It's OK for little hands to get dirty in the PlayGarden.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show is a wonderful way to spend the day with the entire family. The show wants young children to learn about the wonder of nature around them, to unplug from their electronic toys and dig the outdoors! So we’ve created a special place just for the kids. It’s called the PlayGarden, and this is one area of the show where the motto definitely is “Look – and touch!”  Even better – children 12 and under are FREE, and Youth tickets (age 13 – 17) are only $5.00.

The PlayGarden theme this year is ‘Rockin’ Robin’ and it is a great way to teach children about the birds that live in our urban and suburban areas. But sooner or later Moms and Dads and Grandparents will want to see the show gardens. How do you drag the little ones away from having all that fun in the PlayGarden? It’s easy – take them on a Treasure Hunt!

Children can look for a hidden (and disguised) birdhouse in the show gardens

The Treasure Hunt is the perfect kid-friendly activity to help your young ones race to the display gardens. Each of our garden creators was given a bird house for their garden. But our inventive designers are decorating the bird house to go with the theme of their garden – so they will all look different. Perhaps they will be painted, or covered with sequins for a glittery look, or maybe lichen and moss will be glued to the bird house for a natural look. And then the garden creator will “hide” the bird house somewhere within their garden for children to discover and identify. Whatever the garden creator chooses, it will be great fun for your children to try to find all bird houses in the show gardens.

To get started, simply pick up a Treasure Hunt form at the PlayGarden (located in the North Hall just beyond the ‘Garden Gallery’ exhibit), one of the two Show Information booths, or at select Display Gardens. Then head off to the gardens for a treasure hunt adventure! It’s sure to engage your children in the gardens, while you can be taking notes and photos to get ideas for your own home garden.

Look - do you see it? Find all the birdhouses and children get a cool activity book from Molbak's.

Where could these bird houses be? Maybe nestled in some blooming Hellebores, or tucked among the tools on a potting bench. Perhaps one will be nailed to a tree, or perched on a rock next to a babbling stream, or peeking out of an overflowing container planting on a deck. Bird houses might be really hiding – or hiding in plain sight. Parents can have fun playing along with their children, helping them find all the decorated bird houses.

 After searching for the hidden item, please stop by the Playgarden and reward your child with a special prize from Molbak’s Garden + Home - a fun-filled children’s activity book all about birds, with games, puzzles and fun facts on our flying feathered friends. With the help of their friends at Wild Delight, Molbak’s hopes to grow the next generation of gardeners and nature lovers.

Children love all the things to explore and create in the PlayGarden, plus live music!

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show wants to thank PlayGarden designer Wendy Welch (who taps into her own inner child for PlayGarden ideas), which was inspired by the classic song ‘Rockin’ Robin’, originally sung by Michael Jackson when he was just a boy. To read more about our 2012 PlayGarden, read our earlier Garden Show Blog.

And be sure you don’t miss our acclaimed children’s singer/ songwriters Caspar Babypants (daily at 10:30 am); Your Imaginary Friend (Friday – Sunday at 12:30 pm); the ‘Creepin’ Critters’ (Wed & Thurs at 12:30 pm) and Nancy Stewart (daily at 2:30 pm).  They’ll be singing ‘Rockin’ Robin’  along with many other award-winning children’s songs full of fun and giggles. ~ Janet

Treasure Hunt sponsored by

Garden art and accessories are a big way to add some personality and pizzazz to your garden. But you don’t need to break the bank for “real” art. Here are some teriffic do-it-yourself projects that you can do on your own – especially after you see these seminars by these creative and crafty speakers.

Lorene Edwards Forkner – Writer, designer & author, “Handmade Garden Projects”
Author, speaker and avid gardener/cook, Lorene Edwards Forkner revels in the seasonal pleasures and broad scope of gardening life in the Pacific Northwest affords.  Working from home and tending a small city garden provide Lorene with a living workshop and practical skills in her hands-on pursuit of color, textures, form and delicious flavor every day of the year.  A designer’s eye for re-purposing objects and a keen sense of conservation and thrift infuse her every effort with personality, wit and sustainability. Lorene is the author of Handmade Garden Projects: step by step instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More (Timber Press, 2011) and regularly blogs at Plantedathome.com where she recounts her explorations, sometimes hapless experiments and spins stories about home, garden, work and play.

Operating Instructions for the DIY Gardener
Craft a Landscape Uniquely Suited to YOUR Home
Thurs, Feb 9 at 2 pm / DIY Stage
5 simple questions to address BEFORE you begin that will help you envision and craft a landscape uniquely suited to you and your home. A 1 hour interactive workshop where audience members get down to work planning their garden facilitated by a handout/worksheet to guide the process.

The Handmade Garden
Inspirational Profiles of “Hands-On” Gardeners
Fri, Feb 10 at 4:00 pm / Rainier Room
Inspirational, lively and sometimes quirky profiles of “hands-on” gardeners and the personality-infused gardens they create. This is passionate gardening as a form of artistic and personal expression. Say goodbye to “yard work” and hello to outdoor play. 

Val Easton – Seattle Times columnist & author, “Petal & Twig”
Valerie Easton started gardening to bring nature into the house, and she hasn’t stopped planting, picking, and arranging flowers and foliage for the last 40 years. Her latest book, Petal and Twig: Seasonal Bouquets with Blossoms, Branches and Grasses From Your Garden, will be published by Sasquatch in early 2012. Her own simplified little garden on Whidbey Island has been published in The New York Times, Horticulture and This Old House. For 18 years, Valerie worked as a horticultural librarian at the University of Washington. She hasn’t missed a week of writing her “Plant Life” column for Pacific Northwest Magazine of The Seattle Times in the last 15 years. She also writes feature articles for the Times on the region’s most creative gardens and homes. She writes about gardens and the people who make them for numerous publications, including Garden Design and Organic Gardening magazines. Val is the author of four gardening books, including The New Low Maintenance Garden (Timber Press, 2009) which was chosen by amazon.com as one of the Ten Best Home and Garden Books for 2009.

Petal & Twig
Reap the Rewards of Simple, Fresh Bouquets Year Round
Thurs, Feb 9 at 10 am / Rainier Room
Come learn about the joys of turning your entire plot into a cutting garden, then reaping the rewards with simple, fresh, handmade bouquets for the house. With photos from her Langley garden, Val will show how to plant to bring flowers and foliage indoors in every week of the year. This approach has nothing to do with decorating or accessorizing, with floristy, wires or foam. It’s simply about taking a delight in flowers, leaves, and whatever nature offers up. If you’re intimidated by the grandiosity or complications of flower arranging, all that fragrance and soul-stirring beauty will stay outdoors, rather than grace your indoor lives as well as your gardens.

Jayme Jenkins – Author, “Garden Rules” & owner, aHa! Modern Living
Jayme Jenkins is the owner of aHa! Modern Living, an online store specializing in stylish, modern home décor and garden accessories. She co-authored the popular new book, Garden Rules: The Snappy Synopsis for the Modern Gardener, (Cool Springs Press, 2011). Jayme is a trained Oregon State University certified Home Horticulturist, and serves as a container designer and gardener for various companies in Eugene, Oregon. Very active in social media, she has been a garden lifestyle blogger since December 2007, and specializes in spreading excitement about gardening to new people.

Edibles Cubed
Creating a Living, Edible Cocktail Table
Wed, Feb 8 at 5:15 pm / DIY Stage
What has your side table done for you lately?  Other than offer a place to hold beverages and welcome clutter, it’s probably just taking up precious space. Space you could be using to grow edibles. What if you could grow edibles and have a place for guests to set their cocktails? With a little ingenuity and creative spirit, you can!  In this DIY seminar, author and avid DIYer Jayme Jenkins will show you how to construct an edible cocktail cube on wheels with affordable items purchased from your local hardware store. Jayme will also recommend plants, maintenance tips and cocktail recipes to help you create a lively conversation piece that is sure to impress your friends.

No Space, No Problem
Grow a Gutter Garden with Function & Style
Thurs, Feb 9 at 5:15 pm / DIY Stage
Vertical gardens are all the rage, especially in urban settings where garden space is scarce and privacy seems non-existent. On the other hand, you don’t have to be an apartment dweller to appreciate the benefits of vertical gardening. Growing up provides attractive privacy screens, convenient spaces to grow edibles and divide larger outdoor rooms into smaller, intimate retreats.  In this DIY session, author and avid DIYer Jayme Jenkins will show you how to create a hanging gutter garden using ordinary items found in a hardware store. Jayme will also share plant suggestions and maintenance tips to help you be more successful in the garden. Regardless if you’re looking for more garden real estate or desire more privacy, a gutter garden will provide you a custom solution that’s both stylish and functional.

Willi Evans Galloway – Author, “Grow. Cook. Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening”
Willi Galloway is an award winning writer and radio commentator and author of the new book, Grow. Cook. Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, to be published by Sasquatch in January, 2012. She writes about kitchen gardening and seasonal cooking on her popular blog, DigginFood and pens the weekly column, ‘The Gardener,’ on Apartment Therapy’s Re-Nest blog. Each Tuesday morning, Willi offers vegetable gardening advice on Seattle’s popular NPR call-in show, Greendays. She also teaches a joint gardening and cooking class with chef Matthew Dillon at the Corson Building in Seattle and hosts an online garden to table cooking show, Grow. Cook. Eat., with her husband, Jon. Willi was the West Coast Editor of Organic Gardening magazine from 2003 to 2009.  She lives and gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Oh, Grow Up!
Get More Food by Growing Up with DIY Trellises
Wed, Feb 8 at 2 pm / DIY Stage
Growing up is the easiest way to squeeze more food into a small vegetable garden. In this hands-on workshop Willi will demonstrate how to make a super sturdy tomato cage, a pretty bamboo cage for supporting peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, and an A-frame that cucumbers and peas love to scramble up. All of these projects can be built with basic hand tools (a power drill is optional!) and are perfect for people—like Willi—who are DIY challenged.

Debra Prinzing – Garden writer and author, “Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways”
Debra Prinzing is a Seattle and Los Angeles-based outdoor living expert who writes and lectures on gardens and home design. She has a background in textiles, journalism, landscape design and horticulture. A frequent speaker for botanical garden, horticultural society and flower show audiences, Debra is also a regular television and radio guest. Debra’s five books include award-winning Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways (Clarkson Potter/Random House, 2008), The Abundant Garden (Cool Springs Press, 2005) and Pacific Northwest Garden Survival Guide (Fulcrum Press, 2004). Debra recently authored two new landscape design books for Sunset, which will be published in 2012. She is a contributing editor to Better Homes & Gardens, a contributing editor to Garden Design, and a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Home section, as well as other top shelter, gardening and consumer publications. Debra is the new president of the Garden Writers Association. She co-founded www.greatgardenspeakers.com and is working on a book with photographer David Perry, The 50 Mile Bouquet: Discovering the World of Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers, to be published by St. Lynn’s Press in April, 2012.

Eco-Friendly Floral Design
Chemical-free Techniques for Creating Fresh, Healthy Arrangements
Fri, Feb 10 at 2 pm / DIY Stage
Learn how to make foolproof flower arrangements without relying on those dark green “bricks” of florist foam, a product that is not biodegradable. Debra will share a variety of floral design alternatives, including both old-fashioned techniques and modern, new tricks gleaned from her interviews with leading “green” floral designers. You can have a fresh, beautiful bouquet that’s good for your health – and good for the earth! The demonstration will feature many of the projects featured in Debra’s forthcoming book, The 50 Mile Bouquet: Discovering the World of Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers, with photographer David Perry, and on their blog, www.afreshbouquet.com.

Matthew Levesque – Author, “The Revolutionary Yardscape”
Some people are not very good at sitting still. Matthew Levesque is one of them. He is the founding manager of San Francisco’s Building Resources, the Bay Area’s only nonprofit architectural salvage and reuse center which he continues to run. He also developed and operates the Red Shovel Glass Company, manufacturing recycled glass products for landscape applications. Matthew is the author of The Revolutionary Yardscape: Repurposing Local Materials to Create Containers, Pathways, Lighting and More (Timber Press, 2010). He teaches classes on a wide variety of subjects relating to resource conservation and creative reuse. He also designs gardens specializing in landscapes, design and art from reused materials. Matthew has appeared on the Discovery Channel and CBS, and his work has been featured in Sunset, Horticulture, and The SF Chronicle and numerous online publications. He and his wife live in both Alameda, California and Grapeview, Washington.

Walking on the Wilder Side
New Styles of Garden Paving From Repurposed Materials
Wed, Feb 8 at 5:30 pm / Rainier Room
A fast paced stroll through new developments in garden paving made from reused and repurposed materials. You will not believe what is underfoot as old materials take on new functions and whole new looks. Author and reuse expert Matthew Levesque will quite literally lead you down the garden path in this up close look at wood, steel ,stone, tile and more.  From simple projects any beginner can tackle to some best reserved for the truly possessed.  Matthew will guide you through material section, construction tips and finishes. Come on , step out of line just a bit and take a walk on a wilder side of the garden, you never know where it will lead.

Alexandra Hedin – Author, “Entertaining at Home” & Style Editor, 425 Magazine
Alexandra Hedin is a Lifestyle and Entertaining Expert based in the Pacific Northwest. Her simple approach to making every day lovely has made her an admired contributor to magazines and television across the west coast. In Winter of 2010, Alexandra’s debut book was released. Entertaining at Home features ten complete parties including menus, simple recipes, crafts and helpful tips for hosting your own event. The beautifully photographed book includes hundreds of photos to inspire and tempt any hostess-to-be to take her next event to the next level. Alexandra has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Design*Sponge, and on the Seattle affiliates of CBS, ABC, and FOX.  Her parties, recipes, and crafts can be found in every issue of 425 Magazine. Alexandra grew up in the bustling kitchen of a home economics teacher helping to feed a large extended family for holidays and regular weekends together. She still spends her free time cooking in her Seattle kitchen for her husband and three young children.

Plant Now, Eat Later
Rewarding Recipes & Crafts from the Garden
Thurs, Feb 9 at 3:45 pm / DIY Stage
Learn how to use ingredients and plants found in most home gardens to create seasonal recipes and craft ideas. Alexandra, author of “Entertaining at Home”, will show you how simple ingredients such as rose petals, rose hips, pears, mint, herbs, and rhubarb and create fabulous foods and fun décor for your home.

Planting for Entertaining
Recipes with Fresh Flavors from the Garden
Fri, Feb 10 at 3:45 pm / DIY Stage
Alexandra Hedin’s extensive knowledge of entertaining has been paired with her newly planted garden designed specifically for having perfect ingredients on hand at all times. She will plant a small container with the perfect herbs for entertaining and will show three recipes using the herbs in the pot. 

The garden show is not far away so plan your says at the show by checking out the seminar schadule. Early Bird ticket prices are good through February 7. ~ Janet

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show will be bringing winter weary show attendees an extra dose of cheer with their 2012 show theme – A Floral Symphony – and the musical events they have scheduled throughout the garden show. Festive South Lobby concerts, all FREE with admission, will be four times each day, with a wide variety of musical acts that cover the realm of styles for every music lover. And our PlayGarden Sprout Stage we’ll be engaging children of all ages – and their parents – with our professional singer/songwriters, crooning tunes for the younger set to go with the PlayGarden “Rockin’ Robin” theme.

ALL THAT JAZZ 

Recording artist Kenny Coleman, just back from touring with John Legend, is one of Chicago’s most sought after and renowned Jazz and Blues percussionists. As a graduate of the American Conservatory of Music, Coleman has studied under the tutelage of famed Percussionist Leo Murphy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has been involved with the music industry for over 20 years as a session player, composer and producer, and worked with musical icons, including Johnny Mathis, Sugar Blu, Ethel Holloway and R&B superstar Monica. (Subaru presents Kenny Coleman, Wednesday 2/8 at 1 pm and Thursday, 2/9 at 1 pm.)

The melodic originals of Seattle pianist Nelda Swiggett draw from her long list of influences, from jazz to Afro-Cuban, to gospel, blues and more. Nelda formed her first band in 1990, and has since performed at many of Seattle’s leading clubs, concerts and festivals, including the Earshot Jazz Festival, Bumbershoot, and a KPLU-FM Summer Jazz Cruise, among others. She’ll be performing with the Nelda Swiggett Trio, which includes bassist Chris Symer and drummer Byron Vannoy, held together by the highly original mind of Ms. Swiggett. (Performing Wednesday, 2/8 at 12 pm and Friday, 2/10 at 6 pm.) 

Guitarist Paul Johnson, from Auburn, WA, plays acoustic jazz that soothes the senses. (Playing Wednesday, 2/8 at 5 pm and Saturday, 2/11 at 11 am.)  And it’s time for a bit of nostalgia as the popular Edmonds Woodway High Jazz Ensemble will be bringing back the era of big band music. (Sunday, 2/12 at 3 pm.) 

Ray Baldwin is the epitome of cool with his velvet trumpet. Many people know that Ray Baldwin performs the best of traditional and contemporary jazz. If you have ever experienced him performing live then you know his unique style is full of rich harmonies, crowd participation, musical features and extraordinary trumpet playing. When Ray Baldwin takes the stage get ready for a fascinating time. (Thursday, 2/9 at 12 pm.)

SINGING THE BLUES(GRASS) 

Orville Johnson’s name is well-known to Seattleites who love bluegrass. He moved to Seattle in 1978 where he was a founding member of the legendary NW folk/rock group ‘The Dynamic Logs’ and over the years has played with a diverse list of artists including Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, John Hartford, Maria Muldaur, Richie Havens, Sam Andrew (Big Brother and the Holding Company) and Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones).  (Thursday, 2/9 at 2 pm.)

The Cascade Cut Ups will be bringing their banjo best, along with guitar, dobro, harmonica, mandolin and bass, along with their high-note harmonies. (Saturday, 2/11 at 2 pm)

The Wiretappers are an acoustic string band from the Seattle area, playing a mix of Juke Joint music, Western Swing, classic country, dancehall honky-tonk, and hillybilly jazz, with a bit of bluegrass, jazz standards, gypsy, and funky folk mixed in. Their sound is groove-oriented with great instrumentals, lead vocals and lots of harmony singing.(Sunday, 2/12 at 1 pm.) 

CLASSIC SOUNDS 

How about a quick Flamenco dance between all that shopping and seminar watching at the garden show? You might want to break out your dancing shoes with the sounds of Julian Catford’s classical guitar flavored with a decidedly Spanish and Brazilian beat. (Wednesday, 2/8 at 2 pm and Thursday, 2/9 at 4 pm.)

The Kirkland Choral Society was born in the living room of one of its founding members and originally Practiced in a basement rehearsal space with a handful of singers. Now a respected nonprofit organization, it is dedicated to sharing their music with the public and teaching about choral musical arts. (Sunday, 2/12 at 11 am.)  

Be sure to catch The Bella Trio, a talented trio of ladies who have been performing together for over seven years. It will feel right at home surrounded by the lush settings of the garden show. This trio of ladies on violin and cello are the perfect accompaniment to the nearby blossoms in the South Lobby garden by the Floral Growers of Washington, and the fantastic displays of artistry by local florists in the Floral Competition. (Thursday, 2/9 at 6 pm.)  If you love the stirring sounds of classical chamber music, you also won’t want to miss the renowned Garfield High’s Classical Quartet chamber music. (Wednesday, 2/8 at 4 pm and Saturday, 2/11 at 6 pm.)

There is so much inspiration to be found at the garden show, in both the gardens and the brilliant seminar photography. But you will truly be inspired by Duo Savoir Faire, violinists Nicola and Tyler Reilly. Tyler was quite the phenom in Olympia when he started playing at the age of nine. He was touring Europe by age 11 and winning competitions in his teens. Nicola started the violin at age seven. She attended the Northwest School for the Arts and has traveled to perform and compete in Austria, Germany, and Japan. (Friday 2/10 at 4 pm.)

CHORUS OF MELODIES 

Be prepared for some joy! The Total Experience Gospel Choir bursts with love, joy and enthusiasm – humanity! It is hailed as one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest soulful ensembles. Pastor Patrinell Staten Wright started the group as a gospel music class at Seattle’s Franklin High School in 1973. Since then the choir has grown to become a nationally and internationally known gospel singing group. (Friday, 2/10 at 2 pm.)

We all wear sensible shoes to the garden show, since we will be spending so much time exploring all the great things the show has to offer. But do stop and listen to Sensible Shoes, an ensemble of the acclaimed Seattle Women’s Chorus, a pop and vocal jazz group in the tradition of groups like Captain Smartypants and Emerald City Volunteers. This group of women balance great vocal delivery with fun, innovative staging. (Saturday, 2/11 at 4 pm.)

Miles and Karina are David Miles Keenan and Nova Karina Devonie. Their music is the happy result of a 19-year collaboration. Since their early days with cowgirl supergroup Ranch Romance, with whom they recorded 3 CD’s, they have been writing and performing locally in their home town of Seattle. They have shared the stage with EmmyLou Harris, Bela Fleck, Bill Monroe, Alison Kraus, Tim O’Brien, Rodney Crowell and David Grisman, to name a few. (Friday, 2/10 at 12 pm.)

All of our South Lobby Concerts are free with admission, and you can get your tickets on gardenshow.com. (Remember, Early Bird prices are only good to February 7.) The full schedule is posted on the garden show website.  

ROCKIN’ ROBIN FOR LITTLE SPROUTS 

The show’s wildly popular PlayGarden that debuted last year returns with the theme of “Rockin’ Robin” and we’re chirping for joy with the musical acts that will be appearing daily on the Sprout Stage.

Caspar Babypants is better known as Chris Ballew, the twice Grammy-nominated songwriter and lead singer for the four times platinum rock and roll band The Presidents of the United States of America. As his alter ego, Caspar Babypants, he makes high quality, thoughtful, simple, acoustic sing along songs for parents and kids of all ages to enjoy together. (Performing daily at 10:30 am)

Your Imaginary Friend is the duo of Jana Vitols and Greg Ruby. For a dozen years Seattle’s youngest have been singing, dancing and learning the fundamentals of music in Jana’s ‘Music for Everyone’ classes.  Greg brings his compositional ear and guitar skills to the stage, and plays strings and keys, writes and records for listeners of all ages. (Friday, 2/10 through Sunday 2/12 at 12:30 pm)

Nancy Stewart is a national award-winning musician who has been writing and performing for young children and their families for twenty years. This followed a successful fifteen year-long career as lead guitarist and vocalist with a nationally known show band. (Daily at 2:30 pm)

Lisa Taylor and the Seattle Tilth Children’s Garden team return for two fun acts, Don’t Squish That Bug! where the ‘Critters’ explore the insect world and teach about bugs through song, stories and friendly, giant puppets. And Wiggle, Squiggle, Giggle! which is sure to be awesome adventure of the slimy kind. (Wednesday and Thursday at 12:30 pm) ~ Janet

If you have an 8-ft. by 6-ft. space to create a little slice of outdoor living heaven, what would you do with it? How would you make it livable, inviting and give it some panache to reflect your personality? Stumped? For ideas, you need look no further than the creative genious behind the Northwest Flower & Garden Show’s Container Exhibition designers.

Perhaps it’s the sweeping views of the downtown Seattle skyline and Elliott Bay that makes this airy, light-infused glass skybridge so wonderful. But the views are not the stars of the show in this space – these mini-gardens are. These delightful vignettes are always packed with creative do-it-yourself ideas; ideas that you can emulate right on your own patio, balcony or deck. They may range in style from cool, clean contemporary, to delightful whimsy, with every style in between, but they all show how you don’t have to have a lot of room to have an eye-catching garden space that expresses your personality and offers some welcome outdoor living space.

Here’s a sneak preview of what some of these talented designers are working on preparing for the garden show, along with some photos of some gardens from past show years. As you can see, every one of them is packed with pizzazz. 

Ravenna Gardens has won awards for the past 2 years, including this 2010 garden.

Ravenna Gardens returns to the garden show with another garden that is sure to be an eye-catcher. This year they are all about glass. Gillian Mathews and her team will have a garden called “The Terrarium Maker’s Studio.” It will be filled with elements used to make an actual terrarium, including glass, moss, ferns, succulents, gravel and sand. It will also showcase terrariums small and large – on the walls and on the ground and even hanging from the ceiling. It’s sure to inspire you to get into the terrarium craze yourself.

Michelle M. Myer has quite the appropriate name for her design business – Gardening GaGa!. As an artist she is always trying to inspire her clients to incorporate art in their gardens. She’s teaming up with metal artist Sarah Lavin to make a sculpture that is really a container. The entire piece will be a textural collage, with art and plants blending seamlessly together. Michelle has chosen cool plants that look good all year, punctuated by seasonal surprises, and the name of her exhibit is, appropriately, “A Four Season Symphony with Seasonal Crescendos.”

Clean lines and understated elegance mark Wendy Welch's 2011 design.

Designer Wendy Welch, of Wendy Welch Garden Design, gets in touch with her inner child designing our fabulous PlayGarden. She is shifting gears for her Container Exhibition garden on the skybridge. Wendy is drawing her inspiration from the gorgeous containers and furniture from Terris Draheim Showroom, one of Seattle’s premier interior and exterior design showrooms. Look for her signature cool minimalism, with a white and gray color scheme, with the splash of unusual elements, such as a brilliant orange standing umbrella.

So many of our Container Exhibition garden designers got into the groove of our garden show theme, “A Symphony of Flowers.” Chris Jacobs, from aw pottery,said “we couldn’t do a symphony, but perhaps a little concerto.” Thus was “Tutti Frutti” born, weaving several antagonistic parts into a composition. Prima containers from aw pottery, plants from T&L Nursery and Fancy Fronds, and iron windows reclaimed from an old French villa make up the display. It’s boldly punctuated with colors that enliven any season, shapes that seduce the eye, plants that sooth the mind and deep bass notes of the past as background.

Vee Gardens has created containers that emphasize recycled content, water conservation and internal composting - beautifully.

Del Webber, owner of Vee-Garden (and a new exhibitor this year) is all about recycled content, water conservation and internal composting. To Del, art meets science, or, as he calls it, “naked humility.” He had lots of trial and error before he achieved success. Mother Nature’s whims can be cruel, but Del is hoping to outsmart her. He’s designed a system, dubbed “Vee Garden” (V is for vertical) that helps to manage the key components of a successful garden – soil temp, water conservation, bio-diversity, dense plantings and a composting system as well. And even in our tepid climate and short season he’s now growing peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and cabbages – outside. Beautifully.

“Songs of Sanctuary” draws its theme from Studio AB, owner and designer Andrea Becker’s own endeavor of crafting a small, secret sanctuary at her Ballard home. Joining forces with landscape architect Chris White, they sought to create a space with a sense of solace that is uniquely realized via an ‘East meets West” combination of elements that set the tone for serenity. Soft, upright evergreens, including magnolia, bamboo and salvaged Manzanita create a sense of enclosure, while a small Asian artifact is turned into a soothing water feature. Rare hand-formed, azure clay containers from Ragan & Associates finish the total harmony of the exhibit, bringing a positive energy rejuvenation.

Sunnyside Nursery takes 'planting yourself in a cozy chair' to a whole new level with their whimsical 2010 garden.

Steve Smith and the gang from Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville returns to the Container Exhibition with another whimsical garden. “Jazz Up Your Space” begins with a piano that serves as both a bar and a planter. A discarded drum is repurposed into becoming a table/plant stand. It’s all in cool black and white, with the pop of color from foliage. Traditional containers are intermingled with the piano bar, and look for both tropical plants and traditional plants. Mary Stole explains their philosophy, saying, “In the garden, everyone can be an artist without apology or explanation.” That about sums up their garden, sure to be an attendee favorite.

“Heavy Metal” by Jana Hill of Terabithia Designs, entering the container competition for the first time, pays homage to power tools, power ballads and power plants. Using things gathering dust in the back of the garage or basement (old barbeques were the most prevalent), getting rusty by the side of the road, or marked on sale at Value Village, this “rock” garden will be a great place to knock back a cold one after going to town with a chainsaw. The plant palette is inspired by all of the amazing 80’s hairdo’s that perms and Aqua Net provided. Think strong and spiky, a la Mick Mars, or cascades of glossy curls, flash backs to Jon Bon Jovi. Perfect for getting in touch with your inner rocker.   

Emerald City Orchids uses orchids in every conceivable size and color for their beautful gardens.

Joe Grienauer, of Emerald City Orchids, also returns to the Container Exhibition (look for their show garden too) with an exhibit titled “Orchids Swinging on a Blue Note.” It is inspired by the great jazz combo musicians. Viewers will see musical instruments ready, as if the band were merely taking a quick break to grab a smoke and a cocktail between sets. Orchids of all sizes, shapes and colors will be punctuating the display, nestled in, on and around the instruments. (For our attendees really into jazz, be sure to catch some of the terrific jazz acts we will have in the South Lobby.)

Janit Calvo, of Two Green Thumbs, will be bringing us “The Fairy Song,” an exploration of garden, craft, popular culture and fantasy, all merged together into one surreal exhibit. Using the fairy garden motif for the first time since her 2004 garden show display, she will be combining recycled material with the possible beauty of our predicament, to illustrate what the future may hold for gardeners as we continue to heal this Mother Earth.

New Wood Manufacturing shares detail of the bench that will be going in their Container Exhibition garden.

“New Wood Nirvana” is a subtle reference to the fact that New Wood Manufacturing, owned by Lincoln Harris, is located in Grays Harbor County, home of Kurt Cobain. Working with designer and artist Suzanne Ferris (who happens to be his sister), the garden will be made from strong yet bendable 7/16^th-inch composite panels in many different shapes. Look for large curved shapes for a raised garden, pyramid-shaped hanging baskets, and a garden bench evoking the famous Tavanasa Bridge in Switzerland. (The hidden beauty of all these containers is that New Wood can handle direct ground contact without swelling or breaking down.) An industrial-grade woven steel trellis rises above the garden for climbing vines to give it all a strong vertical backdrop.

Tiffany Wiffert of Artisans Cottage, Judson Sullivan of Cultivar LLC, winner of the “Best Design” award in 2011, along with teams from Molbak’s and West Seattle Nursery round out the entries of the Container Exhibition. Their creations will be judged on Tuesday, February 7 by container designer Tina Dixon, owner of Plants a la Cart, along with Marsha Davis-Thomsen. ~ Janet

As gardeners we have a passion – and a responsibility – for sharing our little plot of Earth with the wildlife that lives there too. From the beloved ‘flying flowers’ such as birds, bees and butterflies, down to the microscopic creatures we cannot even see, we should all make an effort to create beneficial habitat not only for our families, but for all wildlife in our region. But that doesn’t mean an ugly garden! These great seminar speakers will show you how to have a wildlife-friendly garden and a family-friendly garden too, all the while respecting the Earth.

David Mizejewski – TV personality & naturalist with National Wildlife Federation
David is a media personality, author, blogger and a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. He hosted and co-produced Backyard Habitat on Animal Planet from 2005-2008. He also appeared in an Animal Planet mini-series in April, 2007 called Springwatch U.S.A. He blogs about the BP Oil Spill and about animal oddities for Animal Planet and contributes to NWF’s blog Wildlife Promise. David makes monthly appearances on NBC’s Today Show and is a regular guest on The Martha Stewart Show and ABC’s Good Morning America. He has also appeared on Planet Green’s Renovation Nation; HGTV’s Gardening by the Yard and Curb Appeal; Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet; and CNN’s Headline News and Larry King Live. He is the author of Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, (Creative Homeowner, 2004), winner of the 2005 Publisher’s Marketing Association Benjamin Franklin Award. He is also a contributor to Gardening How-To magazine.

Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Backyard Wildlife
Fri, Feb 10 at 11:00 am / Hood Room
One of the joys of gardening is creating a beautiful, natural space that you, your family and the local birds, butterflies and other backyard wildlife can enjoy. Join author, blogger and celebrity naturalist David Mizejewski from National Wildlife Federation for a fun and informative talk on creating wildlife-friendly gardens. David will go through each of the four components of habitat – food, water, shelter and places to raise young – explaining each and sharing tips, ideas and projects that participants can implement in their own yards. He will also show you how you can have your garden recognized as an official “Certified Wildlife Habitat” by the National Wildlife Federation. 

James Ullrich – Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited, Gig Harbor
James Ullrich is the president of Wild Birds Unlimited in Gig Harbor, and is the current president of the Kitsap Audubon Society. He has served on the Kitsap Audubon board of directors for the past eight years, and was past president in 2005. James has given over 75 presentations of Orchard Mason Bees over the years. He has been a guest on the radio programs of Ciscoe Morris, Ed Hume and Scott Conner. He received the “Friend to the Environment” award from Wild Birds Unlimited of Indianapolis, IN, the “Franchisee of the Year” for Wild Birds Unlimited of Indianapolis, IN. the Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts of America and the Kingfisher Award from the Kitsap Audubon Society. For the past three years he has written articles on birds and bees for the West Sound Home & Garden magazine. James is a retired Naval officer, and holds a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound. Visit the Wild Birds Unlimited booth, # 953.

Developing a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary
How to Invite Mason Bees & Birds into Your Garden
Wed, Feb 8 at 6:45 pm / DIY Stage
Pick up all the latest seasonal tips on developing a Backyard Sanctuary for your backyard birds and Mason Bees.  Everything from developing greenbelt Shelters with yard waste, and maintaining same throughout the year. You’ll learn about setting up appropriate housing for the Cavity Dwelling birds in your backyard, from Nuthatch and Wood duck boxes to Robin roosts, to winter roosts for Chickadees and others. Also learn when to clean them and how often; what food to use on a seasonal basis, to attract the greatest variety of birds to your yard and using the appropriate food to keep as much waste off the ground as possible. When presenting bird food, learn tips on how to keep other unwanted rodents away, from squirrels to Raccoons to rats, the best bird bath options and how to clean them during the pollen and mold seasons, and tips on keeping your food dry and presentable to your birds and squirrels, if you feed both.

Zsofia Pasztor – Garden designer & owner, Innovative Landscape Technologies
Zsofia: Zsofia Pasztor is the owner of Innovative Landscape Technologies. She is a part-time instructor at the Edmonds Community College, a landscape designer, LID construction
consultant, wetland delineator, certified professional horticulturist, certified tree risk assessor, and a certified arborist. As a consultant, she often works with bioretention solutions, vegetated roofs, living walls, edible gardens and permaculture. She is the creator of the ‘Farmer Frog Model’ promoting community based urban farming that protects and restores habitat for people and wildlife at the same time. She is the president of the Sustainable Development Task Force of Snohomish County (SDTF), a member of the Rain Garden Coalition of Snohomish County, and a member of the Curriculum Board for the Edmonds Community College’s Horticultural Department.

At Home in a Habitat Garden
Important Elements for Inviting Wildlife in the Garden
Sun, Feb 12 at 5:00 pm / Rainier Room
Show garden designer Zsofia Pasztor shares her tips for the basics of backyard wildlife habitats – learn the four most important elements of small to medium scale habitat garden; take home simple DIY ideas and solutions.

Joe Lamp’l – Producer and host of “Growing a Greener World” TV
Joe’s infatuation with gardening and nature began as a child after a run-in with his parents’ favorite shrub, he panicked and jammed the broken branch into the ground. A few weeks later, it had taken root. Joe was not only relieved; he was also hooked on horticulture. That passion is evident to a nationwide audience who has watched Joe as host of the popular series, Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network and GardenSMART on PBS. As one of the country’s most recognized and trusted personalities in gardening and sustainability, today, he combines his national television experience and expertise of gardening, environmental stewardship and passion for living a more eco-friendly life, as host and producer of Growing a Greener World on public television. Joe also shares his know-how on NBC’s TODAY SHOW, ABC’s Good Morning America, The Victory Garden on PBS and more. Off-camera, he is founder & CEO of The joe gardener® Company, devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and sustainable outdoor living.

Want to get a front row VIP seat to Joe’s seminars plus a complimentary autographed copy of his book? Visit the Subaru garden on the skybridge for details on Friday and Saturday before Joe’s lectures.  And follow Joe to the Subaru garden to purchase your own signed copy of his book. Joe will be signing books at 2:30 pm Friday and 2:15 pm on Saturday.

Subaru Presents: Growing a Greener World
Gardening to Make a Difference
Fri, Feb 10 at 1:00 pm / Rainier Room
Sat, Feb 11 at 12:45 pm / Rainier Room
Based on his popular PBS television show, “Growing a Greener World” and his best-selling book, The Green Gardeners Guide, TV host Joe Lamp’l shares the most significant actions that gardeners, beginners and veterans alike, can take to make their gardens “greener” and positively impact the planet through sustainable gardening and water conservation. Find out how easy it is to make a difference!

Jeff Lowenfels – Alaska columnist & author, “Teaming with Microbes”
Jeff Lowenfels is America’s longest running garden columnist, having written for the Anchorage Daily News every week for over 36 years. He is host of Alaska’s only garden radio show, “The Garden Party” and author of the award winning book Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide To The Soil Food Web (Timber Press, 2010). A former president of the Garden Writers Association, Fellow and Hall of Fame Member, he is known for his humorous but insightful talks on organic gardening to all manner of audiences throughout the country and for founding ‘Plant A Row For The Hungry,’ which each of you should do.

No More Chemicals in Your Garden!
The Latest Science on Gardening without Chemicals
Thurs, Feb 9 at 6 pm / Hood Room
You can’t really understand sustainable and organic gardening until you learn the fascinating science of the soil food web, Nature’s system that enables all plants to grow without chemicals. This is the who, what, and how to garden without chemicals, updated with the latest from the world of science. Think this sounds dull? Not when it’s told by the award-winning master of microbes, Jeff Lowenfels.

For the complete seminar schedule and all our speaker’s biographies visit our website. ~ Janet

“A Floral Symphony,” the Northwest Flower & Garden Show extravaganza arriving February 8 – 12, 2012, covers six acres of the Washington State Convention Center. It has 23 spectacular show gardens, 3 “Living It Up” balcony gardens, 16 Container Exhibitors, over 300 garden-related Marketplace exhibitors, 116 seminars, 45 musical performances, a “Funky Junk” exhibit by high-school students, an Ikebana exhibit, and a Floral competition with some of the region’s leading floral designers. All packed into 53 hours of pure horticultural heaven over five days.

How do you possibly see it all? Here are my top tips for attending “Camp Horta Flora” and making the most of it.

TICKET TO GARDENING NIRVANA

You can purchase your tickets on gardenshow.com or at nursery retail outlets and Central Markets. We have a searchable list on our website so you can find the ticket outlet closest to you (and save $1). Or use our convenient print-at-home feature. (Remember, ‘Early Bird’ ticket prices end on February 7!)

Consider buying at least a 2-Day Pass. It’s $29, so that’s only $14.50 each day; a great entertainment value. If you’re really an avid seminar attendee, then the 5-Day All Show Pass, at $65, pencils out to only $13 each day.

Now that you’re got your tickets in hand, think about spending a night or two downtown. The show has arranged for discount hotel rates at a number of area hotels. You can’t get rates at these hotels better than our website deals, so take advantage of them and the amenities that got with them. But hurry, as these rooms are almost sold out.

PLAN YOUR SHOW STRATEGY 

Use our searchable Exhibitor List to find the products you're looking for.

Start by going over the seminar schedule. If a seminar sounds enticing, but you don’t know much about the speaker, each speaker’s photo, biography and a description of their seminar is available by clicking on the speaker name.

Do you have specific items on your shopping list? We have over 300 exhibitors in our Marketplace, so our searchable Exhibitor list allows you to browse by category. Or you can search for a specific exhibitor name and make a note of their booth number. 

You’re going to want a Seattle Times Show Guide too, with its centerfold map, seminar schedule, exhibitor list, garden descriptions and more great info. The all-important NWFGS Show Guide will be wrapped around the Seattle Times and distributed to both home delivery subscribers and newsstands on Monday, February 6.

WHAT TO BRING

Now here's a prepared show attendee! But we also have free package check for those without their own carts.

You’re going to want to wear comfy shoes for walking on cement floors, and dress in layers – we keep the gardens cool for the plants (we have a coat check station). A camera is a must – photograph everything! I learned a trick from some garden bloggers last summer. If you see a plant you really covet in a show garden or in the Marketplace, but want to buy it later in the spring, photograph the plant and the plant tag. That way you know the exact plant name. Of course a small notebook and pen is a must.

Parents with children would be advised to bring infants in backpacks if possible, the better to maneuver through crowds. But if you bring a stroller and decide not to use it, you can check it for free at the Will Call booth just outside the South Lobby entrance.

The Convention Center is fully handicapped accessible, and there are handicapped parking spaces in the underground garage. But it does not offer any wheelchair rental.

Bring your questions too! The garden show is the place to be inspired – and to learn. If you have a few questions written down, you won’t forget to ask when you’re speaking to a garden creator, exhibitor or speaker.  And if you really want some design help, check out our APLD Consultations. They are offering free 20-minute design consults at the show. But don’t wait until the show to sign up, as the coveted slots go quickly. Sign up on our website today.

All of our show garden signs will have a QR code for more fun information or music.

Get smart with a smart phone. Every show garden has a large sign that lists the designers who created the garden and – new this year – a QR code. They’re like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Perhaps a YouTube song that served as the designer’s inspiration, or a link to their website.

Now what? Well, try to arrive early to squeeze out every wonderful second of our 9 am – 8 pm days (9 am – 6 pm on Sunday), and to get a parking place at the Washington State Convention Center.  When you arrive in the South Hall at the gardens, I recommend you go all the way to the back of the gardens, and then work your way forward. Most people go front-to-back, so you’ll be going the opposite direction (sort of like a reverse commute).

GARDEN SHOW MARKETPLACE

The Plant Market has loads of trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs for sale from specialty nurseries.

For the exhibitors, if you’re a real plant aficionado, head directly to the Plant Market in the North Hall (across the sky bridge) first. Some specialty nurseries sell out of a few choice plants early. Here’s a recent blog on Plant Market exhibitors and some cool plants they will be bringing to the show. You can then stash your plants at one of our convenient FREE Package Checks and continue your shopping.

You might think you need to be an avid gardener to shop in our Marketplace – the largest in the country, with over 300 exhibitors. Not so! All of our exhibitors are garden related, but we have a wealth of artists, craftspeople, and designers who create beautiful works of art, jewelry and clothing that is nature inspired. Case in point – last February I shopped for pieces to decorate my newly remodeled master bath. I found everything I wanted in our Marketplace – Asian styled ceramic pots to hold my stuff, a watercolor of lotus leaves, a Raku ginko leaf, a metal sculpture of bamboo, and a funky basket to hold towels – and none of it was for outside in the garden.

Find the seminars just right for you by checking the symbols with each listing, and read the speaker bios.

SEE IT, LEARN IT, DO IT!

Of course, you’ll want to see some of our acclaimed seminar speakers and you should plan your time in advance so you don’t miss them. There are so many to choose from! Each of our seminars has a symbol telling you if it’s suitable for new gardeners (most are), if it’s a lecture about edible gardening, if it’s a good seminar for those with limited space, or if there is a book signing after the seminar (we’ll have 61). These symbols are on our website, in the Seattle Times Show Guide and on the seminar schedule signs.

If you are planning on adding edibles to your garden, or you need to solve edible gardening problems, you have come to the right place! We have 30 seminars devoted to edibles, from starting seeds all the way through properly harvesting your fruits and veggies. And we have landscape designer and author Rosalind Creasy, considered to be the leading authority on edible landscaping, serving as a Show Judge and Speaker this year, and lecturing the first two days of the show. Don’t miss this rare chance to see Ros.

Our other Show Judges, Stephen Orr, gardening editor for Martha Stewart Living, and Steve Aitken, editor of Fine Gardening magazine, will also be speaking on Wednesday and Thursday. These will be design-centric talks filled with inspiring gardens and how you can have a beautiful garden – and still garden responsibly and protect the environment and wildlife.

STARS OF THE GARDENING WORLD

You won't want to miss Ros Creasy, Dan Hinkley, Steve Aitken, Stephen Orr, Joe Lamp'l, Ciscoe Morris, Graham Kerr and many other stars of the gardening world.

All the ‘usual suspects’ (as I like to call them) will be returning to the show to regale you with top tips, techniques, and trends. Look for Dan Hinkley, Joe Lamp’l, Graham Kerr, Ciscoe Morris, Val Easton, Lucy Hardiman, Marianne Binetti, Debra Prinzing, Lorene Edwards Forkner, Robin Haglund and Marty Wingate, to name just a few.

New speakers traveling from all over the U.S. are thrilled to be a part of the most prestigious seminar program in the country. Robin Stockwell, Helen Yoest, Barbara Wise, Billy Goodnick, Jennifer Bartley, Richard Bitner, Bruce Bailey, Stacy Walters, and Dianne Ott Whealey are sure to wow the crowds and become new attendee favorites. You can read their bios on our website.

And don’t miss our returning stars coming from outside Washington. They include Melinda Myers, Charlie Nardozzi, David Mizejewski, Teresa O’Connor, Jayme Jenkins, Willi Galloway, Jeff Lowenfels, Mary Ann Newcomer and Mary-Kate Mackey, to name a few.

DIG IN THE DIRT

There's lot for kids to see and do in our PlayGarden, free to every show attendee.

If you think the garden show is for adults only, think again! The show has a wonderful PlayGarden to engage children of all ages in learning about nature, the outdoors, and local birds. Here the kids can look and touch! The theme is “Rockin’ Robin,” so we’ll have musical performances every show day. Join Caspar Babypants, Nancy Stewart and Your Imaginary Friend as they get the kids hopping and laughing with their silly songs about nature.

RENDEVOUS POINTS

If you’re with friends and your group breaks up for awhile, a good place to rendezvous is the Wine Garden, located on the garden floor. Or stop to take in one of the 20 musical performances that will be appearing in the South Lobby.  There are also plenty of cafes throughout the show, in the South Hall, the skybridge, and the North Hall. If you want to venture outside the show (be sure to get your hand stamped on the way out!) we even have restaurant discounts at some local restaurants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The garden show has two Information Booths to help you with whatever you might need. The North Entrance booth is located just before you get to the skybridge. The South Lobby book is at the entrance to the show gardens – and this booth also sells the garden show merchandise, if you want to pick up a souvenir T-shirt.

So be prepared, and enjoy the show! Follow us on Facebook and join the Twitter action on #nwfgs. I hope to see you at the show! ~ Janet

Special thanks to our garden show sponsors:

Steve Aitken – 2012 Show Judge & Editor, Fine Gardening magazine
Steve Aitken is editor of Fine Gardening, a magazine devoted to making its readers better gardeners. He spends much of his time talking with and visiting horticulturists and avid gardeners around the country. The knowledge he gains from these activities not only helps the magazine, but also provides solutions to the everyday challenges he faces in his own garden. He has written articles for Fine Gardening on topics ranging from drip irrigation to building twig structures. A Master Gardener, Steve is currently carving out beds and borders around his Connecticut home, where he lives with his wife and children.

Why Doesn’t My Garden Look Like That?
10 Questions to Ask About Your Garden’s Design
Wed, Feb 8 at 1 pm / Rainier Room
We have all been in and seen photos of gorgeous gardens that leave us in awe and make us wonder, “Why can’t my garden look like that?” It would be wonderful if there were a one-size-fits-all solution to garden design, but every space and every gardener is unique. Drawing on personal experience as well as his work with outstanding gardeners and designers from around the U. S., Steve Aitken, Editor of Fine Gardening, will present a series of questions to ask when considering how to improve your garden. Whether your area is sunny or shady, sloped or flat, large or small, these questions will address fundamental design issues, which, if addressed can greatly enhance a garden’s form.

Would you like VIP Seats to Steve’s seminar? Just visit the Subaru garden on the skybridge and ask how you can be one of four people to have reserved, front-row seating.

Stephen Orr – 2012 Show Judge & Editorial Director for Gardening: Martha Stewart Living
As the Editorial Director for Gardening for Martha Stewart Living, Stephen Orr writes about extraordinary gardens and the people who make them. Prior to that he was the garden editor at House & Garden and Domino magazines, and has written extensively for The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and been a regularly featured gardening expert on “The CBS Early Show” and “The Today Show.” He is the author of Tomorrow’s Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening (Rodale Press, 2011). With a keen eye for aesthetics matched by a strong concern for the environment, Stephen has developed a sense of what a modern garden should be: small, visually pleasing, and responsible.

Designing Tomorrow’s Gardens Today
Garden Sustainably Without Sacrificing Beauty
Wed, Feb 8 at 10 am / Rainier Room

Responsible Gardening
Reimagining the Definition of a Modern Garden
Thurs, Feb 10 at 2:30 pm / Rainier Room

Jamie Durie – Author & TV host, “The Outdoor Room”
Jamie Durie is a horticulturalist and landscape designer and founder and Director of the international award-winning company DURIE DESIGN (PATIO Landscape Architecture & Design). He is a television host and producer, the author of 8 best-selling titles on his design work, including Outside (Harper Collins, 2008), The Outdoor Room (Allen & Unwin, 2007), PATIO – Garden Design & Inspiration (Allen & Unwin, 2006), and Inspired: The Ideas that Shape & Create My Design (Collins Design, 2006) and also has a line of Outdoor Living & Lifestyle products, ‘PATIO by Jamie Durie’. One of Australia’s most recognizable talents, Jamie has hosted many of Australia’s top-rated television programs, including “The Outdoor Room”, “Australia’s Best Backyards”, and “Backyard Blitz” — for which he received the Logie award for ‘Most Popular Male Talent’. In the U.S. Jamie’s new show, “The Outdoor Room”, launched on HGTV in 2010. He also hosted the dynamic design makeover show “HGTV Showdown”, as well as “The Victory Garden”, which airs on PBS, and appeared regularly on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The Human Garden
Enhance Your Garden Enjoyment with Outdoor Rooms
Wed, Feb 8 at 2:30 pm / Rainier Room
Gardens of today are meant to be lived in, not just looked at. Contemporary outdoor rooms are interactive and provide you and your family well being and a sense of connection. Join acclaimed author and TV host Jamie Durie as he shows you how to plan a well-designed space that will add value to your property, enhance your lifestyle and become a favorite family gathering place for years to come.

Billy Goodnick – Designer, writer, blogger, aka “Garden Wise Guy”
At five years old, Brooklyn-born Billy Goodnick became obsessed with drumming. Twenty years later, after a successful career in recording studios and concert halls, he discovered the exquisite art of bonsai, his gateway drug to a life of horticulture. Billy laid down his sticks, headed to school, and got his hands dirty in nurseries, at the drafting table, and on landscape crews. Realizing the limitations of a two-year horticulture degree, he completed his education in landscape architecture, aced his licensing exam, and landed a totally sweet gig as landscape architect for Santa Barbara, CA, where he stayed for 22 years. Meanwhile, Billy developed a wildly popular adult education class demystifying the art and science of creating beautiful, useful, sustainable garden designs. Late one night, he logged on to Google and launched an informative, frequently hilarious blog that caught the eye of local magazines and websites. Voila! Billy is now a contributing editor writing his “Design Workshop” column in each issue of the magazine.

Design Like A Pro
Create Any Style Garden Using Locally Appropriate Plants
Thurs, Feb 9 at 5:30 pm / Rainier Room
What defines a garden style? Design and garden writer Billy Goodnick takes you through the basic steps to get your garden started off on the right steps. From selecting the right style of garden for your home, to the core principles of design and sustainable gardening, and his fool-proof plan for plant selection, Billy will get you excited about designing like a pro to create the garden of your dreams.

Rebecca Sweet –Owner, Harmony in the Garden & co-author of “Garden Up!”
Rebecca Sweet is a landscape designer with her design firm Harmony in the Garden, located in Northern California. She also co-authored the best-selling book Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces (Cool Springs Press, 2011). Rebecca is also a featured columnist for Horticulture Magazine and a contributing author for Fine Gardening Magazine.  Her gardens and articles have been featured in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Women’s Day and American Gardener as well as regional newspapers and publications.

Creating Harmony in the Garden
Taking Your Garden to the Next Level
Thurs, Feb 9 at 10:45 am/Hood Room
Have you ever strolled through a garden and let out an audible “Ahhh…”?   That’s ‘harmony’ at work – when everything seamlessly blends together to create an overall desire to linger just a little bit longer.  California-based landscape designer and author Rebecca Sweet will show you how to create harmony in your own garden.  Learn the art of weaving together a few basic design principles such as color, texture and form, to transform your garden into a rich and layered tapestry.

Lucy Hardiman, Garden designer, writer and author, “Intimate Gardens”
Lucy Hardiman was to the garden born.  As a fifth generation Oregon gardener, most of her childhood memories revolve around the cycles and seasons of the garden.  She is the principal of Perennial Partners, a garden design collaborative, distinguished by their innovative hardscapes, playful planting designs and creative approach to problem solving.  She is a past president of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, is vice president of the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection and is on the Great Plant Picks perennials committee.  She co-authored Intimate Gardens (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2005) and is currently working on a new book.  A popular lecturer, teacher and author, Hardiman is a contributing editor for Horticulture Magazine and shares her opinionated perspective on gardening on her blog, Perennial Patter.  

Mixing It Up In the Border
Orchestrating Plant Combinations That Sing
Fri, Feb 10 at 2:30 pm / Rainier Room
Lucy Hardiman, one of the most popular NWFGS speakers, takes you beyond the perennial border to the mixed border – incorporating trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials, bulbs, natives and edibles. Learn how to combine a wide variety of plants for the most impact in your garden, all year round.

Greg Butler – Designer, educator and owner, Design of the Times
After spending a couple of decades in both the entertainment business and the F.B.I. (Food and Beverage Industry), Greg woke up one day after a little brain surgery to discover that he was a gardener. By combining several years of subsequent education with an inherent inability to keep his opinions to himself, Greg has been educating and entertaining gardeners of all levels of interest as a teacher, lecturer, and garden coach for nearly two decades. In his spare time he runs the design and consulting firm “Design of the Times”, which specializes in the renovation and relocation of residential and public gardens. Greg puts a particular emphasis on helping his clients create functional, easy-care gardens and landscapes that don’t depend on pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or any other kind of synthetic tom-foolery for success. He also spends an enormous amount of time arguing with his wife (also a landscape professional) about what to do in their own garden, which they have dubbed “The Garden of the Shoemaker’s Children”.

Do-Re-Mi
Solving Common Garden Problems Before You Begin!
Sat, Feb 11 at 11 am / Hood Room
In honor of this year’s show theme, this seminar offers a melodious primer and refresher course in the fundamentals of garden design and renovation, with a special emphasis on designing common garden problems out of your landscape before they occur. Life doesn’t have to be complicated, and with a little bit of planning, neither does your garden. From overture to grand finale, we’ll take a musically inspired step-by-step look at organizing the design and renovation process with an emphasis on how to manage the delicate dance of even the most complex garden project without stepping on your own toes. Sounds impossible? Take it from “Mi”, your garden can be a “Re” of sunshine on the dreariest day, and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of “Do”!

Karen Stefonick – Owner & designer, Karen Stefonick Design
Karen Stefonick is Principal/Designer of Karen Stefonick Design in Seattle. She is a multi-talented designer and has won many awards for her show gardens at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, including BEST in SHOW for an unprecedented 2 years running, 6 consecutive Gold Medals, the Sunset ‘Western Living’ Award, the Jeff Palmer Designer Award, and an award from the American Horticulture Society for environmentally sensitive landscape design.  Karen’s work has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Sunset’s special ‘Bookazines,” and Seattle Homes & Lifestyles. Karen has made appearances on the Ciscoe Morris radio show, Mike Darcy, Ed Hume and with Rebecca Cole of Rebecca Cole Design, New York. Karen has married her breadth of landscape knowledge with her background in interior design to create incredibly appealing and functional landscaping and outdoor living spaces.

Easy Living
Design Ideas for Creating Outdoor Living Rooms
Thurs, Feb 9 at 7:00 pm / Rainier Room
Award-winning designer Karen Stefonick will take you through her 7 steps to finding and creating outdoor living areas. She will share her design ideas to help you build and create an outdoor room for friends and family to enjoy.  She will help you find the optimal location for an outdoor living space, what size to make it, and how to resolve issues like privacy or too much sun. She’ll also explore functionality; outdoor kitchens, dining areas, structures, outdoor lighting for your room, and how to accessorize, including furniture layout and other functional features, such as hard scape materials, plants, and fireplaces. 

Mary Ann Newcomer – Author, Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Resource
Mary Ann Newcomer, is a garden scribe, scout, speaker and blogger. She’s known as the “Dirt Diva” on the River Radio, 94.9 in Boise, ID. Her articles on gardening have been published
in MaryJane’s Farm, Fine Gardening, and American Gardener.  An accomplished horticulturalist, and garden designer, she has wielded her creativity and design talents on public, private and commercial gardens and landscapes. Her first book, The Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Guide will be published by Cool Springs Press in January 2012.

Creating Beautiful Garden Tapestries
Weave a Garden Together With Colorful Threads
Fri, Feb 10 at 4:45 pm / Hood Room
Some folks instinctively know “what goes with what”. The rest of us struggle to find perfect perennial partners for the garden. How DO you create pleasing, colorful, compositions in your beds and borders? Garden designers know to look for the common color characteristics, or color “echoes,” and tie them together from one plant to the next for a harmonious composition. This program will showcase gorgeous color combinations you can make work at home.

Check out the complete seminar schedule and plan your days at the show by visiting gardenshow.com. Remember, the Early Bird ticket price flies away after February 7! ~ Janet

How would you like special VIP front-row seats for some of the most popular speakers at the 2012 Northwest Flower & Garden Show? PLUS get a free, autographed copy of their books? You can if you stop by the Subaru display garden on the skybridge on the morning of each of these seminars for more information on how you could be one of four garden show attendees selected.

Subaru has reserved four VIP seats for five seminars at the garden show. The seminars are:

Steve Aitken – 2012 Show Judge & Editor, Fine Gardening magazine
Why Doesn’t My Garden Look Like That?
10 Questions to Ask About Your Garden’s Design
Wed, Feb 8 at 1 pm / Rainier Room
We have all been in and seen photos of gorgeous gardens that leave us in awe and make us wonder, “Why can’t my garden look like that?” It would be wonderful if there were a one-size-fits-all solution to garden design, but every space and every gardener is unique. Drawing on personal experience as well as his work with outstanding gardeners and designers from around the U. S., Steve Aitken, Editor of Fine Gardening, will present a series of questions to ask when considering how to improve your garden. Whether your area is sunny or shady, sloped or flat, large or small, these questions will address fundamental design issues, which, if addressed can greatly enhance a garden’s form.

Willi Evans Galloway – Author, “Grow. Cook. Eat”
Oh, Grow Up!
Get More Food by Growing Up with DIY Trellises
Wed, Feb 8 at 2 pm / DIY Stage
Growing up is the easiest way to squeeze more food into a small vegetable garden. In this hands-on workshop Willi will demonstrate how to make a super sturdy tomato cage, a pretty bamboo cage for supporting peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, and an A-frame that cucumbers and peas love to scramble up. All of these projects can be built with basic hand tools (a power drill is optional!) and are perfect for people—like Willi—who are DIY challenged.

Joe Lamp’l - Producer and host of “Growing a Greener World” TV
Subaru Presents: Growing a Greener World
Gardening to Make a Difference
Fri, Feb 10 at 1:00 pm / Rainier Room AND
Sat, Feb 11 at 12:45 pm / Rainier Room
Based on his popular PBS television show, “Growing a Greener World” and his best-selling book, The Green Gardeners Guide, TV host Joe Lamp’l shares the most significant actions that gardeners, beginners and veterans alike, can take to make their gardens “greener” and positively impact the planet through sustainable gardening and water conservation. Find out how easy it is to make a difference!

Graham Kerr – Author & TV Star, former ‘The Galloping Gourmet’
E.G.G.S. – Eat. Grow. Gather. Share.
A Vision for 2020 – Join the EGGS Carton Club
Sat, Feb 11 at 11:15 am / Rainier Room
Graham Kerr taught America how to cook with his landmark 1969 – 1971 cooking show, “The Galloping Gourmet.” Now he has a new vision for what America eats, and how they get their food – E.G.G.S. Learn about becoming a part of the E.G.G.S movement that will be launched during the seminar. E.G.G.S. stands for “eat, grow, gather and share”. Kerr proposes that we find a total 12 neighbors with whom we become an Eggs Carton Club (12 eggs!). Members resolve to commit to over a 100% increase in their personal use of edible plant foods by 2020 by eating more, growing more, gathering together( as friends) more and sharing more with those ‘left out’ in these troubled times. Kerr will discuss why this needs to happen..” ..for the common good for and by...We the People”. and provides a web source for encouragement  and guidance to begin the journey as a ” saint Augustine grassroots movement.“

Subaru took us on an "Endless Journey" with their 2011 show garden. This year's theme is country western!

To see if you can be one of four lucky people to be front-row, center for these great seminars, just stop by the Subaru display garden and mention the seminar and get more information. Along with the VIP seating you will receive a complimentary autographed copy of books by Joe Lamp’l, Graham Kerr and Willi Evans Galloway.

You can also meet and chat with Joe Lamp’l after his seminars on Friday and Saturday. He’ll be heading up to the Subaru garden where you can purchase his best-selling book, The Green Gardener’s Guide: Simple, Significant Actions to Protect & Preserve our Planet and have Joe sign your book. Joe loves to talk to people about what they are doing to garden in a more sustainable and wildlife-friendly fashion. ~ Janet

The garden show offers free plant inspection, so you can bring your plant purchases back home to Canada. Booth #2822.

Canadian gardeners who come to the US for the garden show know that they can’t leave home without their passport, and they can’t return home without their passport and their Washington State Department of Agriculture Phytosanitary Inspection Certification paperwork if they buy any plants. Whew! That sounds like a load of paperwork. But at the garden show, we make it easy for our attendees to get this very important inspection paperwork done and even better – we pick up the cost, so it’s FREE.

Maples for All Seasons will be bringing a truckload of this new release - Japanese Maple "Bihou" - which always keeps its color.

Why do plants require inspection? According to Cyndi Baumgardner, Plant Services Specialist at the WA State Department of Agriculture, plant inspection is vital to preventing the spread of diseases. Cyndi and her colleagues have the mission of ensuring that unwanted, noxious or even toxic plant pests and diseases are not hitching a ride on plants traveling with their unsuspecting new owners. This prevents pests and diseases from getting a foothold into native plants and wiping out our native populations. 

All of the nursery vendors selling plants at the garden show have been pre-certified by the WA State Department of Agriculture. After you have purchased your plants, take them to Booth #2822. It’s a free service compliments of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Complete the required forms, and after the plants have been inspected by the WSDA team you can pick them up. When you do cross the border, show the customs agent your completed inspection forms. And if you are traveling with friends all in the same car or on one of our bus tours, you can list all your plants together on one form to make it easier!

New exhibitor Peace of Mind Nursery will be bringing choice and rare conifers good for all NW gardens.

The garden show has a great lineup of nurseries in our Plant Market. Whether you’re interested in dahlias, lilies, perennials of all kinds, heirloom vegetables, Japanese maples, heaths and heathers, cacti and succulents, conifers, roses, Bonsai, bromeliads, ferns, or orchids, we’ve got it in the Plant Market. To check out the entire list, go to our Exhibitor list and scroll down to Plants and Seeds and also Retail Nursery:

And if you think you might not want to shop for plants because you’ll end up schlepping around heavy containers the rest of the day, think again. We have two FREE Package Check locations where you can stash your new purchases until you’re ready to leave for the day. How cool is that? ~ Janet

It’s one-stop shopping for all your gardening needs (and splurges) at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. With over 300 Marketplace Exhibitors at the show, you’ll find everything you need. Here’s just a few of the many Exhibitors that have returned to the show year after year, bringing their beautiful art, home décor, nature-inspired jewelry and practical top-of-the-line tools for all your gardening needs. We offer free package check, and free plant inspection for our Canadian attendees, so you can shop to your heart’s delight!

TOOLING AROUND 

Charley’s Greenhouse & Garden opened in 1973, and has been at the garden show almost every year since it opened in 1989. As one of the leading providers of greenhouses and greenhouse supplier, Charley and Carol Yaw love to help people get started with a greenhouse, and solve any problems they might have. Just browse their website and you will find greenhouses to fit every size, style and budget – portable or stationary, attached or unattached, metal or cedar. If a greenhouse is in your near future, stop and talk to the Charley and carol at the show, and they will be glad to help you get started just in time to start your seeds.

Florian Ratchet-Cut Pruning Tools is now a third-generation, family owned business, headquartered in Connecticut, with distributors all over the U.S. They proudly design, manufacture and assemble their products in the USA. In addition to pruners and pruning saws, the have garden tools for garden maintenance. One of their best selling tools, the ratchet pruner, has a patented mechanism that works like the jack on your car. It multiplies your strength, so it allows people with diminished hand strength to be able to prune efficiently, without creating pain or problems in their hand.

Lee Valley Tools is another family-owned business and they have been serving their customers with gardening tools since 1978. Many of their tools are of their own design, and they have even developed tools that were designed by their customers! From axes to weeding tools, and all kinds of tools in between, they have thoughtful, ergonomic design – and a 100% guarantee. They have been at the garden show for many years, bringing a wonderful assortment of tools for new gardeners and veterans alike.

Sunshine Gardenhouse, nestled in the Pacific Northwest in Longview, Washington, takes great pride in bringing the joy of year-round gardening to folks throughout the Northwest. They’ve been in business for over 25 years, building Gardenhouses for the past five years. Their goal is to manufacture the best looking, easiest to assemble, most durable and most functional greenhouses. Whether you are yearning for fresh tomatoes grown almost year round, a relaxing sanctuary to putter around it, or a protected home for your prize orchids, they have cold frames and garden houses of all sizes to suit your style and budget.

The Muck Boot Company is teamed up with Sunshine Gardenhouse, to try on some boots when you look at the garden houses. The Original Muck Boot Company™ story began in 1999 with the sole purpose of building the most comfortable, high performance footwear on the market. The need for a more comfortable boot for use in messy and tough conditions led to the design of The Original Muck Boot Company™ brand footwear. Every boot in the line is expected to deliver the same 100% waterproof quality and comfort that inspired the original brand. These are gardening shoes, clogs and boots that you will reach for again and again!

The Wildflower Seed & Tool Company of Napa Valley offers unique high quality wildflower seeds mixtures.  They do not add grass or clover seed, so the absence of “filler” seeds means the wildflowers compete less for growing space and are more likely to reestablish themselves and flourish for years to come. Their garden tools are proprietary to The Wildflower Seed and Garden Tool Company and are designed to be ergonomically friendly and manufactured of the highest quality of material. They are all red for a reason: so you can find them in the garden!

THE ART OF EXPRESSION 

Born and raised on Kodiak Island, Alaska, Gunter Reimnitz spent his childhood fishing for salmon with his family. He received a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute where he earned his BFA in sculpture. Now he owns Abraxas Crow Company, working in Port Townsend, Washington, creating his distinctive metal sculptures and showing them throughout the Northwest. You can see the Alaska influence in Gunter’s work, and some other-worldly influences as well!

To Barbra Sanderson, owner of Glass Gardens Northwest, almost anything in the garden can become a work of glass art. She studies nature’s patterns and shapes so she can interpret them into the unique, one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces of blown glass. She has created daisies, mushrooms, birds, carrots, radishes, yams, and pomegranates, and she’s experimenting with peas in a pod in her latest designs. Glass art from Glass Gardens Northwest has been used in a number of recent show gardens at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Fancy Fronds, Greenstone Designs and Plantswoman Design have all used her glass for dramatic effect in their gardens.

The roots of Adam Scroggin’s art first grew in the eclectic environment of San Francisco, where he was a teacher and friend to many artists. Then one day he discovered the fine art of pottery, and the feel of the clay on his hands, and he never looked back. After training in his newfound passion, he set up his own studio and experimented with clay and glazes and firing, still working at his day job. Then finally he was ready to start out on his own, and in 1983 Blue Heron Pottery was molded into existence near Clear Lake and Cheney, Washington. Today Adam’s work is a Northwest favorite, and the studio continues to grow and receive commissions and gallery showings.

Bob and Iris Jewett, owners of Wilberton Pottery, have been a fixture at the garden show since 1995. Bob started studying pottery in 1986 at Bellevue Community College, but found he really didn’t like throwing pots on a pottery wheel. He needed something similar, but different. He started working with slabs of clay, and originally made all-weather garden containers. Because Bob is a consummate plant collector, he had a desperate need for garden containers that could withstand freezing weather, so he set out to create them. Thus began Wilburton Pottery, named for the area where Bob and Iris live in Bellevue. Designs range from delightful insects, frogs, birds, flowers and trees, to serene nudes and portraits. 

Douglas Mader of Courtyard Art & Design has been creating high quality metal art for the home and garden for over 20 years. He produces his designs in the Oregon wine country with a team of skilled artisans. From finely detailed hydrangeas, roses and orchids, to sculptural bamboo, oak and cypress trees, even heron and flying fish, many things from nature inspire Doug’s art. (Full disclosure – I have two of Doug’s pieces: the piece pictured above, that hangs over our outdoor barbeque and reminds my husband of his favorite golfing in the Carmel area, and a bamboo piece that is in our master bath.) What’s nice about selecting a metal sculpture work of art from Courtyard Art is that they often come in different sizes. So you can find the subject that you want, and select the size that is perfect for the spot you have in mind in your home or garden.

Kate Larsson took her first watercolor class in 1996, and within two years she had her first solo show and was accepted into her first art gallery. She now shows her art in six states. She takes her own reference photos, hand draws the compositions, and then begins painting, using transparent watercolors to maintain the whiteness of the paper behind. She keeps glazing the color in layers – up to 8 applications of color. The result is vibrant, intense color, and many customers who love how happy these brilliant paintings make them feel.

INSPIRED BY MOTHER NATURE

Dennis Ray is the artist behind Nature’s Creations, beautiful pins, earrings and necklaces made from Mother Nature herself. Using the technique of electroforming, he surrounds the nonmetallic objects (leaves, pine needle branches, ) with metal. This involves forcing the materials to conduct electricity and then slowly electroplating metal to strengthen and protect it. Each unique piece created goes through over 24 steps and involves over 20 hours of metal layering. The pieces are colored with natural copper patina and then embellished with paints. The result is wonderful wearable jewelry that never fails to make a statement. Dennis will even do special projects and commissions if you have a leaf from a tree or shrub that has sentimental meaning for you.

Seattleite Jana Cooper has been designing and making jewelry for over 30 years, mostly showing her work at art shows in the Pacific Northwest. Her goal is to make jewelry fun and accessible to all, from earrings, cuffs, bracelets, necklaces, dog breed pins, ID badge lanyards and, new for her, steampunk theme jewelry! She is busy making new designs for her many garden show customers.

MUST-HAVES FOR EVERY GARDENER

University Book Store’s mission is to provide University of Washington students and faculty with supportive and valued products and services to enhance their UW experience. But they don’t stop there. For years they have been bringing the best of the garden books to the garden show, through their Special Events division. In addition to their show booth, they operate our hugely popular Book Signing Station in the Conference Center, where you can purchase books by your favorite authors and have them autographed. This year we will have 63 author book signings, some published right before the show and not yet available on the market until March (like  Barbara Wise’s new book, pictured). They will also be selling children’s books and our entertainers’ CD’s over by the PlayGarden. You can read about some of the newest books they will be bringing here.

Ravenna Gardens, located in University Village in Seattle, was founded in 1997. It was established to be a creative neighborhood retailer, born from a mutual love of dirt by its founders. They all loved to be in their gardens, and saw a distinct need for a local company that really focused on the needs of the Northwest gardener. Their mission is to delight and inspire their customers to personalize, decorate, and style their outdoor spaces, and to creatively bring the outdoors inside the how. For the past two years, the Container Exhibition gardens done by Gillian Mathews and her team have won awards, and they are hard at work dreaming up new ways to wow you with a new garden, titled “The Terrarium Maker’s Studio.” You will fall in love with everything in the shop, no matter what time of year you visit, and their garden show display is always one of the best.

MARKETPLACE EXHIBITORS ONLINE

This is just a small sampling of the many Marketplace Exhibitors we have at the garden show, more than any show in the US! It’s the best place to shop for all your gardening needs (and desires), all under one roof. Start your dream list today, and then spend time with the proud professionals and artists who have been a part of the garden show family for many years. Read our earlier blog about some of the top nurseries that will be in the Plant Market at the show. Our Exhibitor List is now online and you can search for any company, or category of products. ~ Janet