Behind the Scenes at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show

If you've been to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, which opens this year on February 8 in Seattle, you've seen the remarkable display gardens that form the centerpiece of the show. These gardens look as though they have been there for years, with rock outcroppings, stone stairs, meandering paths, fully mature plant material, waterfalls, ponds, garden sheds, seating areas, gazebos, arbors, and lush blooms. But in fact, it's all an illusion. These gardens haven't been there long at all - the teams who design and build these gardens have only 72 hours from the time they enter that huge empty space at the Convention Center until the opening of the show.

I've been to this show many times in the past 20 years, as a visitor, as an exhibitor and as a helper with garden construction. Of all my experiences with the Flower and Garden Show, my favorite has always been having the opportunity to be there when the gardens are built. It is magical to see them evolve and it gives me an even greater appreciation for the people who bring us this event every year.

Here's a glimpse behind the scenes:

Northwest Flower and Garden Show

"There is a long standing rumor that spring is the time of renewal, but that's only if you ignore the depressing clutter and din of the season. All that flowering and budding and birthing - the messy youthfulness of Spring actually verges on SQUALOR. Spring is too busy, too full of itself, too much like a 20-year-old to be the best time for reflection, re-grouping, and starting fresh. For that, you need December." -- Vivian Swift

I love this quote. The only thing I would change is that I would replace the word "December" with the word "winter." Winter is that quiet, gestational season when we gardeners take stock of our gardens and make plans for the coming year. While our gardens sleep, we dream.

Fortunately, we folks in the Pacific Northwest have more than just magazines and seed catalogs to inspire our dreams. We have the Northwest Flower and Garden Show coming our way, February 23-27, at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.

One of the largest of its kind in the US, this show features over 20 spectacular display gardens, more than 300 exhibitors in its Market Place, and offers an outstanding roster of free gardening seminars presented by gardening experts.

For complete information, visit the Northwest Flower and Garden Show website. While you are there, buy your tickets online -- and save $4!