Garden Gallery Showcases Artists’ Imaginations

Show attendees loved the creative and whimsical gates in the “My Garden Gate” exhibit at the 2011 show.

Last year the garden show brought back the popular feature, “My Garden Gate,” an exhibit of hand-crafted gates from both regional and out-of-state artists. The gates were made from a wide variety of materials, and included many imaginatively repurposed items. This year we’re giving the exhibit a new twist with “Garden Gallery” which will feature garden seating (chairs and benches) and birdbaths.

Bob Bowling Rustics in Langley on Whidbey Island, a new exhibitor at the show, and entered the gate competition last year. He’s going to the birds this year, creating the ultimate in bird watching with a one-of-a-kind chair. Titled, “A Better View,” the piece mimics a lifeguard chair, but is equipped with the bird lover in mind. The charming, rustic structure, like all of Bob’s pieces, is handmade entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials, and will add a touch of whimsy to the garden. It is a delightful and functional piece of artwork for serious or aspiring Birders, or just those who love the idea of something eclectic in their garden sanctuary. You could really catch the bird action in this chair.

Awards Bestowed Throughout Garden Show

2011 Founder’s Cup winner by Karen Stefonick Design

Most people know about the awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze or Crystal) awarded to the show gardens by our main Show Judges – Stephen Orr, Rosalind Creasy and Steve Aitken this year – along with the coveted Founder’s Cup Award (the Oscar of the garden show) and the American Horticulture Society’s Environmental Award, which goes to the garden that best demonstrates skillful design that incorporates environmental stewardship in the garden. But volunteer judges also give many awards throughout the show the day before we open, and these mean a lot to the creative people who have worked months and months to put together their displays throughout the garden show.

The show gardens also receive awards from media sources. These are usually judged by garden writers and editors, and have specific set criteria which the award is based on. The Sunset Western Living  Award goes to garden most filled with fresh, useful, achievable ideas that enhance outdoor living in the West. It will be judged by Sunset editor Julie Chai and local writer Jim McCausland.

Floral Fantasies Greet Show Attendees

Attendees enjoy the bold and beautiful floral masterpieces at the 2011 garden show.

When excited garden show attendees first stride through the doors of the South Lobby of the Washington State Convention Center, they are immediately stopped in their tracks by the elegant display of floral fantasy created by some of the region’s best floral designers. These are definitely not your gramma’s nosegay bouquets – these floral artists embrace “over the top.” They are vying for the coveted blue ribbon of the best design in the show’s popular Floral Competition, to be judged this year by Lee Holcomb and Gary Waller, who have the difficult task of choosing first, second and third place winners from a group of talented floral artisans.

PlayGarden Treasure Hunt is for the Bird(house)!

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!

Get Crafty and Create Your Own DIY Garden Art

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.