What’s Happening in December

Be sure to reserve your tickets in advance to the BBG's Garden d'Lights this year

Now through – January 1
5 – 10 pm daily
Garden d’Lights
The enormously popular Garden d’Lights festival features over half a million lights which transform the Bellevue Botanical Garden into a blossoming winter wonderland. Inspired by plants found in Northwest gardens and gardens around the world, hundreds of volunteers have been busy making new creations. A new Tortoise will join the list of over 30 “critters” including Charlotte in her web and Willie the Slug. You won’t want to miss the “Aquarium in Lights” in the Visitors’ Center with the pulsing jellyfish and our own octopus, or the gorgeous pond and border display on the main lawn. The new route through the garden will be enhanced with a flowing river in lights and 2 waterfalls. This year will be an exciting adventure for all ages. Plan now to attend!
Bellevue Botanical Garden
12001 Main Street, Bellevue, WA
Recorded information line: 425-451-6844
Every December, over 150,000 people enjoy this dazzling display, and many of them want to come at the same time! PLAN AHEAD! Advanced ticket purchase is required this year. $5 per person; children under 10 FREE. For more information, to purchase tickets and to find out how to enter free, visit the Garden d’Lights website: http://nwf.gs/cVddaN
 

December 2 – January 29, 2011
“From the Ground Up” Horticulture Quilt Art Exhibition
Artists Reception Thursday, December 2
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Cheer up on a gray winter day with the color artistic expressions of a horticulture quilting exhibition from the Contemporary QuiltArt Association. More than 30 botany-inspired quilts will be on display at the Miller Horticulture Library. Quilts depict many plan varieties, such as skunk cabbage and clematis along with the changing of the seasons and the life cycle of a plant. Free.
Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle
For more information: http://nwf.gs/heBKD8

Thursday, December 2
Green Holidays Idea Workshop
Tom Watson
King County’s “EcoConsumer”
King County’s Tom Watson, the EcoConsumer columnist for the Seattle Times, and a regular purveyor of green tips pon local radio and TV, will share fun, innovative, money-saving ideas for ways to make your holidays greener, including homemade gifts you can make (with your kids or on your own) that people will actually be happy to receive; festive no-waster holiday wrapping and cards that don’t cost anything to make, and creative ways to find and use local foods.
Kingsgate Library
12315 NE 143^rd St., Kirkland, WA 98034
For more information: 425-821-7568

Seminar Spotlight – Making Every Drop Count

Drip irrigation saves water and money, and gets vital water right to the roots

Water is a precious resource, and today’s savvy, environmentally conscious gardeners know that truly good gardening is synonymous with conservation. We will have four seminars at the show that will teach you how you can get the most moisture for your moolah, thereby conserving both water and your money. There are many different ways to improve the way you water your garden, from starting with the right soil, putting in appropriate plants for your conditions, to gizmos and gadgets that help you get the water right where it’s needed most. Don’t miss these seminars, and next summer, you can reap the payoff of your water conservation efforts.

Nan Sterman – TV host & author, CA Gardener’s Guide, Vol. II
Nan Sterman is an award-winning garden communicator and designer.  She is the author of California Gardeners Guide, vol II, (Cool Springs Press, 2007), a book about drought-tolerant plants and low water gardening.  Nan contributes regularly to regional and national publications such as the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Sunset, and Organic Gardening Magazine, for whom she also tests new varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Nan’s new television show, “A Growing Passion” airs in Southern California.  Her blog and website can be found at www.plantsoup.com

Cool Tools to Save Water in Your Garden
Saving Water Saves You Money and Time!
Wednesday, February 23 at 3:45 pm on the DIY Stage
As water becomes more precious, the clever people who make garden tools and devices have come out with products to help us save water in the garden. There are “smart” irrigation controllers and timers that automatically turn the hose off when you forget. There are water releasing gels, shutoff valves, drip irrigation systems, and more. This demonstration will introduce you to a wide range of water saving garden products, how to use them, and how they help us save water in the garden.

Drip is Hip
Save Money, Time and Your Plants with Drip Irrigation
Thursday, February 24 at 11:15 am on the DIY Stage
Drip irrigation is hip. More than that, drip irrigation works really well and it saves water, one of the main goals of sustainable gardens. Traditional overhead spray systems are huge water wasters. In fact, professional irrigation designers assume only a 50% efficiency with traditional overhead spray systems.  In other words, half of the water that comes out of a sprayhead is wasted! Drip irrigation, on the other hand, puts water directly onto the ground, at the rootball, where it is needed.  Efficiency is nearly 100%, and there is no runoff. Eliminating runoff also keeps fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants out of our waterways. This demonstration will show the best of the new irrigation technologies, their parts and pieces, how easy they are to install and maintain, and where to purchase them.

Discover the best ways to water your garden effectively with our seminars on water conservation

Mallory Gwynn – Portland TV host, “Simply Gardening”
Mallory Gwynn’s connection to the gardening world began early – he was born in the middle of a strawberry harvest on his parent’s farm. He started television appearances in 2002 and now hosts his own garden program, “Simply Gardening – Anybody Can Do It!” Mallory has offered gardening advice on KPAM 860 for the past five years. His “Simply Gardening Minute” is aired Monday through Saturday on the station. Mallory writes a monthly gardening column for the Woodburn Independent, Canby Herald, East County Gazette and the Molalla Pioneer.  Website: www.simplygardeningwithmallory.com

Making Every Drop Count
Tips & Techniques for Watering Small Space Gardens
Sunday, February 27 at 9:30 am on the DIY Stage
Those new to gardening and seasoned gardeners living in small spaces can still be challenged by watering their gardens conserving resources and time. TV personality Mallory Gwynn shows you all the latest watering devices, including a cool way to keep those strawberry pots wet. He’ll also talk about the newest in fertilizers and eco-friendly applications. Handouts will be provided.

Designer Zsofia Pasztor created a vertical wall of strawberries in her 2010 show garden

Zsofia Pasztor – Garden Designer & Owner, Innovative Landscape Technologies
Zsofia Pasztor is the owner of Innovative Landscape Technologies. She is a part-time instructor at 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 bio-retention 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. Be sure and visit her 2011 show garden, titled “Alice in Wonder;land.” Website: www.innovativelandscapetechnologies.com

Managing Water Sustainably
Plants for Rain Gardens, Living Walls & Roofs
Saturday, February 26 at 7:15 pm in the Rainier Room
Rain gardens, living walls and living roofs are becoming important design elements in today’s sustainable gardens. But what plants work well for these new design technologies? What is required to grow them? How do you find the materials? And how do you care for them over time? Designer Zsofia Pasztor is one of the leading professionals creating these new sustainable ecosystems, and she will share all the tips and techniques you need to know to get started on your own rain garden and living wall or roof.

To find out about all of our 123 seminars, go to http://nwf.gs/cPkzdq and view the entire schedule, along with speaker biographies and seminar descriptions. And you can sort the entire schedule for day or speaker, and see what’s happening on the days you plan to attend the show. – Janet

For Canadian Gardeners – Bus & Train Tours to the Garden Show

Enjoy smooth travel from Vancouver, Canada with our train and bus tour packages

Now Canadian gardening fans have never had it easier making the annual trek to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, to be held February 23 – 27, 2011, at the beautiful Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. O’Loughlin Trade Shows, producer of the garden show, has teamed up with Group Travel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel to offer a special low-priced travel packages on bus travel or the train. 

This is a great package for all your gardening friends! Just think – enjoy conversation and laughs the entire drive, with no driving stress or parking hassle. Receive discounts to fine dining in downtown Seattle, spend two nights in a fine 4-star hotel, and have plenty of room on the bus or train to store all the garden art, accessories, tools and plants that you purchase at the show. 

Leave the driving to us and enjoy a luxury motorcoach ride with your gardening friends

It all starts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a smooth ride in a luxury motor coach from the Starline Luxury Coach fleet. Next stop – the Crowne Plaza Hotel, only two blocks from the Washington State Convention Center. Enjoy ‘Sleep Advantage’ beds with plush duvets, quiet-zone floors, and Wi-Fi internet access. Plan a fun dinner out using discount coupons at major downtown Seattle restaurants. 

Or if you want to travel with a large group, our Amtrak Train Package is the way to go! We’re hearing from many Master Gardener groups and Garden Clubs about traveling in a group. With the train, you can customize the days you want to depart and return, and the number of days you want to spend the night. You leave from the Vancouver Main Station, and the ride to Seattle takes a little over 4 hours. For more information, call Group Travel 1-805-496-1251.

The beautiful Northwest Flower & Garden Show awaits you as we present “Once Upon a Time…Spectacular Gardens with Stories to Tell.” Our 22 show garden creators will be bringing your favorite storybooks and novels to life in a floral fantasy. Browse over 300 exhibitors – all related to the joy of gardening and outdoor living. And revel in the wit and wisdom of our speakers. And we also offer FREE phytosanitary plant inspection, so your plant purchases will be approved to travel back home with you. It doesn’t get any easier than this. 

Enjoy a stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - only two blocks from the Convention Center in Seattle

With 123 seminars to choose from, you are sure to fine plenty of seminars for your entertainment and education. Then after your whirlwind of garden show activity you don’t have to face an exhausting drive home. You can relax as you are transported home to Vancouver, BC, filled with inspiration and ready to enjoy all your new garden treasures. 

We have two bus packages to choose from.  Please click on the appropriate link below. 

http://nwf.gs/gCd3Zl if you would prefer to attend the show on Wednesday and Thursday.
http://nwf.gs/hHyUOa if you would prefer to attend the show on Friday and Saturday. 

EACH TRAIN OR BUS PACKAGE INCLUDES: 

• 3 days/2 nights at the Crown Plaza Seattle (Train travel overnight stays can be customized)
• Round-trip bus or train transportation from Vancouver, B.C., Canada to Seattle, WA.
• Full breakfast buffet each morning
• 20% off food & beverages in restaurant and room service at the Seattle Crowne Plaza.
• Two-Day pass to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show
• Free internet in guest room
• Escort aboard bus
• Discounts at major restaurants in the Seattle area
• Porterage
• All taxes and gratuities are included
• FREE phytosanitary inspection of plants that need to cross the border.

TRAIN OR BUS PACKAGE PRICES: 

Rates are based per person for entire package (in US $)
Single Occupancy (1 person per room) – $386.00 per person
Double Occupancy ( 2 people per room) – $256.00 per person
Triple Occupancy (3 people per room) – $226.00 per person
Quad Occupancy (4 people per room) – $206.00 per person 

Questions and reservations call: 805-496-1251 or reserve online using one of the links above the package description. 

Be sure to check out the Seminar Schedule, so you can catch all your favorite speakers (including Vancouver’s Andrea Bellamy, aka ‘Heavy Petal” author, who is speaking on Friday, February 25) and also check out the Exhibitor List, to streamline your shopping at our 300+ exhibitors. They are all listed on our website at http://www.gardenshow.com/. Oh, and one more thing – don’t forget your passport! - Janet

Karen Chapman’s Mixed Berry Sauce

You can make this simple berry recipe with any assortment of mixed berries.

Karen Chapman is a container garden designer and owner of Le Jardinet.  Born in England, she grew up with an appreciation for the beauty of nature and the wonders of gardening, including growing food that can be harvested for culinary enjoyment. Karen shares a recipe that is easy enough for a child to make. If you find yourself with left-over berries from your harvest, this recipe makes a nice departure for those who don’t want that Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. And be sure to catch Karen at the show when she speaks on Pizzazz in a Pot: Transform Dull Containers into Dazzling Accents, on Wednesday, February 23 at 9:30 am on the DIY Stage.

INGREDIENTS:
Any amount of mixed berries in any proportions! (I generally use equal amounts of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
Sugar
Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add just enough water to cover the base of a medium saucepan.

2. Add berries.

3. Heat gently until strawberries are soft but still intact.

4. Add sugar to taste and stir until mixed.

5. Take off heat and add a few shakes of cinnamon (or to taste).

Chill and serve as an ice cream topping. You can use it in many ways:  with Angel Food cake and whipped cream, on waffles or french toast, or use it layered in parfaits. This recipe can also be frozen.

To see all of the ‘Fresh from the Garden’ recipes from our 2011 show speakers, the links are listed in the right-hand column of The Garden Show Blog. - Janet

Seminar Spotlight – The Art of Pruning

Pruning is one of those necessary evils of good garden maintenance. Do it incorrectly, and you risk creating an ugly, misshaped shrub or tree, or worse, and unhealthy one prone to diseases. Do it correctly, and you never really see the results – you only see the splendor of your shrubs, vines or trees, aging gracefully, growing in a natural form and adding beauty to your garden. No flying saucer shapes here!

I confess, pruning is one of those things I don’t do as well as I should. It’s not that I don’t know how, it’s that I don’t do it often enough. Consequently, my trees and shrubs can get a little out of hand. (Just ask Cass Turnbull, who was itching to get at a weeping birch in my garden a few years ago. It was driving her nuts because it was so congested with twiggy growth.)

Fortunately the show has a number of excellent pruning seminars for you (and me) taught by some of the region’s most respected pruning experts. Each has a different focus, so you can attend one or more best for you. Budding gardeners can gain valuable insights and tips from these professionals, and seasoned veterans can brush up on their skills.

Yuki Nara's seminar will show you how to 'read' a Japanese maple before pruning.

Yuki Nara – Aesthetic pruner & owner of Way of Maple
Yuki Nara is an Aesthetic Pruner who was born in Japan, and she specializes in the pruning of all varieties of Japanese Maples through her Berkeley based company, Way of Maple.  She has also been an Aesthetic Pruning instructor for all levels of gardeners and arborists, from beginners to professionals. Yuki is an instructor in the Horticulture Department at Merritt College and has also been a lecturer at many symposiums and seminars in the US and Japan, teaching the art of Aesthetic Pruning. Website: http://nwf.gs/ah4XiH

Pruning Japanese Maples for Grace & Beauty
Discover the Art of Aesthetic Pruning
Wednesday, February 23 at 1:45 pm in the Hood Room
Why, when, and how to prune the Japanese maple throughout the year to reveal its grace and beauty. This seminar will focus on pruning in the urban context, which include the art of container use on the deck or in a small area. Aesthetic pruner Yuki Nara will introduce how to “see” the grace of a maple, and talk about various pruning techniques that give added beauty to Japanese maples for  year –round enjoyment.

Cass Turnbull – Founder, Plant Amnesty & author, Guide to Pruning
Cass Turnbull’s name is synonymous with the art of good pruning. As the founder and President of Plant Amnesty, her mission has been to “end the shameless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs.”  She left the Seattle Parks Department in 1986 after 11 years to start her own landscape maintenance and consulting business, Cass Turnbull Gardening Services.  She is the author of Cass Turnbull’s Guide to Pruning (Sasquatch, 2004 & 2006) and The Complete Guide to Landscape Design, Renovation and Maintenance (Betterway, 1990).  Visit the Plant Amnesty exhibit at booth # 2314. Website – http://nwf.gs/bOnlZd

Wisteria must be pruned to keep it from taking over your entire house. Cass Turnbull will show you how.

Devine Vines
A Pruning Primer on Unruly Twining Vines
Thursday, February 24 at 11:00 am in the Hood Room
Vines are an important part of the garden, and they can provide years of beauty on otherwise boring walls, fences or eves. But how do you prune them? If you’re confused on the rules of vine pruning, this is a must-see seminar. Cass covers pruning and management of some of our most common ornamental vines: wisteria, clematis, Boston ivy & Virginia Creeper, honeysuckle and trumpet vine.

Bess Bronstein – Consultant, arborist & EdCC instructor
Bess Bronstein is a consulting arborist and horticulturist based on the Kitsap Peninsula in Kingston, WA.  She has been an instructor for the Edmonds Community College horticulture program since 1989, serves as a Regional Education Coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society for Arboriculture, and is an ISA Certified Arborist.  Bess has been involved in the local horticulture community as an arborist, landscaper, designer and educator for over 20 years.

All the Right Cuts
The ABC’s of Pruning Ornamental Shrubs
Sunday, February 27 at 12:45 pm on the DIY Stage
Join ISA Certified Arborist Bess Bronstein and learn how to easily prune a variety of ornamental shrubs. Once you are able to recognize growth habits and identify flowering and fruiting branches, pruning your forsythia or viburnum becomes a piece of cake. Proper pruning saves you time and money in the long run, and makes for healthier and more beautiful shrubs.

Mallory Gwynn – Portland TV host, “Simply Gardening”
Mallory Gwynn’s connection to the gardening world began early – he was born in the middle of a strawberry harvest on his parent’s farm. His parents had him out in the fields when he was only three days old.  Mallory has grown up loving plants. He enjoys sharing what he knows with anyone who will listen. He started television appearances in 2002 and now hosts his own garden program, “Simply Gardening – Anybody Can Do It!” Mallory has offered gardening advice on KPAM 860 for the past five years. His “Simply Gardening Minute” is aired Monday through Saturday on the station. Mallory writes a monthly gardening column for the Woodburn Independent, Canby Herald, East County Gazette and the Molalla Pioneer.  Website: http://nwf.gs/9WSdhk

Mallory Gwynn will talk about how to prune your hydrangeas so they provide awesome blooms such as these.

Learn to Prune Your Favorite Plants
Taking the Confusion Out of Pruning Popular NW Plants
Saturday, February 26 at 5:00 pm on the DIY Stage
When it comes to pruning, roses, hydrangeas, Japanese maples, flowering shrubs and fruit trees are the five most asked-about plants, confusing both beginning and well-seasoned gardeners alike. TV personality Mallory Gwynn takes the guesswork out of pruning these plants that are found in Northwest gardens everywhere. You and your plants will be glad you learned to proper pruning techniques for all these beautiful plants! Handout provided and even a plant give-away.

Christina Pfeiffer – Horticulturist, arborist & co-author, Month-by-Month Gardening
Christina Pfeiffer is a Seattle area horticulture consultant, garden writer and instructor.  She holds a master’s degree in Urban Horticulture from the University of Washington, a bachelor’s in horticulture from Michigan State University, and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Christina has nearly 30 years of experience in the field, including landscape management responsibilities for the Holden Arboretum in Ohio, for the Washington Park Arboretum for 14 years, and most recently as a consultant. She is a co-author with Mary Robson Gardening in Oregon and Washington Month by Month (Cool Springs Press, 2005). 

How to Prune…
So You Don’t Have to Prune So Often!
Friday, February 25 at 9:30 am on the DIY Stage
Proper pruning is a vital part of being a good gardener. But it can be a chore if done incorrectly! Join horticulturist and arborist Christina Pfeiffer for this invaluable demonstration and discussion of how to time and place cuts when pruning shrubs and hedges to moderate the return growth and reduce the frequency of pruning needed to keep shrubs healthy and in good form. Pruning less often saves labor and energy and reduces green waste volume.

For more details on the show’s seminar program, visit our website at http://nwf.gs/cPkzdq. And did you know you can sort the entire seminar schedule by speaker, date or topic? It makes it easy for you to look up your favorite speakers, or to find out who is speaking on the days you want to attend. But with 125 seminars to choose from, you’re going to want to check out the 5-Day All Show Pass. At only $65, it’s the best value. That’s only $13 a day, for 11 hours of gardening nirvana. The garden show packs more education and entertainment in five days than any other garden show in the world. And don’t forget – no seminar passes will be required! ~ Janet