This week is the annual Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. It's a huge celebration for all of us plant and flower nerds! I wanted to share with you some sneak peeks of the show, and what to expect when you attend. Hopefully I can convince you to attend this year!
FLEURS DE VILLES - A NEW FEATURE
For the first time ever, the Fleurs de Villes feature is coming here to Seattle! It is at the entrance to the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival show floor, so you can't miss it if you attend. Some of the top designers in our area designed these incredible floral fashionistas. I was asked to do one, but I am in the middle of seeding a zillion trays for the farm! So, I was grateful when Keita of Smashing Petals asked me to help with her foam-free floral dress. I still got to participate, but didn't have to drop everything to undertake such a large project! This is the "before" photo, and I don't want to spoil the surprise with an "after." These designs will take your breath away. Working on them late at night with dozens of other designers was an electrifying creative experience. If you do nothing else at the show, check out this feature!
A "before" photo of Keita and her model looking, well, smashing!
Blooms & Bubbles
One of the coolest features is the Blooms & Bubbles stage, where floral workshops are being held every day! Participants get to learn how to create beautiful floral arrangements, jewelry, and more. It is a really great collaboration between the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Slow Flowers, and the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. This year, I was asked to teach how to design floral jewelry and wearable flowers, which I am so excited about! My class is on Saturday (2/29), and sold out pretty early, but you can potentially still pop by and watch! Last year, I got to watch Meridith from Verde & Co demonstrate flower crowns to a packed crowd.
Blooms and Bubbles in 2019!
DREAMY DISPLAY GARDENS
Predictably, another really wonderful feature of the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is the featured display gardens. Every year, landscape and garden designers come in and build these incredible themed gardens--all indoors! They are feats of engineering and creativity, and it's so fun to look at all of them. Last year there were English country gardens, Moroccan courtyards, and Dutch windmills. I cannot wait to see what they have planned for this year!
This chic display garden was one of my favorites from 2019!
Booths & SHopping
If you are into meeting people and shopping for all your garden needs, there is no better place. Booths are a wonderful place to meet like-minded gardeners, farmers, and plant people. Last year, I met local iris breeders, a local rose society, and people who make local fish compost! Who knew!? It is such a cool experience to wander the booths and stop when something strikes your fancy. Of course, this can also be dangerous for your wallet. There are all kinds of plants and tools being sold, some of them quite rare. In 2019, I found a red edgeworthia, hellebores I had never seen, and pink pussy willows. Now that I have farmland, sticking to a budget will be harder than ever! You can also find some fresh local blooms, like these early hyacinth and tulips I spotted last year.
You can also find fresh local blooms from farmers!
I hope this post has convinced you to check out the Northwest Flower and Garden Show this year! I didn't even mention all the cool plant talks, urban city living displays, or Container Wars. It seriously has something for everyone, and I would love to see you there!