Register NOW for 2013 #nwfgs Tweetup!
Join us for the 2013 Northwest Flower & Garden Show Tweetup, a special event for gardening and foodie enthusiasts active in the Twitterverse and blogosphere.
The @nwfgs hosted Tweetup will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 7:30 am – 9:00 am, just before the show opens to the public. Check-in from 7:30 – 8 am, grab coffee and refreshments, and a fabulous Swag Bag exclusive to our participants. You’ll enjoy access to an acre of incredible show gardens for an hour before the crowds arrive.
With no crowds, getting good photo angles of the lavish show gardens for blogs should be a snap. The gardens are lit with theatrical lighting for added drama, so for optimal garden photos the Show will leave the hall lights up until 8:45 am.
At 9:00 am the entire show opens to the public and the light go down, but you can enjoy the rest of the day, seeing seminars and shopping our Marketplace with 350 high quality, garden-related exhibitors.
The seminar schedule on our Tweetup day is packed with your Twitter friends, including @jessibloom, @seasonalwisdom, @sweetrebecca, @sharonlovejoy, @Gardengates, @susancohan, @andrewkeys and @amystewart.
Need a place to rendezvous with your friends, download photos, post to Facebook or write a blog? Your Tweetup name badge gives you access to the show’s Press Room for the remainder of Thursday’s show, until 8:00 pm, and free WiFi.
All Tweetup participants must be registered on Twtvite, and have a ticket. Purchase tickets in advance on our website – save $4 with Early Bird tickets and print them conveniently at home. (Show participants such as speakers or exhibitors should have a Thursday wristband for entry.)
There’s a lot to see at the show, and avid gardeners love the $29 2-Day Pass. Spend the night in a downtown Seattle hotel near the Washington State Convention Center. Book through our website for special rates and amenities only available to show attendees.
To register for the @nwfgs Tweetup go to Twitvite. But hurry, like Twitter itself, space is limited, and registration closes January 30, 2013. ~ Janet
“I Want to Thank the Orcademy…”
Moviegoers have long known that there’s a lot of action behind the scenes, well before the cameras even start rolling. Now the NW Orchid Society recreates some of these classic movie scenarios in their 2013 show garden, “Lights, Camera, Orchids!”
Their vibrant display garden will have a series of vignettes depicting the making of a movie, and will feature more orchid stars than your average Oscar red carpet. Playing off the classic line, “It’s a jungle out there!” they will have a jungle scene where ‘talent scouts’ search for that diamond in the rough star.
The NWOS creates their stunning show gardens with Orchids grown by local Orchid aficionados.
Look for the ‘casting call’ too, an open audition in front of a casting agent (that would be you). There’s the ‘make-up station’ and primping for the awards show, of course. And finally, an orchid ‘walk of fame’ and the quintessential ‘award winners’. Find out who will be thanking the ‘Orcademy” in the garden.
Throughout the garden there will be glamour shots of orchid ‘stars’ and tongue-in-cheek interviews from orchid cast and crew.
Suffice to say, the local orchid aficionados like to have a bloomin’ good time. But it’s serious business to get the hundreds of orchids ready for their prime time in the show spotlight. None of these flowers are forced; February is their peak blooming time. And they are all grown by local hobbyists.
Some of the orchids used in the display will also be from local botanical institutions such as the University of Washington Botany Greenhouse and the Volunteer Park Conservatory.
Look for loads of valuable information on how to grow your own orchids creatively incorporated in the NWOS garden.
There is an orchid for just about anyone, and the garden will also include clever ways to provide cultural information and growing tips to the novice who might like to start growing orchids. You’ll be able to get up-close and personal to these stars of the floral world. NWOS volunteers will also be on hand to answer questions about these brilliant beauties.
The Northwest Orchid Society is a nonprofit organization of beginner and experienced orchid growers, based in Seattle. They have created a stunning display garden for the past five years. The garden is co-designed by Joff Morgan along with Joe Grienauer, owner of Emerald City Orchids.
Early Bird Tickets, only $16, are on sale now for the 2013 Northwest Flower & Garden Show, to be held February 20 – 24, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. Youth tickets (13 – 17 years) are only $5, and children under age 12 get in free! ~ Janet
The Perfect Gift
‘Twas two weeks before Christmas,
When all through the house,
A creature was stirring,
He was using his mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that show tickets would soon be there.
A gardener was nestled all snug in her bed,
While visions of Hellebores danced in her head.
So he clicked on a website and what did he find,
Dreams of show gardens filling his mind.
Away to the ticket tab he flew like a flash,
Clicked open the page and bought in a dash.
And kids get in FREE he read with surprise,
A Treasure Hunt too, complete with a prize.
And then in a twinkling he had a great thought,
A night in Seattle would also be bought!
A nice hotel room nearby to the show,
And room for the kids without too much dough,
A magical time could soon be theirs,
Two days at the show would vanish their cares.
The beautiful gardens — such a sight to behold!
A few days of Spring, away from the cold.
They’ll see demos and talks, and musical acts,
Find some new plants and some garden knick knacks.
Now, Ciscoe! now, Billy! now, Amy and Lucy!
On, Richie! on, Kelly! on Marty and Jessi!
From the edge of the deck, to the top of the wall,
Free lectures showing there’s gardens for all.
Plus shopping for all things garden related,
His spouse is sure to be more than elated.
It’s all taking place starting February 2-0.
A family adventure for all - ho, ho, ho!
And he found all this on gardenshow.com,
The perfect gift for a gardening Mom! ~ Janet
Give a Magical Experience to Your Favorite Gardener
It’s become an annual tradition for the team at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show to personally deliver tickets to over 70 ticket outlets around Puget Sound. It’s really just a shameless excuse for us to get out of the office and visit some of the coolest nursery centers around — brimming with colorful winter blooming plants and sparkly holiday décor — to deliver our precious cargo.
So we all hit the road this week to get tickets and posters into retail outlets. Look for them at a nursery center or Central Market near you.
Now where are the tickets? The easiest way to find the nearest retailer is to go to our website and use our search function to find the ticket outlets closest to your zip code.
If you’ve got a gardener on your holiday shopping list, they would no doubt love a gift of tickets to the extraordinary annual gardening show. Package up a basket with some seeds, a few tools, a some good hand lotion, a book or two and a gorgeous Hellebore and the tickets. (Tip – when you buy tickets from your local retailer you save a $1 on each ticket over the online tickets.)
Your favorite gardener will love a gift basket with garden show tickets.
Even better, book a night in a downtown Seattle hotel so you can go attend the show for two days. We have the guaranteed best hotel rates on our website, and our Two-Pay Pass, at $14.50 a day, is a great value for 18 hours of entertainment!
Our Canadian friends now have a ticket outlet at Minter Gardens Country Garden Store in Chilliwack, B.C.
Ticket outlets have two kinds of tickets for sale now — Early Bird Tickets ($16) must be purchased before February 20th, and Youth Tickets ($5) are for budding gardeners 13 – 17 years old. Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult. The show is a wonderful indoor family activity during the peak of the dreary winter weather. After February 20th retail outlets will have regular priced tickets for $20.
Tickets will also be sold at the Washington State Convention Center during show hours, but avoid the line by buying in advance! Half-Day Tickets ($10) are good after 3 pm, and 2 pm on Sunday.
Avoid the line – get your tickets in advance online or at retail outlets. Buy tickets on your smart phone and we’ll simply scan your phone at the door!
Two-day Passes ($29) and Five-day All Show Passes ($65) are available online, by phone at 800-343-6973 or the first day of the show.
Many thanks to all the team who trekked over hill and dale in rainy weather to deliver tickets to our nursery outlets: Jeff Swenson (Show Manager), Cyle Eldred (Show Designer), Kyle Aronson (Webmaster), Linda Knudsen (Exhibits Manager), Michelle Derbes (Show Coordinator), Nick Carroll and Eric McMurry (Sales Associates), and yours truly.
Tickets are also available online with convenient print-at-home. Or visit our Facebook page and buy them there. You can even purchase them on your smartphone, and simply have your phone scanned when you arrive at the show – no paper needed!
And keep following us on Facebook, because our highly popular ticket giveaways posts started last week! ~ Janet
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