had one guy say to me that I looked familiar, which I quickly replied with a "yeah I have a garden blog"...Blush! Yeah I could've died right then and there, did I really just say that! Especially as I don't even have a photo of me on it. Yeah, I'm sure that's where he knows me from...lol! But it was fun going as a blogger, taking pics with a purpose, thinking up exciting future posts and hoping to bump into someone you follow and admire in the bloggosphere.

Secondly, I actually attended some seminars...wow! I know I am usually to busy drooling over all the plants upstairs, but this year I made sure to hear an interesting talk by David Deardorff called "Vegetable Gardening CSI" Great tips on disease control for your edibles, I also discovered a new-to-me term...Poly-cultres, very interesting indeed. Followed by a talk by Annette Cottrell called "The no effort edible garden" loved loved loved! So eye opening to learn about the verities of perennial veggies that grow effortlessly here in the PNW...wow!

Another first, was remembering to vote for my favorite gardens, I absolutely loved them all! But the one I envisioned escaping to and totally wanted to sneak in to take a closer peek, was by Sublime Gardens called "The Resonating Sounds of Nature - Finding Peace and Solace in the Garden" really the name says it all! This truly was a treat for all the senses, the sounds of the drums being dripped on by falling water, the rhythm of a heartbeat was so soothing. The sweet smells, the lighting and the lushness, the use of natural elements..loved it! I was particularly taken with the meandering over-sized stone staircase leading up to a hidden retreat...ahh bliss!!! They did a wonderful job of embracing the music aspect of this show with incorporating the drums that looked like garden urns (see half way up on the right) A gorgeous design on so many levels...great job!

 
Check out the link to find out more about this wonderful space

The Skybridge is always filled with gorgeous container garden displays, as usual Ravenna Gardens did an amazing job with the use of salvaged woods and terrariums...it looked wonderful! There were a number of eye-catching containers and the use of gray through weathered wood seemed to be a favorite neutral color throughout.


Please enjoy my favorite pics and garden displays from the show
(sorry about the pics, the lighting makes it hard to photograph)

 The winning garden..."Rhythm and Roots" by Susan Browne Design
Great use of salvage and whimsy, in a laid-back colorful garden. 
I especially loved the garden art made from old bits of crockery

Rock and Roll meets heavy metal - by WALP
Loved the juxtaposition of the soft lushness below with the hardness and almost dangerous looking metal wind sculpture. Very unique and completely mesmerizing!

 I am not to sure who desinged this or what it was called. But seriously...look at that wine garden! Yes PLEASE!! Now I know what my garden has been missing all along. Also, I loved the other side of this display, the front door with the clock set to 4:20, that made me giggle...hehehe! And yes they did that on purpose, which made me laugh all the harder.

I loved how the tree was mimicked on the canvas art hanging in the pavilion, a very tranquil and relaxing outdoor space, again...yes please!! 

This display was huge and so impressive, the amount of stone they had meticulously moved in and placed was amazing. I absolutely loved the water with the over-sized blocks as stepping stones. The use of moss and grass was beautiful in this display, gave for a very minimalistic look...the name though...Agh ???

While the show is captivating with its displays of creative lushness, its also a fantastic opportunity to discover the latest trends in plants, tools and design from the vendors. Plus score some free loot! This year the swag included...garden gloves, seed packs, tools, orchids, endless magazines, more seeds and a scented chest rub.

My new favorite bloom discovery from the show, is called the "Bridal Crown" double bloom daffodil (awarded daffodil of 2011) the scent was divine and the cluster of blooms just beautiful....a new must have plant for my list!
Another wonderful discovery was this edging, I have always loved the formal look and this hollow concrete block edging from Connect-A-Crete provides an instant raised bed, they snap together and at $20-$40 a piece is a great price! must remember!!

I always love going on the last day of show, its like a tradition for my friend and I. The day when everyone is thinking of packing up shop and insisting you take something extra with purchase. I am also a complete sucker of the two for one plant sales, some are even giving away freebies...love the free pansies we picked up, they were giving them away by the flat...score!


 My beautiful friend Sarah drooling over the Raveena Gardens booth

We both also bought a gorgeous little lavender each from Pelindaba, love their straight from the farm lavender infused products. mental note...must visit their farm out in the San Jaun Islands...road trip this summer!!
 I'm already excited for next years show, I can not wait to see what will be install for us!!

Pop over to Catherine's gorgeous blog - A Gardener in Progress...Our day at the Northwest flower and garden show for another take on the show!!

26 comments:

  1. Oh how I wish we had a garden show in our area, I so need a garden fix right now. But I had fun pretending to be at your show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Crafty G I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I usually get this time of year and I am having garden withdrawals so the show really is great timing...not long till spring!!

      Delete
  2. You took such great pictures and saw some things I missed. I was looking for you and hoping I'd run into you. It's pretty amazing how they get it all set up like that. I think I missed those plant sales, but we did get the Panises.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so sorry to have missed you too! I think next year I'm going to hit it a few times, I never seem to squeeze everything into one day. Your pics and post were wonderful, really enjoyed it! Take care, cheers Julia xx

      Delete
  3. It's so exciting to see the show through both your and Catherine's lens. Someday, I'm gonna make the drive up north to see it. A delightful post Julia! Cheers, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jenni, the show was fantastic and so worth the drive if you ever venture. They really seem to be so different every year, always something new to wow you! Always love seeing you stop by, hope you are well, been thinking about you..xx

      Delete
  4. Great blog Julia! Next year you will have to be sure to attend our Tweetup, for tweeters and bloggers. We hold it before the show opens to the public on Thursday, with the house light on full - so it's better for photos! Follow us on our FB page to find out details for the 2013 Tweetup. ~ Janet

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janet, What an honor! Your garden show was amazing, what a wonderful job!! Really already looking forward to next years show, I would love to make it to the Tweetup too, what a great idea having the house lights up for that! Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my blog...cheers Julia =)

      Delete
  5. Looks like you had a wonderful time...it would be so much fun to meet some garden bloggers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Hanni, if you are ever down this way ;) So happy to see you back blogging, hope the house selling is going well...cheers Julia xx

      Delete
  6. Yay!! Love the pics, it looks like it was amazing as usual. So sorry I missed it this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I picked up some seeds for you plus some pansies, although I'm not sure if they will make it! Hope to catch up real soon...love ya xx

      Delete
  7. Ooooo, I drooled over the Skybridge--looks like some great terrarium ideas there! That's a great idea to go on the last day--I think I'll do that at the next garden show I attend. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Beth, I always LOVE seeing you stop by! The terrariums were so beautiful and so detailed. I wish my shots could've captured just how perfectly placed everything was inside the gorgeous vessels. I particularly loved the old mason jars and re-purposed touches. I am feeling inspired to create my first terrarium this year, will post if I do. Cheers Julia

      Delete
  8. Looks like a wonderful show. Makes me anxious for spring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Julia, this truly must have been a delight for the senses; thank you for the little vacation from the cold and snow you just gave me.

    I especially like the displays which use recycled materials; I love incorporating flea market finds and unusual items in my gardens. Beautiful post. ~Debra

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I could whisk you away Debra ;) Hope spring heads your way soon, we had a glimpse of it here last week, sunshine and blue skies, now its back to cold and rainy, but the garden is loving it!
      I hear you on the flea market finds, its fun to be creative with salvage, I'm going to be doing a lot more of that this year! Thanks for stopping by =)

      Delete
  10. Sounds like you had a great time...I miss the shows. We used to have a bus go down each winter to the show. All the gardeners from the store would pile on, and on the way back we would share what we bought.

    You won a free ticket, way to go!

    Sorry, but I just noticed that you have word verification. I honestly love your blog, but I don't leave comments on any that have word verification, so this sadly will be my last comment. I will still read your blog, but I can't seem to understand the word verification words, and I am not able to spend the time it takes to fix it. I get tons of spam, and Blogger does a great job, along with Gmail of filtering it out. It has only made it through to my blog 2 times in 4 years...It only takes a moment to delete the spam file, but it takes me so many tries to get the word verifications right. I just wanted to let you know, so you don't think I am not visiting you.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jen, I really appreciate you noting that, your comments are so special to me, I would rather delete any spam than not see a friend, I would be more than happy to remove that filter =) As always thanks for the comments and look forward to seeing you around...hugs xx

      Delete
  11. How much fun! I can't decide which garden I liked the best, they all sounded so awesome. I would so love to go to one of these! Maybe after my kids are a big older and my husband doesn't work so many hours :) I took my kids to a large specialty nursery this weekend, and after about 15 minutes in which all they did was need to go to the restroom and be supplied with snacks, they were ready to go home. Arghh! Mommy needs her plant fix!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I so love garden shows! The photos you shared have so many inspiring ideas. They make me want to get outside and make a new space!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Carla, I hear you! I came home with so many new ideas and dreams for the yard. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment...cheers xx

      Delete
  13. Garden shows are always so much fun, as well as educational. This reminds me that my husband and I were planning to go to a local garden show, then something came up and we forgot about it! Well, at least I got to see a bit of yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha I know that all to well, my hub and I always plan to visit the tulip festival but something comes up and we rememeber the week after its over...oops! So glad you stopped by Beth and got to enjoy this garden show just a tad, although the photos really don't do the beautiful displays justice. Cheers Julia

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  14. Ooops I mean Deb..sorry! Your beautiful white flower avatar is so similar to Beth from Plantpostings.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and reading my latest post! I love sharing my gardening adventures and reading your wonderful comments. Happy digging...Cheers Julia!!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...