Gardeners can rejoice in the first harbinger of spring: tickets for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show are now available. The show makes its annual appearance at the Washington State Convention Center, 7th and Pike in Seattle Feb. 18 through 22. Several of our Kitsap Peninsula garden talents will be there to entertain, enthrall and educate show goers.
This year’s theme is “Sustainable Spaces, Beautiful Places.” Gardeners both seasoned and brand new can stroll through 26 differently designed spaces. Each display garden will show ways to restore, reuse and rejuvenate gardens while using sustainable and eco-friendly methods. Show designers this year are concentrating on gardens that could definitely be replicated on our own pieces of the earth.
Susan Goetz from “The Creative Gardener” in Gig Harbor has designed a show garden for the fourth year. The garden is titled “L’eau (water) and sage (wise). She’s incorporated gravel elements throughout. Plants are water wise, perfectly suited for sunny spaces. Visit Goetz’s Web site at www.thecreativegardener.com.
Dan Robinson from Elandan Gardens in Port Orchard is a featured designer each year at the show.
This year Robinson becomes a living model in the garden’s vignette. “Restoring a Garden to Former Glory” is the theme. The storyline is about a grandfather who now has more time on his hands. He sets out to restore an overgrown, neglected garden to its former glory. Show-goers will witness Robinson in the display garden demonstrating hands on techniques throughout the show’s run.
He’ll answer pruning, training and planting questions in addition to creating a feast for the senses.
Don’t miss renowned garden expert Dan Hinkley, author of “Plant Lust, Drama Queens — Bold Plants for Show Stopping Effects” at 9:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 20 for “The Garden In Winter — Celebrating Texture, Color and Form.”
Early bird tickets for the show are $16 purchased locally at Bay Hay, Bainbridge Gardens, Town and Country Market, Central Market, Valley Nursery, Bremerton City Nursery, and Rosedale Gardens. The early bird rate is good until Feb. 17. After that the price is $20. Visit the show’s Web site for more details http://www.gardenshow.com/seattle/index.cfm
If journeying to Seattle is too daunting, come explore six one-hour gardening classes on select Fridays from January through March at the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton.
Horticulture topics vary each Friday. Find the complete listing of classes and registration details at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/events/pdf/2009_Gardening_Courses.pdf.
Each class is $35, payable in advance. If you do not have access to the Internet call (360) 337-7157 and the WSU Kitsap Extension Office will send you a printed schedule and details.
