
Arriving in Seattle last week for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show was like traveling to the tropics from Siberia. A cold snap in the mid-Atlantic had its icy hold on the region and when I landed in Seattle, I shed all my gloves, jackets and scarves with relief and basked in mid-60’s weather. Flowers were in full bloom outside and native Seattleites assured me that the warmth was unusual weather this early in the season.

Camellias and Hellebores were in bloom everywhere.
I had never been to the Northwest Flower & Garden show but was doing two presentations there and was very impressed with the size and scale of the show. A heart (It was Valentines weekend) of thousands of succulents towered over the front entrance to the show.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show floor was acres of blooming flowers, vendors, and gardening ideas that I spent two full days exploring.

The Steam Punk Garden and the Bee Friendly Garden were two of my favorite displays.

After doing my speaking duty, I was free to explore.
The show had lots of interesting vendors and it never got too crowded like the Philadelphia flower show where you are always bumping into people trying to get a closer look.

 Vendors
For vendors, I was expecting the usual mix of home improvement companies and jewelry and scarf vendors. But I was proved wrong with the quality and selection of down to earth garden vendors. A gardener could get into real trouble here!

I was especially interested in a Cedar Cold Frame kit to extend my growing season. See them at http://www.cedarcoldframes.com/ , but the kit was too bulky to take on a plane. I will probably order one for the spring. The cold frames were well made and they even had one that was table height so you didn’t have to bend over. Also Charley’s Greenhouses had an awesome display and I am seriously considering buying one. I need the triple wall, cedar frame “Northern Heritage” one. I will put this on my Christmas list!

The vintage gardening section was incredible. I have never seen vintage vendors at a gardening show before. See my post at Vintage Gardening  to see the different kinds of products you could buy. I went through the area three times! How about repurposing an old sink into a potting bench? Or making a hanging container out of an old funnel?


Chihuly glass is everywhere in Seattle gardens because Dale Chihuly was born in Washington State. We went to the Chihuly gardens and museum in downtown Seattle and I will do a post on that garden later as it was so incredible. But you could buy your very own Chihuly knock off in the market place for quite a bit less than the real thing.

 The flowers of course were stunning with the orchid display especially beautiful. There was a meadow of orchids presented by the Northwest Orchid Society.
Wow… What a nifty opportunity! I am so proud of your expertise!
Via iPhone/CPK
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Thanks, it was a great opportunity!
Loved the cold frames. I will have to check those out!!
This looks like great fun. Love that blue Hellebore.
Thank you
You are welcome! Thanks for reading.
This looks like the perfect place to get away from the icy cold for awhile! I’ve heard so much about the Northwest Flower Show; congrats on being invited to speak there. Have you ever been to the one in Chicago? I was wondering how it compared to the Northwest Show. My best friend and I usually travel up to Chicago for the show each year to get inspired and take a break from winter. It’s always nice to see tulips and daffodils blooming inside while it’s still snow-covered outside.
How exciting to see the Chihuly gardens!
Never been to Chicago one. I was thinking about applying to speak there but I can only do so much! Maybe next year.
Love those cedar cold frames too. Looking at all these beautiful pictures pulled me out of this blizzard here for a few minutes and I felt that excited ‘spring ‘ feeling of wandering around and discovering everything coming back to life!!
Yes, I am looking at them now, also cedar beekeeping boxes. Cedar is the way to go.
Hey Claire, thank for posting your trip and experience to Washington. What a wonderful visit. Thanks for sharing it with everyone. I would have loved to see this show. Looks great!!
Great post Claire, and love all the photos. It was so lovely to meet you and I enjoyed your seminars! Nothing like a seminar on “Sex in the Garden” for our Valentine’s themed show. Folks, the 2015 NWFGS is happening February 17 – 21, 2016. #SpringinFeb