Monday, February 28, 2011

NWFG Show, initial thoughts.

Does it make something all the sweeter when you come close to not getting it? All last week my plans flip-flopped along with the weather forecast. One moment I was going to the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle and the next I was staying home. I went. This is partway into my trip…after the conditions were safe enough to consider it pretty. A jack-knifed semi truck and four cars spun out in the ditch earlier had me a wondering if I was going to make it. The very first thing to hit me upon entering the show was this: No, not the overuse of primary colors, but rather the overpowering scent of Hyacinths. One of the best smells of spring! The air was thick with it, I wish our Yard, Garden & Patio Show in Portland would take this idea and run with it….out with eau de beauty bark and in with the smell of spring!

In addition to the hundreds of vendors at the NWFG Show the main attraction is usually the amazing display gardens. The theme this year was “Once Upon a Time” (think fairy tales) which had me pretty underwhelmed with the possibilities. I was wrong! So many creative gardens to be inspired by. I’ll share more overall pictures of the gardens tomorrow (buying myself a little time to edit down the hundreds of pictures I took) but today I wanted to highlight the plant that kept turning up in garden after garden: The tree fern! It was truly the year of the tree fern, they were everywhere. Since I was unable to attend the show last year I’m not sure if this is a continuation of a trend or not but it was very interesting to see. As I’ve admitted I do enjoy listening to what others are saying as they take in a show like this. I heard many people exclaim “I’ve never seen a fern that big!” or “Wouldn’t a row of these look nice along the back fence?” (etc) I just hope before they run out and buy someone tells them that they are not reliably hardy in the Pacific Northwest. This Norfolk Island Tree Fern (Cyathea brownii) really stood out to me as something special. Maybe because it’s the first time I’ve seen one. Gorgeous! (and also not reliably hardy here). The other “everywhere” plant? My beloved Schefflera taiwaniana. Everywhere that is except for the booths actually selling plants! Yikes…or maybe I was too late? The show did open on Wednesday and I wasn’t there until Friday! Isn’t the new growth fabulous? I completely expected to see several of these at the Portland Show the week before…I guess now I know why I did not, they were all in Seattle!

Isn't this a great combo? A Schefflera with a Loquat. Tomorrow pictures of the display gardens and vendors that caught my eye…it really was a magnificent show…well worth the dicey drive.

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for putting your life on the line to bring us this report. Can't wait for tomorrow's installment.

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  2. Unfortunately, I had to hurry past the amazing hyacinth display - that amount of scent was a bit too much for me. The plant of the display gardens was indeed the tree fern! I was amazed to see so many of the designers using it. I wondered if you made it up to Seattle - so glad you see you did! Now I'll wait to hear whether you brought home that Lobelia Tupa you've been hunting...

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  3. Glad you managed to make it up here to the show. I went on Friday too, after a lot of internal debate. The tree ferns were everywhere, also I saw a lot of Melianthus major, another rather striking foliage plant, but none of them were in bloom. I had an exhausting day, and I didn't have to come from that far. Hope you didn't go home too tired.

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  4. Wonderful! And yes on the scents of spring; it's so important to get that initial powerful hit as you walk in. Looking forward to your next installment.

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  5. ricki, ah shucks...it's the least I could do!

    MulchMaid, I really should be more sensitive to those with allergies. That display would have sent my mother right back out the door she came in. No Lobelia Tupa (you?) I used my plant allowance on a couple of other things I thought might be even more difficult to find. Well heck, in fact I didn't even see a L. Tupa now that I think about it, you must have. Maybe the spring HPSO sale will be my place to score it.

    Alison, was your debate weather related then? I was pretty exhausted but I didn't have to go far that evening. I stayed up in Seattle until Sunday visiting friends.

    Kate, you know I don't even remember seeing any bark in the display gardens...I'm going to have to look closely at my pictures.

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  6. Oh good! I always love your excursions. I'm glad your guardian angel watched out for you on the drive to and from.

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  7. Oh, I'm so jealous!! We were all set to go Friday and chickened out with the weather. Thanks for the pics...maybe next year :(

    Wyatt's Mom

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  8. Did you meet Susan and Rebecca or hear them talk about their new book?

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  9. I have enjoyed touring this garden show on several blogs and look forward to your next post on it. So, so glad you made it safely.

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  10. Grace, I can't wait until Spring arrives so I can go on more excursions, like a second trip to Dancing Oaks!

    Wyatt's mom, on Saturday when the Seattle forecasts changed to snow all day on Sunday I was feeling pretty foolish for going, luckily they were wrong and it was just rain.

    Pam, NO! Would you believe that the folks that organized the seminars put Ivette's talk at the exact same time as Rebecca and Susan's? Isn't that just stupid?

    Darla, I am enjoying touring with other bloggers too! It's fun to see the different things that catch each of our eyes.

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  11. Very nice displays and pictures of them. I've long been envious of my husband's hometown in California for their lovely tree ferns. How funny that so many were used when they're not hardy even on the PNW coast.

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  12. I'm not sure those tree ferns are reliably hardy here, either. The few in the neighborhood struggle, not thrive. Perhaps its the Santa Ana winds and their 7% humidity levels.

    Thanks for the virtual tour. I love garden shows. Glad you are safe, too. The roads looked scary.

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