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February 20-24, 2019

Washington State Convention Center

705 Pike Street, Seattle, WA

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Speakers at a Glance

Name: Northwest Flower Show
Start: 2019-02-20
End: 2019-02-24
Location: Washington State Convention Center

Here are all of the gardening luminaries coming from around the U.S. and Canada who will be appearing in the acclaimed Seminar Program at the 2019 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival.

Want to know more about a speaker? Simply click on their name to find their biography, website, seminar description, date(s) and time(s).

The speakers are listed below alphabetically by last name.

Carol A. Adelman

Owner, Adelman Peony Gardens and author, Peony: The Best Varieties for Your Garden

Carol Adelman, along with her husband Jim, is the owner, photographer, hybridizer and marketer of award-winning Adelman Peony Gardens. There they grow more than 500 different varieties of peonies, covering 25 acres, near Salem, Oregon in the beautiful Willamette Valley and open their nursery to the public May 1^st through June 15^th. The American Peony Society has awarded Adelman Peony Gardens “Best of Show” awards for 9 of the past 15 years. After raising their children on a farm g rowing crops of apples, peppermint, peaches, hazelnuts, and grass for seed, they planted their first peonies as a crop in 1993. Carol is also the co-author of Peony: The Best Varieties for Your Garden (Timber Press, 2018), which was featured by the New York Times in their Summer Reading List. http://

GARDEN 101: Must-have Stars of the Garden - Growing Gorgeous Peonies

Ah, springtime. It will be here before we know it, along with the start of peak of blooms in our gardens. If you don’t have peonies, clematis and roses, discover some of the best varieties you’ll surely want to grow. Carol Adelman will explain peony growing requirements, planting, controlling for diseases along with best practices in using peonies in the mixed garden. Linda Beutler will share the most stalwart must-have Clematis from around the world. And finally, Master Rosarian John Fredette will cover selecting roses, soil prep and planting, and first-season care. Your flower vases will be filled from late spring through summer with these gorgeous beauties!

Friday, February 22 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Book Signing Schedule

Suzanne Arca ASLA, APLD / 2019 SHOW JUDGE

2019 Show Judge, founder and principal, Arca Design Group

Suzanne Arca boasts nearly 40 years of expertise in designing, building and maintaining landscapes and providing vision to residential and commercial property owners. With a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, Suzanne is a Green-certified Licensed Design and Build Landscape Contractor serving residential, business and municipal customers in the East Bay and beyond. She has taught for over 20 years as an Instructor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, UC Extension, and in the Landscape Horticulture Department, Merritt College. She has been recognized with awards including the APLD International Landscape Designer of the Year (2011), the Gold Medal for Residential Design and Best in Show from the CLCA). Arca Design was most recently named Best of Oakland and the East Bay, 2018, by readers of Oakland Magazine. Arca Design Group

The Garden as a Tapestry
Wednesday, February 20 at 11:45 AM / Rainier Room

A tapestry weaves together limited materials to tell a story of complexity and depth. A garden, too, has the opportunity to tell a story, weaving together disparate materials and unifying threads—species of plant, the repetition of colors—to create a bigger picture. In this seminar, Suzanne Arca will explore techniques for creating tapestry-like gardens, including using a single material to create a frame for the entire piece; modern carpet-bedding to create smaller pictures within the larger story; and combining softscape and hardscape to intertwine, rather than divide, these disparate elements of a garden.

The Evolution of a Garden
Thursday, February 21 at 10:30 AM / Rainier Room

In 2009, Arca Design Group began work on The Meadow Garden in Lafayette, California, winner of the 2011 CLCA Gold Medal for Residential Landscape Design. Originally a 1970’s mundane landscape of hedges, lawns and asphalt, the Meadow Garden offered the opportunity to be transformed into a cohesive meadow garden, reflecting the native surroundings. The award-winning garden was destroyed by a remodel and then re-built, evolving to become the homeowner’s dream garden. This seminar will explore the design, reinvention, finishing and maintenance of a garden.

Lorraine Ballato

Garden writer, horticulturist and author, Success with Hydrangeas

Lorraine’s love affair with plants comes through in her lectures, social media writings, magazine articles and photographs which you can find in Connecticut Gardener, Edible Nutmeg, and elsewhere. Lorraine is the author of Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener's Guide (BNB Publications, 2017) and Successful Self Watering Containers: Converting Your Favorite Container to a Self-Waterer (BNB Publications, April 2009). She is an instructor at the NYBG, the Connecticut Master Gardener Program and the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. Her weekly gardening columns ran for over ten years in local newspapers. Lorraine has been a guest on numerous gardening radio programs from Alaska to Connecticut. In her role as an Advanced Master Gardener, Lorraine works with a sizeable team of gardeners in a 3000 square foot organic fruit and vegetable garden in CT. They grow and annually donate nearly 700 pounds of produce to homeless shelters and food banks, train master gardener interns and assist the gardening public on a weekly basis. LorraineBallato.com

Foolproof Hydrangeas for Every Garden

No garden is complete without this queen of American shrubs. From 18-inch, container-sized, reblooming beauties to 8-foot explosions of multicolored zing, there is a hydrangea for every garden. Discover hydrangeas like never before, including the many recent introductions that have hit the market, their proper care, and the cultivars that perform well despite over-enthusiastic pruning and finicky weather. You will leave this seminar never again having to ask the question, “Why doesn’t my hydrangea bloom?”

Wednesday, February 20 at 5:45 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Shrubs, The New Perennial—Only Better

They're here! Shrubs now come in sizes from 12" to 24", the perfect size to take the place of perennials in borders and gardens. And that's just grand because they can give you color with interesting foliage, flowers, and almost zero maintenance. That means more time to do other things instead of all those chores. Join Lorraine as she guides you through these newer plant introductions, so you can start phasing your gardens over to these beauties with a promising future for both of you.

Thursday, February 21 at 5:30 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Book Signing Schedule

Linda Beutler

Author, Plant Lovers Guide to Clematis and curator, Rogerson Clematis Collection

Linda Beutler’s first love in her own garden was growing flowers and foliage for cutting. That focus changed when Linda purchased her first clematis as a misnamed plant. This passion for clematis led to the publication of her first book, Gardening With Clematis (2004) which was followed two more Timber Press titles: Garden to Vase (2007) and 2016’s Plant Lovers Guide to Clematis. Linda serves as curator of the Rogerson Clematis Collection (FRCC), North America’s only accredited clematis collection and she is the immediate past-President of the International Clematis Society. In July 2018 she was given a Golden Clematis Award by the International Clematis Society for her service to the Society and the genus Clematis. She has been an adjunct instructor of horticulture at Clackamas Community College (CCC) since 1996. Linda lectures nationally on numerous gardening topics, and is a garden writer for both local and national publications. Rogerson Clematis Collection

GARDEN 101: The Stars of the Summer Garden - Clematis from Around the World

Friday, February 22 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Book Signing Schedule

Anne Biklé

Biologist and co-author, The Hidden Half of Nature

Anne Biklé is an author, gardener, and biologist with wide-ranging interests. She has worked in the fields of watershed restoration, environmental planning, and public health in a variety of settings. She finds the natural world endlessly fascinating and writes about connections between people and their environment to explore our relationship with and dependence on nature. Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers, and on radio and podcasts while her soil-building practices have been featured in independent and documentary films. She is working on a new book with her husband, geologist David Montgomery, about the link between soil health and human health and why it matters how we grow our food. Anne attended the University of California, Santa Cruz earning Bachelors’ degrees in Biology and Natural History. She holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. She is co-author, along with David Montgomery, of The Hidden Half of Nature (W.W. Norton, 2016). Dig 2 Grow

Why the “Hidden Half” of Your Garden Really Matters for Plant and Human Health

Breaking discoveries about the plant microbiome—the communities of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that swath and coat a plant’s green body—continue to up-end notions about how a plant’s green body works. This new scientific information reveals that gardeners need to modify certain practices, especially those that affect the soil, so that they dovetail with, and better support the grand inner workings of a plant’s green body.

Saturday, February 23 at 5:45 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Jessi Bloom

Owner, NW Bloom, author Free-Range Chicken Gardens and co-author, Practical Permaculture Design

Jessi Bloom is a best-selling author, award-winning ecological landscape designer, and speaker. She is the founder N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Services, known as an innovator and leader in the field of permaculture design. Recently they opened a nursery at South 47 Farm in Redmond. Jessi has 2 new books out this spring: Creating Sanctuary: Sacred Garden Spaces, Plant-based Medicine, and Daily Practices to Achieve Happiness and Well-Being, and its companion Everyday Sanctuary (Timber Press, 2019). Her first best-selling book, Free-Range Chicken Gardens (Timber Press 2012) has been praised for being informative and inspiring. She also co-authored best-selling Practical Permaculture (Timber Press 2015) and The Wetland Handbook: A Community Guide to Growing Native Plants (King Conservation District, 1998). Her work has appeared nationally in Better Homes and Gardens, Sunset, NY Times, Fine Gardening, PBS's Growing a Greener World TV, Martha Stewart Living, and Mother Earth News. Recognition and accolades for her work includes awards from the WSDOE, the AHS, Pacific Horticulture and Sunset magazines, the WSNLA, and WALP. Jessi has built many popular display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival, winning Gold medals. NW Bloom

Sacred Space Design

We all need a personal sanctuary—a place where we can be in harmony with the natural world and can nurture our bodies, minds, and souls—right in your own backyard. In this inspiring seminar, learn how to design a beautiful sacred garden space that will take care of you—body, mind and soul. Jessi Bloom shares the process of designing sacred spaces, discusses which kinds of elements to incorporate including the sacred plants that you can use every day.

Saturday, February 23 at 11:45 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Bess Bronstein

Educator, horticulture consultant and ISA-Certified Arborist

Bess Bronstein is a horticultural consultant, educator and ISA Certified Arborist® based on the Kitsap Peninsula in Kingston, Washington, with over 30 years’ experience in arboriculture, landscape management and garden design. She was an instructor for the Edmonds Community College horticulture program for 28 years, with a focus on courses in pruning and tree care, plant identification, plant pests/diseases and diagnosis, and soils. Bess was an Education Coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (PNW-ISA) for 10 years and received the Volunteer of the Year award in 2017. She frequently teaches public and professional arboriculture and horticulture courses throughout the Puget Sound, does training for WSU Extension Master Gardener programs, and speaks to garden clubs on a variety of horticultural topics. She holds an A.T.A. degree in Ornamental Horticulture, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from the University of Washington. Bess is proud to be a lifetime member of Plant Amnesty and supports ongoing education in sustainable landscape management practices and tree care.

Pruning for Healthy Trees and Shrubs: It’s Not That Hard

You’ve bought new tools and are ready to prune your Japanese maple, hydrangeas and roses. How hard can it be? It’s not that hard once you learn basic pruning techniques and timing guidelines for common trees and shrubs. The results of your labor will be both healthy and beautiful plants, as well as pride in a job well done.

Saturday, February 23 at 1:30 PM / DIY Stage

Lynn Brunelle

Educator, Emmy Award-winning writer, and author of Turn This Book into a Beehive

Lynn Brunelle is a four-time Emmy Award–winning writer for “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” over 25 years experience writing for people of all ages and is the author of over 45 books, including the bestselling Pop Bottle Science (Workman, 2004) and Camp Out! (Workman, 2007). She is a regular contributor to KING-TV’s “New Day Northwest” as a family science guru and NPR’s “Science Friday.” Lynn has created, developed and written projects for National Geographic, Scholastic, A&E, The Discovery Channel, Disney, ABC TV, NBC, NPR, Cranium and PBS. Lynn’s most recent book is Turn This Book Into a Beehive (Workman Publishing, 2018). Lynn has won five Telly Awards and two CINE awards for her music videos. Lynn Brunelle

Mason Bees: Super-Pollinators

Did you know that the mason bee pollinates as many flowers in a single day as 100 honeybees? And mason bees don’t sting, making them nature’s non-aggressive super-pollinators. Author Lynn Brunelle provides an early introduction to environmentalism and offers inspiration for burgeoning conservationists in her exploration of the mason bee. Learn how you can attract more industrious mason bees into your garden!

Saturday, February 23 at 5:00 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Sunday, February 24 at 1:30 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Charles A. Birnbaum FASLA, FAAR / 2019 SHOW JUDGE

2019 Show Judge, President + CEO, The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Charles Birnbaum is the president, CEO, and founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). Prior to creating TCLF, Birnbaum spent fifteen years as the coordinator of the National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative (HLI) and a decade in private practice in New York City, with a focus on landscape preservation and urban design. One of his major projects is the Web-based initiative What’s Out There (a searchable database of the nation’s designed landscape heritage). He has authored and edited numerous publications, including the Modern Landscapes: Transition and Transformation series, Shaping the American Landscape, Design with Culture: Claiming America’s Landscape Heritage, and Preserving Modern Landscape Architecture. In 1995, the ASLA awarded the HLI the President's Award of Excellence. In 1996, the ASLA inducted Birnbaum as a Fellow of the Society. He served as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. In 2008 the ASLA awarded him the Alfred B. LaGasse Medal, followed by the President’s Medal in 2009. In 2017, Birnbaum received the ASLA Medal, the Society's highest award. Birnbaum is currently a Visiting Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning + Preservation. Cultural Landscape Foundation

Modern Landscape Architecture: Transition and Transformation

From Seattle’s Freeway Park to Gas Works Park, we must commit to preserving Modernist landscape architecture. Immediately following WWII the Modern movement took hold in landscape architecture and urban design. Unfortunately, reasoned criticism did not follow, and Modern landscapes ultimately began to be neglected or razed. Now preservationists, landscape architects, historians and the public are coming together to manage change at these places that represent a significant chapter in our nation’s evolution. Learn strategies for the future, reversing an era of modifications which would have risked editing-out a significant chapter in the profession of landscape architecture.

Wednesday, February 20 at 10:30 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Public Visibility, Value and Engagement in our Shared Landscape Heritage

What is the foundational knowledge that informs stewardship of our landscape legacy? How do we assign value for landscapes like Volunteer Park and Freeway Park, communicate holistically across multiple disciplines, and make a landscape’s layers of history at an iconic landscape like Gas Works Park or the University of Washington campus understood? Drawing on the work of TCLF with its collaborators, this seminar will highlight the resources throughout Seattle, the NW and the Nation, emphasizing stewardship strategies and opportunities for public engagement.

Thursday, February 21 at 11:45 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Book Signing Schedule

C. Colston Burrell MLA

Designer, horticulturist & author, Perennial Combinations

C. Colston Burrell, MLA, is an acclaimed lecturer, garden designer and photographer. The author of 12 gardening books, Cole has twice won the American Horticulture Society Book Award. A certified chlorophyll addict, Cole is an avid and lifelong plantsman, gardener and naturalist. He is a popular lecturer internationally on topics of design, plants and ecology, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with professional and amateur audiences for 45 years. He escorts garden and natural history tours to visit the premier gardens and exceptional wild places throughout the United States and abroad. He is principal of Native Landscape Design and Restoration, which specializes in blending nature and culture through artistic design. In 2008 Cole received the Award of Distinction from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers for his work promoting sustainable gardening practices. He gardens on 10 wild acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. C. Colston Burrell

Good Bones: Creating A Framework for The Garden

A well-designed garden is more than a collection of planting beds; it is a logical sequence of spaces, enhanced by the plantings, structures and ornaments that define them. These space-defining bones determine how the garden looks through the seasons, especially in winter. Cole Burrell takes you through the process of designing and furnishing the floors, walls and ceiling of the garden as he demonstrates how to refine the garden’s spaces with structures, plants and ornaments.

Wednesday, February 20 at 4:15 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Nature as Gardener: Working with Natural Processes for Beauty and Reduced Maintenance

Picture-perfect plant combinations make for beautiful gardens, yet keeping every plant in its place is a lot of work. If you long to lower your maintenance time and budget, this lecture is for you. Join Cole Burrell to learn tips and techniques for working with Mother Nature to create a beautiful, reduced maintenance garden by augmenting and editing. Using layering, under planting, free-seeding perennials and annuals, and a little benign neglect, you can reduce the amount of time spent working in your garden.

Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 PM / Rainier Room / Book singing to follow

Yolanda Burrell

Urban farmer, owner and founder, Pollinate Farm & Garden

Yolanda Burrell is a mother/wife, entrepreneur and urban farmer. An avid do-it-herselfer, she is at home at her own Oakland California homestead where she and her family keep chickens, bees, and learn about permaculture principles on their large urban lot, growing much of their own food. Yolanda is owner and founder of Pollinate Farm & Garden, an award-winning edible plant nursery and urban farm store with a twist: Pollinate provides supplies and know-how for seed-to-table organic farming and gardening, food preservation, artisanal food crafting, small scale livestock raising and beekeeping. They teach the "hows" and "whys" of DIY Food. Through its educational outreach and local workshops, Pollinate is dedicated to safe, accessible food by teaching the benefits of growing it at home or in shared community spaces and encouraging healthy, seasonal eating. Pollinate Farm

Backyard Chickens 101

Backyard chickens are all the rage! Not only are they a source of fresh, wholesome eggs --a small backyard flock adds beauty and provides fertilizer, pest control, and hours of entertainment. They are the ultimate 'pets with benefits'! Learn the basics to get started with a flock of your own. Legal restrictions; Best breeds; coop and run options; biosecurity; feeding, nutrition and care; raising chicks; mixed aged flocks; predators and pests; maintaining a garden with backyard chickens.

Saturday, Feb 23 at 3:00 pm / Hood Room

Good Buzz: Backyard Beekeeping Basics

Bees are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of the food we eat every day! New to beekeeping or just want to understand more about what's involved before plunging in? Curious about all the buzz, the threats to their survival and how you can get involved by keeping a hive your own? Learn the basics of backyard beekeeping in this informative talk. Topics include common hive types, tools and safety equipment, and the life cycle of a colony.

Sunday, February 24 at 3:00 PM / Hood Room

Jenny Rose Carey

Director, PHS Meadowbrook Farm and author, Glorious Shade

Jenny Rose Carey is a renowned gardener, educator, historian, and author, and the senior director at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown. She is the author of Glorious Shade (Timber Press, 2017) and the co-author of A Century of Cultivation (2011). She previously worked at Temple University for over a decade, first as an adjunct professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and then as director of the Ambler Arboretum. Jenny Rose has been lecturing nationally and internationally for many years. She is an avid, hands-on gardener who has gardened in both England and the United States. Her Victorian property, Northview, contains diverse garden spaces, including a shade garden, moss garden, and a stumpery. Jenny Rose and her gardens have been featured on the PBS series “The Victory Garden,” in the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Green Scene magazine, and the Pennsylvania Gardener. Jenny Rose Carey

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, designers Rebecca Sweet and Jenny Rose Carey will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Wednesday, Feb 20 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Gardening without Sprinklers? Dry Gardens and Rain Gardens

In this changing climate we are faced with more uncertain and erratic rainfall. How do gardeners find ways to use this to their advantage to have a beautiful yet ecologically friendly garden? This lecture is based on Jenny Rose’s practical gardening experience with a “dry” garden that she hasn’t watered since 2004, and her newer rain gardens. She will provide plant lists as well as planting and maintenance tips and techniques.

Wednesday, February 20 at 3:00 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Glorious Shade Gardens

In this lecture Jenny Rose Carey helps the gardener to understand how to successfully garden in shade. By explaining how to analyze light levels, examine the soil and techniques for planting, Jenny Rose encourages all gardeners to beautify their shady garden areas. The lecture concludes with some of her favorite shade plants, and design tips for making your garden friendly to both people and wildlife. Based on ‘Glorious Shade’, Timber Press 2017.

Thursday, February 21 at 12:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Linda Chalker-Scott PhD

WSU Asso. Professor and author, Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific NW and How Plants Work

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott has a Ph.D. in Horticulture from OSU and is an ISA certified arborist and an ASCA consulting arborist. She is WSU’s Extension Urban Horticulturist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture, and holds two affiliate associate professor positions at UW. Linda is the author of The Informed Gardener (2008) and The Informed Gardener Blooms Again (2010) from UW Press and Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: Good Science – Practical Application (2009) from GFG Publishing, Inc. Her most recent book, How Plants Work: The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do (Timber Press, 2015) received the AHS best book award, the National Association of Agricultural Agents best book award, and a National Science Teachers Association recommended book. Most recently she co-authored an update of Art Kruckeberg’s Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, to be published in early 2019 by UW Press. Linda has also published extensively in the scientific literature and in popular magazines including American Nurseryman, Organic Gardening, and Fine Gardening. She also is one of the Garden Professors—a group of academic colleagues who educate and entertain through their blog and Facebook pages. Linda’s contribution to gardeners was recognized in 2017 by the GWA as the first recipient of their Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award. The Informed Gardener

GARDEN 101: The New Science on Soil Health - Deconstructing Soil Advice: How to Recognize “Alternative Facts”

Would you like to save time and money, have a healthier garden and also protect the planet? You can if you understand the critical role soil plays in garden (and thus, human) health. Our 3 experts will give you all the dirt on the best practices for establishing healthy soil. Linda Chalker-Scott will help you recognize when “advice” should not be taken. Elizabeth Murphy will help you determine the nutrients your soil has, and what more it might need to establish organic soil fertility. And finally, Christina Pfeiffer talks about the critical role that mulch plays in the garden. With this seminar you’ll discover how to save time and money by avoiding advice that’s not science based, how to follow best practices and reap the benefits of healthier plants and soils.

Wednesday, February 20 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Little-Used Native Plants for Big Impact

Nurseries continue to provide an increasing variety of native species for home gardeners. So which ones should you choose? This seminar is based on the eagerly awaited, newest edition of Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, co-authored by Art Kruckeberg and Linda Chalker-Scott. She’ll discuss some native plants you may never have considered that are garden-worthy and commercially available. You’ll discover how these selections can not only enhance your garden but may also benefit wildlife.

Thursday, February 21 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

You’re Stuck With the Soil You’ve Got—Now Deal With It!

This seminar will address the most common problem seen in residential landscapes: poor water movement. We’ll demonstrate how mulches and amendments can either improve or worsen drainage. What happens when you use gravel in the bottom of pots? Does water move best through landscape fabric, newspaper, cardboard, or wood chips? You’ll see the evidence for yourself! Handouts containing the text of the talk will be provided.

Saturday, February 23 at 10:30 AM / Book signing to follow

Baylor Chapman

Plant designer, owner, Lila B Design and author, Decorating with Plants and The Plant Recipe Book

Baylor Chapman loves working with plants so much that she has spent more than 15 years surrounding herself with them. She attended the UC Berkeley extension program for garden design, founded Lila B., a San Francisco green-certified plant and flower design business, and built a parking lot garden in the middle of a big city. In the spring of 2014 she published The Plant Recipe Book (Artisan). Her next book is Decorating with Plants: What to Choose, Ways to Style, and How to Make Them Thrive, to be released by Artisan in April, 2019. Her work has also appeared in Sunset Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and Better Homes & Gardens. She has been a guest on PBS’ “Growing a Greener World TV” and a DIY expert on HGTV.com and Houzz.com. For Baylor, it all comes back to the idea that even if you have a really small space, you can bring a little bit of green inside. Whether it is an elaborate living centerpiece or tiny single succulent, through plant design you can make any space feel at home. Lila B Design

Anyone Can Play With Houseplants

Ideas on how to create plant displays for more than a temporary touch. Go beyond the plant in a pot, drawing inspiration from cultures around the globe as Baylor Chapman inspires you to rethink plant design. Shedding light on traditional techniques like kokedama and contemporary skills like vertical gardens, she’ll teach how to put a twist on plant arrangements, leaving you with a plethora of concepts for beautiful plant designs for any occasion.

Friday, February 22 at 11:45 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

GARDEN 101: Houseplants—The New Gardening Obsession - The Power of Houseplants

Houseplants are good for your health! They not only offer a calming influence on your mood, they freshen the air and help eliminate toxins. This series is for the obsessed houseplant owner as well as for newbies. Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, the Houseplant Guru, will help you ascertain which light exposure you have and which plants will grow in those exposures. Melinda Myers will help you select the right plant for your indoor growing conditions, interior design and busy schedule. And designer Baylor Chapman will share plants to portray your unique personality and style, how plants influence our well-being; and inspire you with the art of design, using plant attributes, vessels and space. There is a houseplant (or 5, 10 or 20…) for every apartment or home!

Saturday, February 23 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Karen Chapman

Designer, Le Jardinet, and co-author, Fine Foliage and Gardening with Foliage First

Born in England, Karen grew up with a trowel in her hand. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1996 she joined Molbak’s Garden & Home as a garden plant specialist before establishing Le Jardinet in 2006. Whilst initially specializing in custom container gardens, Karen now applies that same attention to detail by designing functional and artistic landscapes. Her designs have been featured in many prestigious publications, including Fine Gardening, Sunset and Better Homes & Gardens. She is co-author of two books: Gardening with Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More (Timber Press, 2017) and the award-winning Fine Foliage (St. Lynn’s Press, 2013). Karen also writes inspirational design articles on two blogs and is a regular contributor to several digital and print publications. As an instructor for the online community Craftsy.com, Karen teaches two garden design courses including “Gorgeous Garden Design; Foliage & Focal Points” that was mostly filmed in her own 5 acre garden in Duvall, WA. Le jardinet Designs

The Squish Factor: Designing Abundant Containers

Do your container gardens fizzle out mid-summer? Are you confident that your combinations will look fabulous or fearful they will become a tangled mess? Join professional designer Karen Chapman as she shares the tips and tricks of the trade to creating lush, dramatic container gardens. Glean inspiration for putting the pizzazz back in your pots whether your preferred style is contemporary, whimsical, romantic or truly bodacious!

Sunday, February 24 at 4:30 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Kristin Crouch

Blogger, ThatBloominGarden.com and Vancouver, BC Master Gardener

Kristin Crouch has been teaching sustainable garden classes for the Corporation of Delta for the last five years. She is a 27-year Vancouver Master Gardener and has a Diploma in Horticulture from the University of Guelph. She currently writes her garden blog, ThatBloominGarden.com, and for the Delta Optimist newspaper. Kristin hosted the garden show, ‘That Bloomin’ Garden’ and ‘The Delta Gardener’ for ten years with Delta Cable Television. She was president of the Ladner Community Garden Society for five years after establishing the community garden in 2011. In 2011 she helped start the Alexandra Neighborhood House Community Garden and the Tsawwassen First Nation garden prototype in conjunction with Simon Fraser University. She has worked as a garden coordinator from 2010-2012 for the Many Small Hands Children’s Garden where she developed educational programming for grade one students. Kristin lives on a half-acre property in Delta, BC, with her husband, Jim, where they transformed their side garden into a kitchen garden and grow crops year-round. That Bloomin' Garden

Veggies 201: Digging Deeper into Your Patch

This seminar will give you a deeper understanding of your vegetable garden and help you get a more bountiful harvest. Learn about feeding your plants, soil health, timing succession plantings and managing common garden pests. You’ll gain a better understanding of organic ways to identify and control garden pests and problems in the garden, why we have pollination problems, how to attract beneficial insects to the garden and getting your garden in balance with nature.

Thursday, February 21 at 10:00am / Hood Room

Seed Starting 101: You Can Do It!

Growing from seed is so rewarding; you can even grow cool plants you can’t find at the garden center. This demonstration will teach you how to grow all your own plants from seed. You’ll gain invaluable knowledge of the basic supplies to get your seeds started, how to read a seed package, learn the difference between hybrids and open pollinated seeds, what to do when your seedlings have germinated, how to pot them up and keep them alive, and how to transition your new seedlings to the garden.

Friday, Feb 22 at 5:00 pm / DIY Stage

Darcy Daniels

Founder of eGardenGo and designer, Bloomtown® Gardens

Darcy Daniels is a Pacific Northwest-based garden designer with Bloomtown® Gardens and the creator of eGardenGo. She’s been designing gardens with Bloomtown® since 2001 and is well known for her rich, textual plantings and creative use of small spaces. Her gardens have been featured in many publications, including Sunset, Fine Gardening, Better Homes & Gardens, Pacific Horticulture, Garden Design online, and more. She’s a member of ANLD, GWA, and a longtime member and past board member of HPSO. Darcy created eGardenGo in response to questions and concerns she heard throughout the years she’s spent designing gardens and consulting with gardeners. An easy-to-use online database filled with plant profiles and professionally curated garden combinations allows users to browse the site’s extensive library of images by foliage, texture, and form to create beautiful gardens that will delight all year long. Darcy Daniels

Mix and Match: Tips for Creating Perfectly Coordinated Plant Combos

Darcy’s method for creating perfectly coiffed and coordinated garden vignettes will bring out the stylist in you. This easy-to-understand, fresh approach to breaking down the sometimes-mysterious act of combining plants will give you the tools you need to create the perfect ensemble. Before you know it, you’ll be mixing and matching plants in your garden to create a look that’s unique to you and a match for your personal style.

Saturday, February 23 at 10:00am / Hood Room

JJ de Sousa

Garden and interior designer and owner, Digs Inside & Out, Portland

JJ De Sousa is a garden/interior designer, certifiable plant geek, enthusiastic traveler and proprietress of Digs Inside & Out in Portland, Oregon. She has written “The Latest Dirt”, a garden column for NW Renovation Magazine for the last 10 years and has appeared in Sunset Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Outdoor Living, Home + Garden Northwest, The Oregonian Home & Garden and various other publications featuring her personal spaces, client projects and boutique. She has also been a frequent guest on “In the Garden with Mike Darcy”. Armed with an energetic design sense as well as a sense of humor, JJ offers unique and creative ideas for all of your outdoor spaces which are certain to encourage and inspire you to get out there and entertain in your garden and decorate the outdoors! Digs Inside & Out

Gardening in the Loire Valley

Luckily for JJ de Sousa and her family, our climate in the NW is almost identical to that of the Loire Valley of France. Since buying a neglected farmhouse in 2015, they have been reclaiming, restoring and reinventing their space in the French countryside. Follow along their very French adventure through the Valleé des Rois, its countless gardens and chateaux, see the ideas they gleaned from their over-the-top gardens and interiors and how they translated them into their own unique space.

Friday, February 22 at 6:45pm / Hood Room

Ellen Ecker Ogden

Food and garden writer and author, The Complete Kitchen Garden and From the Cook’s Garden

Ellen Ecker Ogden is a food and garden writer and the author of six books on food and gardens. Her most recent book, The Complete Kitchen Garden: An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs and 100 Seasonal Recipes was published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang (2011). It features her own kitchen garden designs to inspire gardeners to elevate their edible gardens into a work of art. Her upcoming book, The New Heirloom Garden: 12 Theme Designs with Recipes for Cooks Who Love to Garden (Rodale, 2020) features 12 designs with recipes for cooks who love to garden. She is also the author of From the Cook’s Garden (Morrow Cookbooks, 2003) and her articles and kitchen gardens have appeared in numerous magazines including Garden Design, Country Gardens, Eating Well, Better Homes and Garden and Martha Stewart Living. She has also been a guest on PBS’ “Victory Garden” and HGTV’s “Garden Smarts.” Ellen Ecker Ogden

The New Heirloom Garden: Modern Designs for Old-Fashioned Gardeners

In a world where supermarket options have dulled our palates and choices are homogenized, food gardens are more important than ever. A true kitchen garden will open the senses both in the garden and in the kitchen. Discover how to grow an edible garden with an eye towards beauty, easy care, and pleasure; be inspired to take a new look at fruits, flowers, and vegetables to add color, aroma, and exceptional taste to your repertoire of plants.

Saturday, February 23 at 1:00pm / Rainer Room / Book signing to follow

Fresh Ideas for Kitchen Gardens: The Art of Growing Food

Learn how to grow an edible garden with an eye towards beauty, easy care, and pure pleasure; a true kitchen garden opens your senses both in the garden and in the kitchen. Learn Ellen’s six steps to successful kitchen garden design. You’ll take home design ideas to transform your current garden from ordinary to extraordinary, including basic design, foursquare rotation for healthy soil, what to plant, and how to add personality to give your kitchen garden a unique style.

Sunday, Feb 24 at 11:45 am / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Paige Embry

Author, Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators

Paige Embry is the author of Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them (Timber Press, 2018). Over the years she has worked as a geologist, garden designer and educator. Now she writes. In addition to her book, Paige has written for Horticulture, The American Gardener, the Food and Environmental Reporting Network and Scientific American and has spoken about native bees on shows ranging from the “Vegetable Gardening Show” to “Science Friday.” Paige Embry

Honey Bees Can’t Pollinate Tomatoes: What’s Really Going on in the Garden

Did a bee go extinct because of greenhouse tomatoes? Why is a bee nicknamed Cinderella? Tucked into stories where bees build turrets and paint walls are lessons on how bees live and how to use that knowledge to make our gardens better homes for them. Looking for an excuse to let flowers grow in the lawn or to leave an area un-mulched? This talk is for you!

Wednesday, February 20 at 10:00am / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

C.L. Fornari

Author, Coffee for Roses and The Cocktail Garden Hour and co-host, Plantrama Podcast

C.L. Fornari is the author eight books including Coffee for Roses (St. Lynn’s Press, 2014) and The Cocktail Hour Garden (St. Lynn’s Press, 2016). She runs a consultation service at Hyannis Country Garden, a family owned Independent Garden Center, hosts “GardenLine” on WXTK every Saturday morning, and is the co-host of “Plantrama,” a podcast about plants. C.L. speaks to a wide range of audiences nationwide and writes articles for numerous publications. Her website and blog can be found at gardenlady.com. C.L. grows vegetables and all types of flowers at Poison Ivy Acres on Cape Cod. Garden Lady

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning “Plantrama” podcast hosts C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Thursday, Feb 21 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

PLANTRAMA: Eat, Drink, & Be Merry…While Coping with Rabbits & Deer - Join the live broadcast!

Join plant geeks C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos as they record a second live, NWFGF Plantrama podcast. They’ll talk about unusual edibles to cultivate or forage for, inspire you with plant-based cocktails and mocktails, and provide proven strategies for dealing with Thumper and Bambi. Bring your garden questions, and stay for some great giveaway products at the end of the talk.

Thursday, February 21 at 3:00pm / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

John Fredette

ARS Award-winning Master Rosarian and Accredited Rose Judge

John Fredette has been growing roses for over 40 years here in the Puget Sound region. He is a long-time member of both the American Rose Society and the Seattle Rose Society. He and his wife, Caroline, grow 300 rose bushes here in Seattle and have won numerous awards for rose exhibiting at local, district and national shows. John is an Accredited Rose Judge and Master Rosarian. He is a three- time past president of the Seattle Rose Society and recipient of the American Rose Society Bronze medal for his volunteer work in promoting the rose. John is a frequent contributor to the Seattle Rose Society’s newsletter Rose Petals. Over the years John has been asked to speak at local garden centers, garden clubs and rose societies about rose culture. Visit the Seattle Rose Society booth, #2408, at this year’s show.

GARDEN 101: The Stars of the Summer Garden - Growing Great Roses is Not That Hard

Friday, February 22 at 2:15 PM / Rainer Room

Sue Goetz

Designer and owner, Creative Gardener, and author, A Taste for Herbs

Sue Goetz is an award-winning garden designer, writer, and speaker. She is the author of The Herb Lover’s Spa Book (St. Lynn’s Press 2015) and her newest book, A Taste for Herbs: A Guide to Seasonings, Mixes and Blends From The Herb Lover’s Garden, will be released by St. Lynn’s Press in January, 2019. Through her business Creative Gardener she works with clients to personalize outdoor spaces-from garden coaching to full landscape design. Sue is also lead designer on staff with Father Nature Landscapes in Tacoma, WA. Her garden design work has earned gold medals at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival and specialty awards including: The Sunset Magazine and Fine Gardening magazine awards and The American Horticultural Society Award. She has been named Educator of the Year by the WSNLA and shares her love of the garden and herb growing with talks all over the U.S. Sue is a member of GWA, and her work has appeared in numerous publications including: APLD Designer, Pacific Horticulture, and Fine Gardening. The Creative Gardener

A Taste for Herbs: Capture the Flavor of Herbs from Your Garden

Infuse, blend, mix, season and capture the flavor of herbs from your garden! Create vinegars, syrups, dried seasoning mixes, and herbal rubs for grilling. Make flavor mixes to infuse cocktails and tea with syrups, add zing to greens and salads with vinegars and oils. Come for a show and smell!

Wednesday, February 20 at 1:30 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

GARDEN 101: Heavenly Herbs - You Can Have a Feast of Flavors from Herbs Contained

Herbs are hot! Whether used to flavor a recipe, or for home care or healing, growing fresh herbs is a growing trend. No garden? No problem! Jacqueline Soule discusses “Herculean” herbs—herbs that can survive cold, heat, drought, and indifferent care and can be easily grown for culinary and household uses. Stephanie Rose shares which herbs and flowers you might already growing in your garden contain healing properties, and which ones you should absolutely be planting this year. See how to properly harvest and prepare plants from the garden to stock your own home apothecary. Finally, Sue Goetz shows you how to successfully grow herbs in containers, adding charm to even the tiniest balcony or patio. Find out which herbs do best in potted gardens and how to harvest them.

Thursday, Feb 20 at 2:15 pm / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Joe Grienauer

Orchid expert and owner, Emerald City Orchids and 2019 Show Garden Co-Creator

Joe Grienauer established Emerald City Orchids in 2008 in Seattle, WA. He learned the skill of growing orchids while working at Baron’s Orchids in Morro Bay, CA after earning a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington. He is an avid reader on the subject of orchids and enjoys spending as much time as possible in the Emerald City Orchids greenhouse. He was part of the team that annually designs and builds the Northwest Orchid Society’s show garden, which in 2017 won a Silver medal for “Orchid Garden Wedding Banquet.” Sorry single ladies and gentlemen, he’s married. Visit the Emerald City Orchids booth, #2228 in the Plant Market at this year’s show and the Orchid Society display garden. Emerald City Orchids

No Soil Required: Get Started Growing Beautiful, Easy Orchids

Joe will help you get orchids that you treasure with this great hands-on demonstration. He’ll cover basic orchid background, care, fertilization, and pest/disease control. He’ll review greenhouse vs. window vs. artificial light growing techniques, how to initiate flowers on a healthy plant, and which orchids are best for newbies. He’ll also demo the all-important orchid repotting. Even brown thumbs can grow orchids if you learn the basic techniques, and Joe is just the person to get you started!

Sunday, February 24 at 11:45 AM / DIY Stage

Robin Haglund

Garden coach, speaker, writer and president, Garden Mentors® Inc.

Robin Haglund is the founder and president of pioneering garden coaching firm Garden Mentors®, which thrives on empowering others in their personal garden spaces. Robin is an HGTV, NWFGF, WALP, and WSNLA award-winning designer, a down-to-earth speaker, a popular writer and a frequent garden television and podcasting expert guest and contributor. In her free time, Robin leads nature walks, educating fellow hikers about local flora & fauna, both native and invasive. Robin’s garden coaching methods, design insights, seed-to-fork solutions, tips for gardening with pets, and her experiences with urban beekeeping and homesteading are featured in several media sources including The New York Times, Sunset, The Seattle Times, Organic Gardening, PBS’s “Growing a Greener World”, HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge”, “Living HomeGrown” Podcast, and the Garden Mentors® Garden Help Blog, A Dry Rain Podcast, MSN, and several books. Garden Mentors

GARDEN 101: Focus on Flowers - Growing a Garden of Fragrant Delights

Flowers do far more than bring joy to a recipient, or pollen to a bee. They can be used for their culinary delights, or for aromatherapy. These 3 info-packed seminars will help you get the most from your flowers! Lisa Mason Ziegler shares her fall and very early spring planting experiences and reintroduces the cool-season concept: when and what to plant, setting it up for low maintenance and how to keep the blooms coming into the summer heat. Robin Haglund will share how to add year-round aromatic plants to your garden, while avoiding the worst stinkers. She’ll also give you DIY ideas for bringing your garden of fragrant delights indoors in fresh & preserved forms. Finally, Denise Schreiber takes a look at what common flowers are edible from the garden, how to grow them, and some easy recipes. Yum!

Sunday, February 24 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room

Leslie F. Halleck

Author, Gardening Under Lights and consultant and owner, Halleck Horticultural

Leslie F. Halleck is a Certified Professional Horticulturist (ASHS) who has spent her 25+ year career hybridizing horticulture science with home gardening consumer needs. She is the author of Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers (Timber Press, 2018). She earned a B.S. in Biology/Botany from The University of North Texas and an M.S. in Horticulture from Michigan State University. Leslie currently runs Halleck Horticultural, LLC, through which she provides horticultural consulting, business and marketing strategy, product development and branding, and content creation for green industry companies. Halleck is an author, award-winning writer for industry and consumer publications, and columnist for GIE Media. Her previous positions include General Manager for independent garden center North Haven Gardens in Dallas, TX and Director of Horticulture Research at The Dallas Arboretum. Her next book about simple plant propagation techniques, titled Plant Parenting, will be released from Timber Press May 2019. Leslie Halleck

Gardening Under Lights: Grow Food Indoors Year-round

Wish you could grow fresh tomatoes in winter? How about fruit on your indoor citrus trees? Gardening indoors can be the solution for extending and expanding your gardening season, but most of us don’t have enough natural light indoors to successfully grow food. Learn about the right types of grow lights and indoor gardening techniques to produce food such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, herbs, and citrus indoors – no sun required!

Saturday, February 23 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Indoor gardening and grow lighting technology for home gardeners is exploding. If you’re struggling to keep your succulents alive, orchids blooming, harvest kitchen herbs, or grow food indoors, grow lights are usually your solution. Choosing the right grow lights for the right plants can be an overwhelming task. Leslie will cover current trends, modern indoor growing technology, the gear you need, and techniques for growing more plants indoors.

Sunday, February 24 at 1:00 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Lucy Hardiman

Educator, garden writer and designer, Perennial Partners

Lucy Hardiman was to the garden born –a fifth generation Oregon gardener. She is the principal of Perennial Partners, a garden design collaborative whose work is distinguished by innovative hardscape, playful and sustainable planting design and creative problem solving. She is a past president of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon continuing her commitment to the organization as an obsessed volunteer. She is long time member of the Great Plant Picks Committee thriving on interaction with other plant nerds. For many years she was a contributing editor for Horticulture Magazine. Her garden is a testimony to her passion for plants having been featured in many books and magazines. She is a sought-after lecturer from coast to coast. Lucy Flora

Design Solutions for Small Gardens: Making the Most of Your Outdoor Space

Designing a garden in a small space can be fraught with challenges and opportunities. It can seem impossible to balance living space with enough room for plants. Explore design techniques that help make small spaces feel larger, create a sense of human scale and proportion, screen views from prying eyes and nosy neighbors, provide defined outdoor living spaces and allow ample places for all your favorite plants. Let’s consider both challenges and opportunities for creating small gardens that resonate.

Wednesday, February 20 at 4:30 PM / Rainier Room

Coloring Outside the Lines: Celebrating Color in the Garden

Color and how we respond to it is based on personal preferences and cultural influences. For example, gardening is considered a “green” activity that is earth friendly. Often there is continuity between the colors we paint our homes, what we wear and the color palette we select for our gardens. Take a look at how colors affect our world and how we use them in gardens to create moods ranging from calm and serene to vivid and exciting.

Thursday, February 21 at 4:30 PM / Rainier Room

Susan L. Harrington

Chief Education Officer, Labyrinth Hill Lavender

After 20 years in business management, Susan Harrington retired in 2002 to reclaim property overrun with Scotch broom and blackberries and grew a successful small-scale lavender farm into an online lavender-growing resource. Via the Internet, she took Labyrinth Hill Lavender from the Kingston Farmers Market to the New York City Ballet and throughout the country. Her workshop, Lavender: From Soil to Sachet, has been presented at Washington and Oregon community colleges and nurseries and is now a popular online course with more than 900 students throughout the U.S. and 16 other countries, and more than 4,000 readers enjoy Susan's weekly newsletter. She is a founding member of the U.S. Lavender Growers Association and member of the Garden Writers Association. She was a featured speaker for the 2011 and 2014 Northwest Regional Lavender Conferences, the 2012 Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute, and the 2012 Southwest Lavender Conference. Labyrinth Hill Lavender

Lavender: Endless Uses, From Crafting to Culinary

With its genetic roots in the slopes of Mediterranean hillsides, lavender is unrivaled for its versatility. From aromatherapy to culinary delights, medicinal treatments to housekeeping tips, this lively presentation provides you with simple ideas and crafting inspiration for using lavender varieties. Not only will you learn how to care for this aromatic herb to produce the most fragrant stems, you will see how to use common household items to process dried lavender for its buds.

Saturday, February 23 at 11:45 AM / DIY Stage

Richard Hartlage

Landscape designer and principal/CEO of Land Morphology

Richard Hartlage is the founding principal and CEO of the landscape architecture firm Land Morphology. His work includes the planting plan for a central section of Seattle’s future waterfront as well as the New Herb and Vegetable Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, the Leach Botanical Garden, InSitu, Mountsier Estate, the Vegetation Management Plan for the Seattle Center, and the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. His designs have been featured in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Home, At Home, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Traditional Home, Pacific Horticulture, Garden Design, and The Seattle Times. Richard has given over 350 lectures worldwide and has written over sixty articles on gardening and landscape design. He has contributed to six books on horticulture and design, including Bold Visions for the Garden: Basics, Magic and Inspiration (Fulcrum Publishing, 2001), a collection of his essays and photography, and recently co-wrote a comprehensive book on American garden design, The Authentic Garden: Naturalistic and Contemporary Landscape Design. (Monacelli Press, 2015). Land Morphology

The New Botanical Experience in Seattle’s Future Waterfront Park

The imminent removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct opens up 20-acres of public space that is being transformed into a 26-block waterfront park. Designed by James Corner Field Operations with input from more than 10,000 Seattleites, the park will transform Seattle’s urban shoreline into a lush urban green space. Richard Hartlage is the local lead working on the park’s horticulture plan. Heidi Hughes is the Executive Director of Friends of Waterfront Seattle. In this seminar, Richard and Heidi will give on overview of this park project and how its planting plan will create a signature botanical experience along our waterfront.

Wednesday, February 20 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Heidi Hughes

Executive director, Friends of Waterfront Seattle

Heidi Hughes is the executive director of Friends of Waterfront Seattle, a nonprofit that exists to help bring the new waterfront park to fruition and ensure its ongoing vitality. She has perused her passion for people, places, and ideas in the diverse worlds of public television, law, government, public policy, and real estate development. Heidi moved to Seattle from Florida for the weather and fell in love with the city and its people. Over the past 5 years she has done outreach and education for the future waterfront park, speaking at community events and design presentations. Friends of Waterfront Seattle

The New Botanical Experience in Seattle’s Future Waterfront Park

Wednesday, February 20 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room

Sean James

Garden designer, horticulturist, writer, speaker, Ontario

Named by GardenMaking magazine as one of “20 Making a Difference” and Ontario spokesperson for Garden Days Canada, Sean James has been gardening professionally since he was 16 and speaking to horticultural societies for more than 25 year after graduating from the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. Sean ran Fern Ridge Landscaping & Eco-consulting for over 20 years. He now owns Sean James Consulting & Design, focusing on teaching, speaking, writing, designing and consulting. He is a 2X past president of the Milton & District Horticultural Society. He designed the award-winning sustainable Anderson Parkette in Oakville and several other landmark gardens. He has written regular eco-gardening columns as well as articles for Garden Making magazine, Ontario Gardener, Trellis, and the PPA and he’s an Ontario Master Gardener. He’s been featured on the CBC and on two HGTV shows including ‘Green Force,’ co-hosted ‘the Garden Show.’ He chairs Landscape Ontario’s Environmental Stewardship Committee and sits on the Ontario Invasive Plant Council’s Horticultural Outreach Collaborative, and the PPA’s Environmental Committee. Sean James Consulting

The Devil’s in the Details: Design Tips from a Pro for Landscaping a Small Yard

Small gardens do not have to be boring—they have great potential to be real jewels! By using simple design principles and incorporating texture, color and foliage in the surrounding plantings, your small space can be transformed into a peaceful respite from today’s stressful world. Adding simple details, such as art and water, can also enhance a small garden. Discover ways to create functional beauty and tranquility and incorporate eco-friendly gardening into a smaller space. It’s all in the details!

Friday, February 22 at 12:30 PM / Hood Room

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning garden communicators Charlie Nardozzi and Sean James will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Saturday, Feb 23 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Making a Splash: Benefits of Water Features in the Garden

We are bombarded these days with noise from traffic and too-close neighbors. Adding a water feature to your garden will help create “white noise” from the soothing, splashing water that can muffle distracting city sounds. Learn basic design, construction, planting and maintenance tips for creating a water feature. They are lower maintenance than you think—there’s no weeding or mowing! Whether you go with a naturalistic cascading watercourse, or a simple pond-less water feature, start off right with these design tips.

Saturday, February 23 at 1:45 PM / Hood Room

Jan Johnsen

Principal, Johnsen Landscapes and author, The Spirit of Stone and Gardentopia

Jan Johnsen is an East Coast-based landscape designer who has spent over four decades creating inspiring residential landscapes. Her design/build firm, Johnsen Landscapes & Pools, has been in business for 32 years. Her landscapes have appeared in Garden Design, This Old House, Landscape Architecture, Wallpaper, Redbook, and more. Jan studied landscape architecture at the University of Hawaii. She has worked in Japan, New Orleans, New York and Kenya and thus brings a wide perspective to the art of garden making. She is a popular teacher at the NYBG and was awarded the ‘Instructor of the Year’ there. Her books include Ortho’s All About Trees (Meredith Publishing, 1998), Heaven is a Garden: Designing Serene Spaces for Inspiration and Reflection, (St. Lynn’s Press, 2014) and The Spirit of Stone: 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden (St Lynn’s Press, 2017). Her next book, Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces, will be released by Countryman Press in early 2019.

Johnsen Landscapes

The Spirit of Stone: Practical and Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden

Stone is often an overlooked element in the landscape, but we are rediscovering this most ancient of materials. Noted designer Jan Johnsen shares creative and practical ways you can use stone in the garden: from rock gardens, to dry streams, as benches, paths. You will learn the five categories of Japanese stone types and their placement in a garden and more. By the end, you will see natural rocks in a whole new light!

Saturday, February 23 at 4:30 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces

Garden lovers revel in being in an outdoor space where the sense of wellbeing is hard to match. As Frederick Law Olmsted, described, "Gradually and silently the charm comes over us..." So how can you transform your backyard into a place where charm descends upon you? What changes can you make that create “gardentopia”? This seminar shares intriguing design ideas that can guide you. Learn the Principle of Three Depths, The Power of the Portal and Making a Cupid’s Garden among others.

Sunday, February 24 at 12:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Bryon Jones

Horticulturist, Arborist, and Landscape Designer, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Bryon Jones has a passion for how plants interconnect with people, animals, and most everything in life. In travels both near and far Bryon seeks to understand the details of what makes specific plants work in their natural habitat, and then translate that into growing them successfully in our personal gardens. His never-ending sense of curiosity, coupled with a desire to share information and help others, became a perfect fit for a career in zoological horticulture. Bryon is currently the Horticulturist and Arborist for Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. He has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Washington, a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Portland State University and he is an ISA certified arborist. His landscape designs have been featured on television, in publications and websites. Bryon has presented talks for public agencies, garden clubs, and professional horticultural organizations. He has served over the years in various roles within the Association of Zoological Horticulture. In his spare time Bryon enjoys time with family and broadening his understanding of whatever group of plants has currently mesmerized him—for now they are cacti and succulents. Point Defiance Zoo

Connecting Animals, Plants and People: Wild Excerpts of Zoological Horticulture

If you thought bunnies, deer, and squirrels were a challenge in your garden, be ready to laugh at some stories of how gardening with primates, wolves, and other animals takes it to a whole new level! In this fascinating seminar, Bryon Jones, horticulturist at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, will lead you on a visual discovery of the multifaceted world of zoological horticulture. Come prepared for a tantalizing mix of imagery integrated with tips on how to grow many unique and garden worthy plants from around the world.

Wednesday, February 20 at 6:45 PM / Hood Room

Linda Larson

A Traveling Gardener, Master Gardener, blogger and author

For over a decade Linda Larson has been exploring the world through gardens. Wandering through over 800 gardens on five continents, in 31 countries and all 50 US states, she shares her insight and discoveries through her blog, “A Traveling Gardener, wandering, wondering and noticing. . .” and writing for several gardening newsletters. She encourages readers and audiences to discover a sense of place through gardens, uncover the inspiring history of gardeners and benefit from a generous dose of nature’s best therapy while traveling the paths of gardens. Her inviting website offers readers the opportunity to be whisked away on a mini vacation through her colorful narratives and lush photography. Linda Larson is a lifelong lover of flowers, Master Gardener, Faculty Emeritus of Mesa College and gardener in Mesa, AZ for over 30 years. Her extensive home garden with art, fruit trees, and over 100 container plantings has been included in several garden tours and was featured in Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine. Traveling Gardener

The Art of Gardening: Public and Private Masterpiece Gardens

“Traveling Gardener” Linda Larson walks us along the garden path found in art masterpieces and masterpiece gardens leading to the garden outside our own door. This program reveals gardens found in art; visits masterpiece gardens grown as a work of heart; and helps us see how our own gardens grow better with art. Join her as she travels to some of the most influential gardens on museum walls and around the world.

Thursday, February 21 at 6:45 PM / Hood Room

Best View of Our World is in a Garden

Gardens provide captivating destinations for exploring our world. Among the plants you find a story of the gardener, discover the architecture of the homes, and maybe discover social and power struggles of the times. Guaranteed to inspire garden travels, “Traveling Gardener” Linda Larson shares stories and images from travel to over 800 gardens in 31 countries.

Friday, February 22 at 3:00 PM / Hood Room

Daphne Legg

Bird enthusiast and store manager, Wild Birds Unlimited

Daphne Legg has shared her love of gardening for the birds and other wildlife with countless customers at the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Lake Forest Park. She holds monthly in-store seminars for their customers about birds and nature related topics. Daphne has been trained as a Certified Bird Feeding Specialist through Wild Birds Unlimited, with 23 years’ experience of the hobby, both professionally and personally. Of the 300 stores nationwide, Daphne was named “Manager of the Year” for 2017 of the Wild Birds Unlimited in Lake Forest Park, WA.

Houses that Best Help Birds in their Nesting Season

Have you wanted to encourage your local birds nest in your own garden? This seminar will get you started! Daphne will share which birds are cavity nesters and which are cup nesters or ground nesting birds, and how you can help all of those types. Discover the correct and specific entrance hole diameter and depth of nesting box for different birds, what steps you can take to minimize predators from stealing eggs or harming nestlings, and ideas for proper placement of bird houses for different species for best use.

Sunday, February 24 at 4:15 PM / Hood Room

Shelley Levis

Horticulturist, radio show host, garden writer and author, Countertop Gardens

Shelley lives and gardens in Langley, BC. A horticulturist with a degree in Applied Landscape Design, she owned and operated a Garden Design Business in North Vancouver for 8 years. She now focuses on speaking and writing as a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines. Shelley has also been featured in several international magazines including GreenCraft Magazine and Fine Gardening. Her new book is Countertop Gardens –Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment (Cool Springs Press, 2018). As a TV spokesperson, magazine editor and radio show host, Shelley shares her passion for all things green and encourages people to ‘think outside the pot’ with her fun inspiring DIY ideas. Sow and Dipity

Look, No Soil: Easy Hydroponic and Aquaponic Gardens on Your Countertop

If you think you need a garden filled with dirt to grow your own food or flowers, think again! This seminar will explore the many soilless indoor growing methods using hydroponic and aquaponic devices. There are countertop units that match one’s décor and add beauty through hydroponically grown edible flowers or a fish tank that grows microgreens. Both commercially available products and simple DIY projects will be covered. Discover how one square foot of countertop space can grow food indoors!

Friday, February 22 at 5:45 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Claudia Lucero

Owner, UrbanCheesecraft.com and author, One-Hour Dairy-Free Cheese

Claudia Lucero is the author of One-Hour Cheese (Workman, May 2014) and the new One-Hour Dairy-Free Cheese: Make Mozzarella, Cheddar, Feta, and Brie-Style Cheeses―Using Nuts, Seeds, and Vegetables (Workman, 2019). She is the entrepreneur behind UrbanCheesecraft.com, DIY Cheese Kits, and the new DIY Dairy-Free Kits, which she sells through Etsy, specialty food shops, and select Whole Foods stores. She also developed the home cheesemaking kits for Williams-Sonoma’s Agrarian product line. Claudia teaches cheese making classes regularly and has appeared on AM Northwest Portland. Hallmark Home and Family. Etsy, and NPR ‘All Things Considered.’ Her work has appeared in Country Living, New Pioneer, Portland Monthly, and will be in Bust, PW Cooking the Books, Culture Magazine, and Cooking Club Magazine. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Urban Cheesecraft

Make Delicious Dairy Free Cheese from Plants

Cheesemaker and author Claudia Lucero is back to debut dairy free recipes from her new book, One Hour Dairy Free Cheese. Watch as she creates a creamy, gooey, tempting mac and cheese sauce from familiar vegetables, seeds and other easy to find ingredients. You will also learn about many other dairy free cheese sauces and slicing cheeses you can make using nuts and beans. These are great options for anyone following an allergy-free, Vegan or Paleo diet but they're also just plain tasty for lovers of melty cheese and comfort food. Yum!

Friday, February 22 at 3:15 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Mary-Kate Mackey

Award-winning garden writer, speaker and author, Write Better Right Now

Mary-Kate Mackey is a dynamic speaker and an award-winning garden writer. She co-authored Sunset’s Secret Gardens—153 Design Tips from the Pros and contributed to both the Sunset Western Garden Book and Sunset’s Gardening in the Northwest. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, such as Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Sunset, and Country Gardens. Online, her writing can be found at The Christian Science Monitor, and for the past eight years, she has written “Rooting for You,” a monthly gardening column for the U.S. Hartley-Botanic greenhouse website. Mary-Kate Mackey

Midsummer Garden Nightmares: Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To

Everyone who digs in their bit of earth has experienced garden goofs. Garden writer Mary-Kate Mackey discusses classic disasters in her 25 years of gardening in the same spot, such as wrong plant, wrong place; why drip doesn’t work in all situations; and why friends don’t let friends put down weed cloth. She’ll also offer tips on how to avoid or correct these errors, including how to research trees and shrubs that won’t outgrow their welcome.

Friday, February 22 at 10:30 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

William A. McNamara 2019 SHOW JUDGE

2019 Show Judge; President and Executive Director, Quarryhill Botanical Garden

William A. McNamara, President and Executive Director of Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen, California, has devoted his career to discovering, researching, protecting, and promoting plants in North America and abroad. After graduating from the UC Berkeley in 1975 with an English degree he spent a year visiting gardens and botanizing in remote natural areas around the globe, discovering that the flora of Asia that most captivated him. McNamara settled in Sonoma, California, where he established Con Mara Gardens, a residential landscape business that he ran for 16 years. In 1987, he became an assistant director at Quarryhill Botanical Garden, a private research garden in Glen Ellen, California, that specializes in displaying plants from temperate East Asia. McNamara rose through the ranks, becoming director in 1994, and today he is its executive director and president. In 2005 he earned a Master’s degree in conservation biology at Sonoma State University. Bill McNamara has been honored with two of the top three awards in the field of Horticulture in 2017—the Veitch Memorial Medal from England's RHS and the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award from the AHS. Bill had previously received the Award of Excellence from the National Garden Clubs in 2013, the California Horticultural Society Annual Award in 2012, the Scott Medal and Award from the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in 2010, and the Garden Club of America’s Eloise Payne Luquer Medal in 2009. Quarryhill Botanical Garden

How the Modern Rose Came to Be: The Unique Influence of China’s Wild Roses

When one thinks of a garden, one almost invariably thinks of a rose. It is in many peoples’ mind the quintessential flower. But the modern rose looks and grows quite differently from its wild ancestors. How did this legendary plant’s modern form come to be? How did this typically five-petaled once-blooming plant come to grace our gardens with the thousands of forms available today? With more than 200 million roses produced just for Americans on Valentine’s Day, we’ll explore the humble beginnings of this multi-billion-dollar industry.

Wednesday, February 20 at 1:00 PM / Rainier Room

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: The Trials and Tribulations of Plant Hunting

Nurserymen and women, plant enthusiasts, and specialty collectors are searching remote areas of the globe for new plants like never before. Fascinating tales of deep gorges, high mountains, and even bandits often accompany their tales. Plant lovers are well known for their enthusiasm for new additions to their gardens. But is this such a wonderful thing? Many of these modern-day plant hunters may be doing more harm than good. Pitfalls can include escaping cultivation and overpowering the native flora, introducing pests and diseases, and over-collecting in the wild and threatening loss of habitat.

Thursday, February 21 at 1:00 PM / Rainier Room

Mark Meenan

Owner, American Bamboo Company and Bamboo Carpenter

Mark Meenan, owner of the American Bamboo Company, has 14 years of experience as a bamboo carpenter. His specialization is in traditional Japanese bamboo fence making (“take-gaki”). American Bamboo Company was founded in 2012 in Seattle and is the premier bamboo fence builder in the U.S. He currently is Vice President of the American Bamboo Society/WA. Mark discovered the vibrant bamboo community in 2004 when he was hired to produce a website for David Flanagan, former president of the American Bamboo Society. In 2006, Mark and David traveled to the Yucatan to learn about ‘Iron Bamboo.’ In 2009, Mark went to his first World Bamboo Organization, followed by a work trip to Cambodia. Mark returned to the U.S. in 2010 settling in the Seattle. He is very active as a fence producer, local contractor, and advocate for the benefits of bamboo. Mark was recently on the reality TV show “Who Wants To Go To Japan?” For this show, Mark took his first trip to Kyoto, Japan to learn more about his art form of traditional Japanese bamboo fence making. Recently Mark was invited to lead a fencing build in the Seattle Japanese garden at the Arboretum. Visit the American Bamboo booth, #2326 in the Plant Market at this year’s show. American Bamboo Company

Beautiful Bamboo: Planting, Containment, and Removal

Do you want to add beautiful bamboo to your garden, but are afraid to because of what you’ve heard? This seminar is for you! Mark will start with bamboo basics: the roots of the plant, clumping vs spreading; and identification. He will talk about selecting the best bamboo for your installation needs, and work through the main containment techniques: berm vs. trench, sand clean out trench, and plastic barriers. Finally, he’ll share basic techniques for anyone who is stuck with running bamboo.

Wednesday, February 20 at 7:00 PM / Rainier Room

David Mizejewski

Naturalist at National Wildlife Federation and author, Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife

David Mizejewski is a naturalist and television host with the National Wildlife Federation. He holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University and is an expert on restoring wildlife habitat by creating wildlife-friendly gardens. David works to promote the NWF’s Garden for Wildlife program, which encourages people to plant native plants, to garden naturally, and to Certify their yards and gardens as wildlife habitats. He is the author of Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, which won the Publisher’s Marketing Association Benjamin Franklin Award. He has also contributed many articles to Birds and Blooms and Garden How-To magazines and HuffPost.com. David has hosted series on NatGeo WILD and Animal Planet and he regularly appears on the Today Show, Conan O’Brien, CNN, HGTV, The Wendy Williams Show, Weather Channel, Inside Edition and NPR. Originally from New Jersey, David now lives in Washington, DC. He is dedicated to using his knowledge and his enthusiasm to help others understand and protect wildlife. National Wildlife Federation

Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife

One of the joys of gardening is creating a beautiful, natural space that you and the backyard wildlife can enjoy. David loves sharing about creating wildlife-friendly gardens. Discover the four components of habitat – food, water, shelter and places to raise young, how to observe and enjoy wildlife and avoid critter-conflicts, the vital role of native plants in the garden, and tips sustainable gardening practices. Learn how to have your garden recognized as an official “Certified Wildlife Habitat.”

Friday, February 22 at 4:15 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

David Montgomery PhD

Award-winning Geomorphologist and author, Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life

David R. Montgomery is a professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington. Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life (W.W. Norton, 2017) is his most recent book. He is an internationally recognized geologist who studies landscape evolution and the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies. In 2008 he received a MacArthur Fellowship (known popularly as the “Genius Award”). He is the author of four previous popular science trade books, including Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations (University of California Press, 2007), three of which won the Washington State Book Award. He has been featured in documentary films (Symphony of the Soil, Dam Nation, Sustainability, and most recently PBS’ Making North America). David received a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Stanford University and a PhD from the UC Berkeley in Geomorphology. David is working on a new book with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé, about the link between soil health and human health and why it matters how we grow our food. Dig 2 Grow

Growing a Revolution: Garden the Planet Through Bringing Soil Back to Life

The overarching idea of regenerative agriculture is to adopt practices that leave the land better off, not worse off. “Soil health” sums up the chief goal of this new kind of agriculture. The gardening world has an opportunity to adapt the practices of this new type of farming for home gardening, no matter what size the garden. Discover how, with healthy soil, gardeners can reap beauty and resilience, the way farmers reap yields, all through greatly reducing, or eliminating, chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Thursday, February 21 at 5:45 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Sharrai Morgan-Faulkner AIFD

Floral designer and owner, Holly’s Fine Flowers

Sharrai Morgan-Faulkner, AIFD, is the proud owner of the 35-year established business of Holly’s Fine Flowers located in Port Townsend, WA. She is the current president of the NW Chapter of the AIFD and past president of the Educational Unit of WA State Teleflora members. Sharrai has worked in the floral industry for 18 years and has owned her flower shop for the past 10 years. She has a degree in retail floral marketing management and design. Sharrai has exhibited, taught, and designed floral pieces in such events as the Pasadena Rose Parade Fiesta Float Flower design team, the Tacoma Art Museum Art In Bloom Exhibition, the Portland Chinese Lan Su Gardens 9^th Moon festival showcase, the main stage for AIFD National Symposium, the SAF Sylvia Cup Design competition and convention, DWF Wholesale, AIFD Weddings that Wow, the Seattle Wedding show, and the NWFGF. Her work has been featured in Florists Review online, Design In Line Digital Magazine, and Seattle Met, Bride and Groom, and West Sound Home and Garden. She has been selected as the #1 best florist of the Olympic peninsula for 8 times. Holly's Fine Flowers

Botanical Therapy: Evoking Emotions Through Flowers

Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain colors or flowers; why they stir different passions at different times? Florist Sharrai Morgan, AIFD, will discuss the scientific research, evidence, and case studies that prove why we are attracted to flowers, demonstrating the varying floral design textures, color harmonies, sensory aspects, and style themes that evoke our thoughts, emotions and feelings on a daily basis and why. She will also share techniques on how to care for and design with cut flowers.

Wednesday, February 20 at 10:00 AM / DIY Stage

Ciscoe Morris

Radio, TV host, columnist & author, Ask Ciscoe

Ciscoe Morris began his gardening career at age ten, when he harassed a priest at a neighborhood church into hiring him as a lawn boy. For 24 years he directed the gardening and landscaping at Seattle University. During his tenure, the University won several prestigious environmental awards including the EPA’s highest national environmental award. The program he developed led Seattle University to be the only University campus in Washington designated as a wildlife sanctuary. In 2001 he was awarded the King County ‘Earth Hero Award.’ Ciscoe has been a longtime WSU Master Gardener, an ISA Certified Arborist and a WSNLA Horticulturist. He has a distinguished media career. ‘Gardening with Ciscoe’ is on KIRO Radio 97.3 every Saturday from 11am – 1 pm. Ciscoe also writes a weekly column in the Seattle Times, and his book, Ask Ciscoe— Oh La La! Your Gardening Questions Answered (Sasquatch, 2006) is a national bestseller. Ciscoe’s home garden has been featured in local and national publications. Despite giving close to 100 garden talks a year, Ciscoe regularly leads garden tours to countries all over the world. Ciscoe Morris

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, garden celebrities Ciscoe Morris and Richie Steffen are up for a “Grudge Match.” Will Richie finally best Ciscoe? What wild things will Ciscoe be doing on stage to stump Richie? They will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Friday, Feb 22 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Garden Jeopardy Game Show

ANSWER: An outrageously fun time! QUESTION: What is “Garden Jeopardy?” Jeopardy fans rejoice! Ciscoe Morris is taking your favorite game show to a whole new level with “Garden Jeopardy,” live and only on the NWFGF seminar stage! He’ll be challenging 2 teams, each with 3 avid gardeners, to answer garden-related questions in the usual Jeopardy format: He’ll provide the answer, and the contestants provide the question. So be prepared for Ciscoe’s usual hijinks as he tries to stump his contestants, and learn about gardening at the same time!

Friday, February 22 at 4:30 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Elizabeth Murphy

Soil scientist and author, Building Soil: A Down-to-Earth Approach

Elizabeth Murphy is a gardener, soil scientist, and author of Building Soil: A Down-to-Earth Approach (Cool Springs Press, 2015). Her passion for growing food led to a master's degree in soil science from University of California, Davis, where she researched the fundamentals of soil organic matter. She has worked on farms, with urban gardens, in environmental restoration, and as a faculty instructor for Oregon State University Extension. With decades of hands-on practical experience and the latest research in soil health to back her up, she shares the truth that to grow more, we need to do less. She has shared the message of living soil with audiences across the country, including appearances on King 5’s “New Day Northwest,” WHYY’s “You Bet Your Garden,” and PRI’s “Science Friday.” She continues to experiment and grow with gardens, classes, and consultations in Tacoma, Washington. Dirt Secrets

GARDEN 101: The New Science on Soil Health - Whole Soil Fertility: Soil Nutrition Demystified

Wednesday, February 20 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Emily Murphy

Designer, expert gardener, school garden educator, and author, Grow What You Love and blogger, PassthePistil.com

Emily Murphy is an author of the best-selling book, Grow What You Love (Firefly Books, 2018), organic gardener, photographer, and cook. She studied ethnobotany, environmental science, and garden design, and pursues a plant-driven life fueled by inspiration from the simple act of growing. Emily is the creator of the celebrated blog PassThePistil.com, the founder of a community gleaning project called Community Squeeze, and dedicated the last 10+ years to garden education, and teaching and running school gardens. Emily’s work has appeared nationally and internationally in publications and other media such as “The Today Show”, Reader’s Digest Canada, Pacific Horticulture Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Mother Earth News, The North Coast Journal, The Morning Show—Global News Toronto, The Marilyn Denis Show, and Better Homes & Gardens. Pass the Pistil

Grow What You Love: Grow a Food Garden That’s Right for You

When you take time to grow what you love, wonderful things happen. But where to begin and what to plant? Emily Murphy shows how to select, grow, and harvest the right plants for you, starting with 12 sets of seasonal ingredients that are both the gardener’s and chef’s choice along with inspiration from garden-to-table recipes.

Friday, February 22 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Edible Flowers and Companion Plants for Pacific Northwest Gardens

What’s not to love about flowers? They elevate mood, inspire creativity, and many are edible and make fabulous companion plants. Emily highlights the leading companion plants and edible flowers for Pacific Northwest kitchen gardens, outlining best practices for planting design, interplanting, growing, and utilizing these wonderful garden blooms. Invite a host of pollinators, protect your garden naturally, and enjoy flowers throughout the seasons while feasting from the garden.

Saturday, February 23 at 10:30 AM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Melinda Myers

Award-winning author of 20 books, radio/TV host and nationally recognized garden expert

Nationally recognized gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has written over 20 books including Small Space Gardening (Quayside Publishing). She has over 35 years of horticulture experience, a master’s degree in horticulture and was a Horticulture instructor with tenure. Melinda is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and writes a nationally-syndicated gardening column. Melinda is the host of “The Great Courses: How to Grow Anything,” DVD series and the “Melinda’s Garden Moment” TV and radio program, now in its 13^th season airing on over 115 stations. She hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio show for over 20 years, seven seasons of “Great Lakes Gardener” on PBS, and the nationally-syndicated "Yardworks” television program. Melinda has received recognition and numerous awards, including the prestigious AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award. In 2017, Myers was inducted into the Hall of Fame of GWA, their highest honor. Melinda Myers

GARDEN 101: Houseplants—The New Gardening Obsession - Tips for Indoor Gardening Success

Saturday, February 23 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning garden communicators Melina Myers and Denise Schreiber will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Sunday, Feb 24 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

From One to Many: Propagating Heirloom Houseplants

Do you want more houseplants but can’t stretch your budget? It’s free and easy to get more plants when you learn how to expand your plant collection or pass along family heirlooms from a leaf, stem, layer or division. You can take leaf and stem cuttings from ivies, inch plants and many more, or start new plants from just a leaf of an African Violet, snake plant or jade plant! Learn how to divide overgrown peace lilies, ferns, or asparagus ferns into several new plants.

Sunday, Feb 24 at 3:15 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Charlie Nardozzi

Radio, TV host and author, Gardening Complete, Foodscaping and Urban Gardening for Dummies

Charlie Nardozzi is a nationally recognized garden writer, speaker, radio, and television personality. He has worked for more than 25 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners. He has spoken at national venues such as the NWFGF, the Philadelphia Flower Show and Master Gardener conferences. He has a Master’s in Education and Bachelors in Horticulture. Charlie co-hosts “In the Garden” tips on the local CBS affiliate television station (WCAX-Channel 3), a weekly, call-in radio show on WJOY 1230AM and the Vermont Garden Journal on Vermont Public Radio. He has written for national magazines such as Organic Gardening and contributed to many of the Gardening for Dummies titles. He is also the author of Urban Gardening for Dummies (Wiley Books, 2013) and Vegetable Gardening for Dummies (IDG Books, 2009) along with Foodscaping, (Cool Springs Press, 2015). Charlie is co-author of the new book, Gardening Complete: How to Best Grow Vegetables, Flowers and Other Outdoor Plants, (Cool Spring Press, 2018). He’s the former host of PBS’s “Garden Smart” and been a gardening expert on HGTV’s “Today at Home,” Discovery Channel’s “Home Matters,” Sirius Radio’s “Martha Stewart Living” and “Garden Life” Radio. Charlie Nardozzi’s appearance sponsored by Gardeners Supply Company and Velcro USA. Gardening with Charlie

Edibles in Containers: Beyond Lettuce and Herbs

The first step for new gardeners growing edibles in containers usually starts with herbs, greens and tomatoes. As container gardeners get more experienced and adventurous, many turn to growing unusual vegetables, berries and fruit trees. In the mild Northwest winter climate, these plants can thrive with less care than when grown in colder climates. But they aren't without their challenges. In this talk I'll discuss growing large vegetables, berries and even fruit trees in containers. Sponsored by Gardeners Supply Company & Velcro USA.

Friday, February 22 at 1:45 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning garden communicators Charlie Nardozzi and Sean James will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Saturday, Feb 23 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Grow and Protect Your Prized Container Garden

As more gardeners grow flowers, edibles and even perennials in containers, we've become more invested in their success. Unlike in a large garden where losing a few plants isn't a disaster, there's a smaller margin for error when growing in a small raised bed or container. Charlie will show you how to grow your container plants successfully, use fertilizer appropriately, extend the flowering and harvest season, and protect them from pests and the elements. Sponsored by Gardeners Supply Company & Velcro USA.

Saturday, February 23 at 3:15 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Donald Olson

Author, Pacific Northwest Garden Tour and California Garden Tour

Donald Olson is a playwright, novelist and travel writer. His bestselling guide, The Pacific Northwest Garden Tour—The 60 Best Gardens to Visit in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia (Timber Press, 2014) was named by Library Journal as one of the best reference guides of 2014. His new book, The California Garden Tour—The 50 Best Gardens to Visit in the Golden State, was published by Timber Press in 2017. Donald also took most of the photographs for both of these popular guides. His travel stories have appeared in the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Books, and many other national publications. Over the years, Donald has written more than thirty guidebooks to European and U.S. destinations, including two current bestsellers, Seattle Day by Day and Portland Day by Day. He is the author of seven published novels and his plays have been seen in Europe and the U.S. Donald is a popular speaker at garden clubs and garden-related events. He lives, writes and gardens in Manhattan and Portland, Oregon. Donald Olson

Garden Goddesses: Four California Women and their Legendary Gardens

Celebrate the achievements of great women gardeners! Donald Olson takes you on an entertaining tour of spectacular California gardens and introduces you to the remarkable women who created them. You’ll meet Kate Sessions, the “Mother of Balboa Park,”; Florence Yoch, California’s first female landscape architect and designer of the garden sets for Tara in “Gone With the Wind”; Virginia Robinson, creator of the first garden estate in Beverly Hills; and Ganna Walska, a flamboyant opera singer who used her wealth to create Lotusland in Montecito.

Wednesday, February 20 at 5:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Mary Peterson

Award-winning outdoor lighting designer, NW Outdoor Lighting

Mary Peterson is a professional outdoor lighting designer with 10+ years of experience from which she draws to create and install a personalized look inspired by the customer’s dreams and desires. Her goal: to provide each customer an individually unique, high functioning, properly designed and installed outdoor lighting landscape which provides great illumination year-round. Her method: thorough consultation, creative and unique design, professional installation, and second-to-none customer service. Mary’s recent lighting projections won the 2014 Grand Award from the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals and the 2016 Award of Distinction, also from WALP. An avid reader, a born traveler, and inquisitive by nature, Mary is constantly educating herself for the benefit of her clients. When not working for her clients, she’s on her farm surrounded by chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats and a huge spread of fruit and vegetables – evidence that everything she puts her hands to, grows in beauty. A mother to 4 wonderful children and 8 grandchildren, she considers herself blessed. NW Outdoor Lighting

See the Light: Understanding Outdoor Lighting

If you’re thinking about enhancing your garden with outdoor lighting, this is for you! Knowing some principles of lighting will help you make the best decisions designing your lighting. For example, what is Kelvin temperature, what are Lumens, and should the whole lighting system be the same or have varying lumen intensity? What are the best options for your landscape? What is the difference between retrofit fixtures and integrated fixtures and why choose either? Discover the answers to these questions and more!

Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 PM / Rainier Room

Christina Pfeiffer

Horticulturist, arborist and co-author, Pacific Northwest Gardening Month-by-Month

Educated in landscape horticulture at Michigan State University and the University of Washington, Christina has enjoyed a career working in public gardens, horticulture education, and consulting that spans over 35 years. She has taught courses in pruning, arboriculture, and landscape management at local colleges, and for a variety of public and professional seminar programs. In addition to her work as a garden writer and educator, she is a consulting associate with Urban Forestry Services, Inc. Earlier in her career, Christina led landscape management efforts for the Holden Arboretum and Washington Park Arboretum. Her book, Pacific Northwest Gardening Month by Month (Cool Springs Press, 2017), co-authored with Mary Robson, provides practical information on essential horticultural practices that are the key to success. Sustainable and practical techniques for greater results with less effort are the foundation of the approach. In this way, the process of gardening becomes less of a battle and more of a pleasing journey. Christina Pfeiffer

GARDEN 101: The New Science on Soil Health - Why Mulch Matters

Flowering Shrubs: Pruning to Maximize Bloom and Beauty

Shrubs never grow naturally in shape of a box, so why do you see so many of them? Learning how to prune shrubs is vital for a beautiful, natural landscape - and shrub health. Christina will demonstrate the timing and techniques for pruning different types of flowering shrubs for optimal blooms and year-round appearance. Learn how to prune to manage size and how to rejuvenate shrubs that are blooming poorly. The value of your home's landscape improves with well-pruned plants!

Thursday, Feb 21 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Wednesday, February 20 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Stephanie Rose

Award-winning author, Garden Made and blogger, GardenTherapy.ca

Stephanie Rose is an award-winning author and the creator of the hugely popular blog, GardenTherapy.ca. Garden Therapy started as a personal blog and has bloomed into a community of craft and garden projects those looking to live a better life through plants. Stephanie’s creative take on both crafting and garden making has been featured in many publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, HGTV, Romantic Homes, Country Woman, All You, and Women’s Day. Stephanie has written several books including Make and Give: Home Apothecary (Leisure Arts, 2018), The Natural Beauty Recipe Book (Rose Garden Press, 2016), and Garden Made: A Year of Seasonal Projects to Beautify Your Garden and Your Life (Roost Books, 2015), which was a Gold Medal Winner from the 2016 Independent Publishers Book Awards (the “IPPYs”). In 2018, Stephanie launched the Garden Therapy Seed Collection with GardenTrends, a line of eight exclusive seed starting kits to create your DIY dream garden. Stephanie spends her time as a gardener, writer, and artist in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Garden Therapy

GARDEN 101: Heavenly Herbs - Growing Natural Beauty in the Apothecaries’ Garden

Thursday, February 21 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Plant-Based Beauty Recipes from the Garden

Stephanie will demonstrate homegrown recipes for making plant-based beauty products including lavender bath melts, calendula lotion bars, herbal bath salts, natural botanical perfume, and more. Stephanie will show you two methods for making plant-based beauty products and some of the best botanicals to use on your body. After all, what goes on your body is just as important as what goes in it!

Friday, February 22 at 11:45 AM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Patrick Ryan

Garden writer, radio host and education specialist, Alaska Botanical Garden

Patrick Ryan is a garden writer, a radio talk show host, an Alaska Master Gardener, and the Education Specialist for the Alaska Botanical Garden, where he has worked for 20 years. Patrick trained as a Junior Master Specialist at Texas A&M and started a Summer camp in Anchorage in 2004. A retired elementary school teacher, Patrick is a regular contributor to the Alaska Botanical Garden newsletter and his articles have also been featured in the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Home magazine. He has presented his engaging and practical horticultural talks around the country. He has offered his expertise to gardeners, to those who teach gardeners, and most important—to the children who will be gardeners in the future. Patrick has been a consultant for Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom for the past five years, and has been a member of the GWA since 2009. In 2018 Patrick was honored with the Alaska Conservation Foundation’s Jerry S. Dixon Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. Alaska Botanical Garden

Set in Stone: A DIY Hypertufa Demonstration

Hypertufa containers are the perfect homes for alpines, succulents, dwarf hostas, dwarf conifers, and more. Perhaps you’ve admired these beautiful troughs in other gardens but thought they’d be too hard to make. Patrick Ryan will show you the techniques and easy skills needed to construct long-lasting, weatherproof, hypertufa containers. You’ll leave with the confidence to build an artistic, yet inexpensive, container to display your own garden treasures for your friends to admire.

Thursday, February 21 at 5:00 PM / DIY Stage

Denise Schreiber

Award-winning garden writer and author, Eat Your Roses

Denise Schreiber has over 25 years’ experience in professional horticulture, ranging from interior plantscaping to greenhouse production to public horticulture. She is the author of Eat Your Roses, Pansies, Lavender and 49 other Delicious Flowers (St. Lynn’s Press, 2011) and serves as the “Ask the Expert” for Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine, winning a Silver Award from the Garden Writer’s Association for her column. Denise is also “Mrs. Know It All” of “The Organic Gardeners” radio show on KDKA radio 1020 AM, and writes garden columns for North Hills Monthly and South Park News Monthly magazines. Additionally, Denise is an ISA certified arborist and an All America Selections Trial Judge. She has also served as both a National Director and a Regional Director of the GWA, and is the founder of the Edible Flower Food Fest. Edible Flowers

How to Have Fragrant Flowers Almost Year-round

There isn’t a season where you can’t have fragrant flowers blooming either in the garden or in the home. From Paperwhites (love ‘em or hate ‘em), to Witch hazels, Mock Orange, Lavender, Roses, Lilies, Sweetbox and more, you can always have fragrance in your garden and home. This talk will give the audience a whole new outlook on fragrant plants for their gardens and in the home as well.

Saturday, February 23 at 4:15 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning garden communicators Melina Myers and Denise Schreiber will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Sunday, Feb 24 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

GARDEN 101: Focus on Flowers - What’s for Dinner? Edible Flowers!

Sunday, February 24 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Becky Sell

Sedum expert and nursery owner, Sedum Chicks, Salem, Oregon

Becky Sell is the owner and operator of Sedum Chicks, LLC in Salem, OR, a family-owned nursery specializing in outdoor hardy succulents for the Pacific Northwest. Starting 18 years ago this hobby nursery grew limited varieties of hardy succulents and specialized in handmade hypertufa planters. Over the years Sedum Chicks has become a family run nursery carrying over 85 varieties of hardy succulents & specializing in the art of repurposing unique finds to showcase the plants. In 2017 and 2018 the Sedum Chicks exhibit at the NWFGF won “Outstanding Visual Award;” in 2015 Sedum Chicks booth took 2^nd place for the Metropolitan Productions award, at the YGP show in Portland, and in 2009 she took 1^st place from the ONA for Best Booth Space. She has also won two awards at Sorticulture in Everett, including 1^st place (2014) and 2^nd place (2013). Becky has appeared on “In the Garden with Make Darcy” on KEX radio, and on “Garden Time on KPTV, as well as in the Portland Oregonian, the Salem Statesman Journal and the Registered Guard in Eugene, OR. Visit Sedum Chicks, booth #2250 in the Plant Market, at this year’s show. Sedum Chicks

Accent Your Décor with a Beautiful Succulent Centerpiece

Hardy succulents are ideal home décor, whether as a wreath, swag or container garden. So why not invite succulents to the dining table by creating a beautiful succulent centerpiece? Decorating your table has never been this fun! In this entertaining DIY demo you’ll discover several wacky and creative ways to show off your colorful succulents. Becky will show how you can take simple hardy succulents and create a table centerpiece that can be enjoyed all season long.

Friday, February 22 at 1:30 PM / DIY Stage

Jacqueline Soule PhD

Botanist, award-winning garden writer, speaker and co-author, Gardening Complete

Dr. Jacqueline Soule is a popular public speaker, presenting plant-related classes, demonstrations, and workshops since her undergraduate years and in her professional perambulations around the globe. Jacqueline is a trained botanist, award-winning garden writer, long-time local print columnist, blogger, and author of ten volumes on gardening. Most of her books focus on growing and using plants in the Southwest, with USDA Zones ranging from 4 to 10. Her book Father Kino's Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today (Tierra del Sol, 2011) was selected as an Arizona “Notable Book” in 2012. Southwest Fruit and Vegetable Gardening (Cool Springs Press, 2014) is currently in its 4th printing. Jacqueline is one of the co-authors of Gardening Complete (Cool Springs Press, 2018), and her latest book, Southwest Butterfly Gardening, is due to be released in fall 2018. Dr. Soule has a B.S. in Horticulture and a B.S. in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona both with Honors and Cum Laude, a M.S. in Botany from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Texas. Gardening with Soule

Create Delicious, Versatile Herbal Salts from Your Garden

Herbal salts can be used for so many things—grilling, soaking, scrubbing, preparing exotic cocktails, and more. Charming gifts of herbal salts can be customized for occasions such as birthdays, or even weddings. Jacqueline will demonstrate how to make a selection of herbal salts, discuss the best plants and materials for the project, and show some of the ways herbal salts can be used. The herbs she features can be easily grown in your own garden!

Wednesday, February 20 at 5:00 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

GARDEN 101: Heavenly Herbs - Herculean Herbs

Thursday, February 21 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Nicholas J. Staddon

Horticultural Consultant, former Director of New Plants for Monrovia Growers

Unabashed plant geek Nicholas Staddon served as the Director of New Plants and national spokesperson for Monrovia Growers for over 27 years. Working with professional plant breeders, hybridizers, and explorers, he scoured the globe for new discoveries in the plant world. Currently he is a Horticultural Consultant working with nursery growers and their new plant and marketing programs. Born in England, Nicholas attended Otley Agricultural College, dividing his time between farm and school and receiving his accreditations in Agricultural Sciences. Nicholas is proud to be professionally affiliated with the RHS, the California Association of Nurserymen, and AmericanHort. He serves on the Board of Advisors of The Mediterranean Garden Society Southern California, and Mount San Antonio Community College, Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences and Cal-HIP, California Horticultural Invasives Prevention. Nicholas Staddon

Shop with a Pro: Nick’s Plant Picks Part 2 on Conifers, Woody Shrubs and Trees

In 2017 we let Nicholas Staddon roam the Garden Festival in search of his best plant picks available at the show. His discoveries were stunning and delighted audiences with his unusual must-have recommendations. By popular demand, he’s back! Join Nicholas for an insider look at plants you simply must take home with you, from bulbs, veggies, perennials, conifers, woody ornamentals and more. Nicholas has done the leg work, so you don’t have to!

Wednesday, February 20 at 11:45 AM / DIY Stage

Shop with a Pro: Nick’s Plant Picks Part 2 on Conifers, Woody Shrubs and Trees

Friday, February 22 at 10:00 AM / DIY Stage

Eileen Stark

Landscape designer, Second Nature Garden Design and author, Real Gardens Grow Natives

Eileen M. Stark is a Portland-based ecological landscape designer, consultant, writer and photographer whose academic background includes biology, wildlife ecology, and landscape design. She is a deeply committed conservationist who strives to create awareness of the myriad creatures with which we share this fragile planet. Her book, Real Gardens Grow Natives: Design, Plant, and Enjoy a Healthy Northwest Garden (Skipstone Press, 2014) has received rave reviews and helps guide Pacific Northwest gardeners in designing for both beauty and biodiversity. Check out her blog! Her design company, Second Nature Garden Design, applies permaculture, habitat preservation, and restoration ecology principles. Real Gardens Grow Natives

Native by Design: Reimagine Beauty with More Habitat, Less Lawn

In the face of disappearing biodiversity, gardeners can play a crucial role in slowing the rate of extinction. Leave traditional plants behind to create a place that is vibrant, supportive, and rewarding. Learn how to garden with an ecological focus by utilizing the basic design principles of native gardening, by choosing and arranging plants in their natural associations and according to site conditions, and by maintaining with wildlife-friendly techniques. Discover, through stunning photographs, some of the wildlife—from little-known pollinators to beautiful birds—that native designs support.

Sunday, February 24 at 1:45 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Richie Steffen

Director/Curator, Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden and co-author, Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns

Few people have a passion for plants or an excitement about gardening more than Richie Steffen. Richie is the director/curator for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. Using over 30 years of experience in the horticultural field, with 17 years at the Miller Garden, he maintains the classic NW aesthetics while celebrating the tradition of Elisabeth Miller by discovering, displaying, evaluating, and disseminating information about plants suitable for the Pacific NW. Richie supervises the educational program of the Miller Garden: Great Plant Picks. GPP is committed to building a comprehensive palette of outstanding and reliable plants for maritime Pacific Northwest gardens and has become the go to website for the best information about plants for our region. Richie is currently past president of NHS and president of the Hardy Fern Foundation. Richie also co-authored the Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns (Timber Press, 2015). Visit Great Plant Picks, booth #2164 in the North Hall, at this year’s show and pick up your gorgeous new GPP poster! Great Plant Picks

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, garden celebrities Ciscoe Morris and Richie Steffen are up for a “Grudge Match.” Will Richie finally best Ciscoe? What wild things will Ciscoe be doing on stage to stump Richie? They will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Friday, Feb 22 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Great Plant Picks: 25 Plants to Create a Gorgeous Year-Round Garden

Gardening is not a one season affair. Learn about great easy to grow and reliable performing plants that will transform your garden into a year-round event. This seminar presents some of the best trees, shrubs and perennials selected by the regional plant education program Great Plant Picks for fall color, winter berries and bark, spring flowers and summer bloom and foliage. Dozens of horticulturists, designers and nurserymen have taken the guesswork out of choosing the best plants for Northwest Gardens!

Friday, February 22 at 5:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Lisa Eldred Steinkopf

The Houseplant Guru and author, The Complete Guide for Indoor Plants

Lisa Steinkopf has been gardening since she was a child, but while Lisa loves outdoor gardening, her true passion lies indoors, with houseplants. She has hundreds of them, many over 30 years old! Lisa attended Ferris State University for an Ornamental Horticulture Technician degree and is a Certified Indoor Landscape Technician, a Certified Green Industry Professional, a Michigan Certified Nurseryman, and a member of the GWA. Lisa is the author of Houseplants, The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing and Caring for Indoor Plants (Cool Springs Press, 2017) and has a second book, Grow In The Dark, to be released by Cool Springs Press in May 2019. She has regular columns in Michigan Gardener, Michigan Gardening, and has written for HGTVgardens.com, Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association magazine, Dig It, Green Matters and Gardening Know How and Real Simple. Lisa has been on many podcasts and radio programs including the Mike Nowak show in Chicago. Her home and houseplants were featured in the Detroit News and was featured on “Points of Horticulture” for the Grosse Pointe area. Houseplant Guru

GARDEN 101: Houseplants—The New Gardening Obsession - Houseplant Success: The Facts of Light

Saturday, February 23 at 2:15 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Cultivating Your Green Thumb Indoors with Houseplants

This seminar covers every aspect of growing houseplants. Take-home ideas will include tricks to improve the light you have, the correct potting medium to use and the best container to choose for the plant. Re-potting, up-potting and watering the correct way will also be covered. Want more plants? Propagation will be covered, as well. This seminar is for the beginner as well as the seasoned houseplant grower.

Sunday, February 24 at 11:15 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Nan Sterman

Designer, journalist, co-producer and host, “A Growing Passion” TV and author, Hot Color, Dry Garden

Nan Sterman is a garden expert, designer, author, botanist, and an award-winning journalist, dedicated to the transformation of planted landscapes from overly thirsty and resource intensive to climate appropriate and sustainable. Nan hosts and co-produces the Emmy award winning public TV show, “A Growing Passion.” Her most recent book is Hot Color, Dry Garden (Timber Press, 2018). She trained at the Integral Urban House, a demonstration retrofit home in Berkeley, California. Nan parlayed her early experiences in sustainability to address modern day issues. Nan holds a botany degree, a Master’s in biology, and a Master’s in instructional design. Before delving into the professional gardening world, Nan created curricula, training programs, and educational materials for Fortune 500 companies, zoos, aquaria, and not-for-profit organizations. Nan’s articles have appeared in regional, national and international publications, and she leads annual international garden tours as well. Waterwise Gardener

From Sustainability To Stewardship: New Insights from Renowned English Gardens

New garden trends still originate in old England! World-renowned private and public gardens are refocusing on stewardship, far beyond sustainability. They integrate wildflowers and grasses into formal gardens to acknowledge that attracting beneficials is as important as beauty. Habitat borders alongside edible gardens attract pollinators to ensure fruit production. Traditional perennial borders provide beauty for visitors’ enjoyment as well as wildlife habitat. Using resources wisely while maintaining the beauty and legacy of English gardening demonstrate stewardship beyond sustainability with lessons for us all.

Wednesday, February 20 at 12:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Hot Color, Dry Garden: Color Filled Earth-friendly Gardens

Color is a favorite part of gardening. Red, purple, orange, green, blue... we want them all! As we weed out too-thirsty plants from our gardens, gardeners worry about losing color. Can a drought-tolerant garden be colorful and beautiful? This seminar demonstrates ways to create color-filled gardens that need little, if any irrigation, along with the best plants for the task. Nan’s colorful images illustrate those plants and how beautiful they look in any garden.

Thursday, February 21 at 1:45 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Rebecca Sweet

Designer, Harmony in the Garden and author, Refresh Your Garden Design and co-author, Garden Up!

Rebecca Sweet is a garden designer with her design firm Harmony In The Garden, located in Northern California. Her gardens have been featured in Sunset, Fine Gardening, Horticulture and Women’s Day as well as featured on the critically acclaimed PBS series “Growing a Greener World TV”. In addition, she has been a radio guest on “GardenLife” and Martha Stewart Living. Rebecca is also the author of the best-selling Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture & Form, co-author of Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces and she regularly shares garden design strategies in her popular blog Gossip in the Garden. Harmony in the Garden

Container Wars

Wednesday, Feb 20 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

Don’t Snub the Shrub!

It’s time to embrace the ‘shrub phase of your life’! Often called the ‘Cinderellas of the landscape,’ shrubs are some of the hardest working, yet often overlooked superstars in the garden. Let landscape designer Rebecca Sweet inspire you with innovative ways to use evergreen and deciduous shrubs to transform a ho-hum garden into an eye-popping, year-round masterpiece. Discover amazing new varieties that will provide long-lasting color, texture, flowers, and form all while being low-maintenance!

Wednesday, February 20 at 1:45 PM / Hood Room

Savvy Side Yard Solutions

Ready to tackle that ignored and unsightly side yard, filled with everyday clutter? Let landscape designer Rebecca Sweet inspire you with six unique and breathtaking side yards, combining before and after photos with detailed information. Rebecca shares her secrets to successful garden design in ways that are motivating, informative, and easy to put into practice. No matter your style, you’re sure to leave excited to transform this final frontier of your garden.

Thursday, February 21 at 4:15 PM / Hood Room

Bill Thorness

Author, Cool Season Gardener and Edible Heirlooms

Bill Thorness is a writer, editor and gardener who’s been working and gardening in Seattle since the mid-1980s. He is the author of two gardening books: Cool Season Gardener: Extend the Harvest, Plan Ahead, and Grow Vegetables Year Round (Skipstone, 2013) and Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden (Skipstone, 2009). Bill writes for many regional publications, including The Seattle Times, Edible Seattle and PCC Sound Consumer. He has also written two bicycling guidebooks: Biking Puget Sound, now in its 2nd edition, and Cycling the Pacific Coast, which was released in 2017 from Mountaineers Books. Bill is a Master Gardener in King County, and active in many regional garden organizations. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Northwest Independent Editors Guild and Pacific Northwest Writers Association. He is a frequent speaker on edibles at regional nurseries, garden clubs and garden shows. Cool Season Gardener

Make a Date with Your Veggie Garden: Matching Your Crops to Your Lifestyle

How much time do you really have for vegetable gardening? Plan to fit in gardening to enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of your labor, no matter your lifestyle. This is a talk for the calendar-challenged gardener (which is all of us). Whether you are a thrice-a-week gardener, just have Saturday afternoons available, or will visit the garden only once a month between business trips, you can still entice produce to spring from the soil.

Friday, February 22 at 7:00 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Gina Thresher AIFD, CFD

Owner and designer, From the Ground Up Floral

Gina Thresher, AIFD, CFD, owns and operates From Ground Up Floral in Kent, WA. She is a floral designer specializing in many design styles with a broad range of floristry education. Nationally accredited through the AIFD, she is currently the social media manager for the NW Chapter of AIFD. Gina was recently published in Florist’s Review as “Top 35 Designers under 35.” She is a proud member of the prestigious Chapel Designers, a group of wedding and event specialists, and is studying for her European Master Certificate in floral design. Gina has been published in print and in numerous wedding and design blogs. She recently launched “From the Ground Up” podcast geared towards floral creativity and design. Gina was a selected designer at the Ninth Moon Festival in Oregon. She is also a co-chair of the “Blooms Over” project which distributes hundreds of arrangements and designs to nursing homes, hospitals and shelters. From the Ground Up

Using Flowers as Art the European Way

Gina Thresher’s recent focus and certification of European Floral Master gets her excited to share a few inspired pieces and designs for your home that can be a starting point for your creativity and DIY interpretation. Discover how to create floral arrangements and learn the techniques that will bring out your creativity. Think of using flowers as art, and even in everyday mundane materials can provide a gorgeous completed statement piece.

Thursday, February 21 at 10:00 AM / DIY Stage

Laura Watson

Master Gardener, Master Pruner, ‘Clemaniac’ and blogger, ClematisinSeattle.com

Laura Watson enjoys sharing her ever-increasing knowledge of clematis and other vines with others. She has grown vines for many years to grace the vertical spaces in two separate gardens, one in Boston and the other in Seattle. Laura is a member of several clematis societies and regularly attends International Clematis Society Conferences in Europe and the U.S. Her articles have been published in the Journal of the International Clematis Society and locally in the PlantAmnesty Newsletter. Laura writes an informative blog entitled Clematis in Seattle. She has also a King County Master Gardener and a PlantAmnesty Master Pruner. Though currently retired, Laura has a long-standing relationship with PlantAmnesty, including a seven-year stint as General Manager and four years serving on the Board of Directors. More recently, she started teaching Vine Pruning for the PlantAmnesty Master Pruner Series. In 2016, Laura was honored to receive the Founder’s Award for outstanding service to PlantAmnesty from Cass Turnbull; then in 2017, she received the Special Award for outstanding service to PlantAmnesty. Clematis in Seattle

Embrace Vertical Gardening! Embellish Your Garden with Vines

Learn how to embellish your garden with the remarkable beauty and diversity of vines. Using great photos and a friendly speaking style, Laura Watson showcases the amazing variety in color, shape, bloom time, and growth habit of vines that do well in the Pacific Northwest—wisteria, clematis, passionflower, and more. Get details about their care, information about pruning, recommendations for easy vines to try. Receive an informative and detailed handout to take home.

Saturday, February 23 at 6:45 PM / Hood Room

Tara Austen Weaver

Author, Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest

Tara Austen Weaver is a writer, editor, and gardener. Her books include Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest, to be released by Sasquatch Books in January, 2019. She is also the author of Orchard House: How a Neglected Garden Taught One Family to Grow (Ballentine, 2015), a finalist for the Washington State Book Awards. Tara's food blog, Tea & Cookies, established in 2006, was selected as one of the top 50 food sites in the world by both the Times of London and The Independent (UK) and has been featured on The Food Network, Saveur, Oprah.com, Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, Reddit, and Bonappetit.com. Tara is trained as a permaculture designer, Master Gardener, master composter/soil builder, and tends a half-acre urban farm and orchard in north Seattle. Tara Weaver

Beyond Jam: New and Exciting Ways to Preserve Fruit

Most canners wind up with more jam than they can eat, but there are other options. Learn how to transform summer tree fruit and berries into a tangy fruit curd to stir into yogurt or top pancakes; a sweet fruit caramel perfect for drizzling over ice cream; or stir up a fruit shrub, a drink that makes a refreshing soda on its own, or a sophisticated addition to a cocktail. Turn your garden produce into tasty treats, which can be either canned or frozen for long-term preservation.

Thursday, February 21 at 3:15 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Getting Started with Growing Fruit

Fruit is a tasty and attractive addition to any garden—from an apartment terrace to a full urban farm. This beginner-level presentation with teach you how to select and place berries and vines so they are part of the landscape, providing both fruit and attractive foliage throughout the year. What vine options are available for those who are short on space? What berries do well in containers? How can you get the most out of a strawberry bed?

Saturday, February 23 at 5:30 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Debbie Wolfe

Author, Do-It-Yourself Garden Projects and Crafts and blogger, The Prudent Garden

Debbie Wolfe is a mom of two rambunctious boys, wife, and work-at-home mom from Georgia. When not writing or crafting, she is in the garden or hidden away reading. She is the author of Do-It-Yourself Garden Projects and Crafts: 60 Planters, Bird Houses, Lotion Bars, Garlands, and More, to be released by Skyhorse Publishing in February, 2019. She is a freelance writer and co-author and photographer behind the garden blog, The Prudent Garden. Debbie is an obsessive crafter, home chef, and gardener. She is also a regular contributor garden and crafting content for HGTV, DIYNetwork, Great American Country and Walmart.com. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Earth Science and Creative Writing. Debbie Wolfe

Foraged Wreaths and Garlands for Year Round Home Décor

Most people only associate wreaths and garlands with the holidays. This demonstration will show you how you can walk into your garden and use seasonal blooms and greenery to make a fabulous wreath or garland—any time of the year. You’ll discover all the beautiful seasonal materials you can use in a wreath or garland, and learn how to hand-craft one that looks better than store-bought.

Wednesday, February 20 at 3:15 PM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Using Fresh Herbs for Arrangements, Wreaths, Garlands, and Décor

Fresh herbs aren’t just for cooking! They are wonderful used in arrangements and crafts. This demo will explore the use of herbs for décor. Herbs are prolific growers and most of the time gardeners have more than they will ever use. Herbs are wonderful to use in arrangements, wreaths, or garlands because they are hearty and have amazing scents! Put them to use in your home as natural aromatherapy.

Thursday, February 21 at 11:45 AM / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow

Christopher Woods

Horticulturist and author, Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens

Chris Woods was born in London, England but has lived in the United States since 1981. He has worked in the garden world as gardener, director and designer for 45 years. He is best-known for his work at Chanticleer, a “pleasure garden” in Wayne, PA, where he worked for 20 years. After Chanticleer, Chris became vice president for horticulture at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. He was director of the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, Canada, and then served as executive director of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. In 2012, he was lured back east by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and appointed director of its private estate and garden, Meadowbrook Farm. Being somewhat restless, Chris decided to stop managing gardens and decided to travel the world looking at both constructed and wild landscapes. He currently lives in California and is the author of Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens (Timber Press, 2018). Urbane Horticulture

Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best Gardens

For three years, Chris Woods traveled the world seeking out contemporary gardens and found fifty of the best. With wit and humor, he describes the most arresting features in public parks in exotic locations like New Delhi and Dubai, mission-redefining botanic gardens in Chile and Australia, and the most enviable details of lavish private estates and gemlike city yards. Throughout, he reveals the fascinating people, plants, and stories that make these gardens so lust-worthy.

Friday, February 22 at 1:00 PM / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Ellen Zachos

Author, The Wildcrafted Cocktail and Growing Healthy Houseplants and co-host, “Plantrama” Podcast

Ellen Zachos is the author of seven books including Backyard Foraging (Storey, 2013), Growing Healthy Houseplants (Storey, 2014) and The Wildcrafted Cocktail (Storey, 2017). She has a regular foraging column in the magazine Edible Santa Fe, and is the co-host of “Plantrama,” a podcast about plants. Ellen is a Harvard graduate and taught at the NYBG for many years, also serving as coordinator of the Gardening Department in Continuing Ed, before moving to Santa Fe, NM. Her website, www.backyardforager.com promotes the safe and delicious use of wild edible plants and mushrooms with plant profiles and recipes, and she also offers on-line courses in foraging. Backyard Forager

Container Wars

Back by popular demand, we’ve lined up leading garden designers and writers to “battle it out” in our highly acclaimed “Container Wars.” Containers can go virtually anywhere—patios, decks and balconies or even in the garden! Drawing from identical plant materials, award-winning “Plantrama” podcast hosts C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos will each be challenged to create three gorgeous containers—all in under an hour! Working against the clock, and with audience questions tossed to them by Master of Ceremonies Marianne Binetti, see how they pull together plants and share their tips for designing luscious container gardens. Learning about plants has never been so fun!

Thursday, Feb 21 at 11:30 am / Designer’s Arena

PLANTRAMA: Eat, Drink, & Be Merry…While Coping with Rabbits & Deer

Join plant geeks C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos as they record a second live, NWFGF version of their popular “Plantrama” podcast. They’ll talk about unusual edibles to cultivate or forage for, inspire you with plant-based cocktails and mocktails, and provide proven strategies for dealing with Thumper and Bambi. Bring your garden questions, and stay for some great product giveaways at the end of the seminar.

Thursday, February 21 at 3:00 PM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

The Secret Edible Garden You Already Have

Would you like to grow a secret edible garden? Don’t worry, you don’t have to build a wall! Just choose plants that no one else knows you can eat. When your garden is full of lavender, roses, sedums, daylilies, dogwoods, hostas, bee balm, and dahlias, people will admire its beauty, never dreaming it’s also full of flavor. Learn which of your favorite ornamental plants are edible, and how you can enjoy their secret, delicious flavors.

Friday, February 22 at 10:00 AM / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

Lisa Mason Ziegler

Owner, The Gardener’s Workshop and author, Cool Flowers and Vegetables Love Flowers

Lisa Mason Ziegler is a leader in the flower farming industry, author, accomplished speaker and the owner of The Gardener’s Workshop. It all began in 1998 when Lisa read The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski and knew she had found her life’s work. In 2011 Lisa self-published The Easy Cut Flower Garden. Her program travels began to spread from Texas to Oregon to New York City and she went on to author two more books: Cool Flowers: How to Grow and Enjoy Long-Blooming Hardy Annual Flowers Using Cool Weather Techniques (St. Lynn’s Press, 2014) and Vegetables Love Flowers: Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty in 2018 (Cool Springs Press, 2018). Lisa has appeared on the local TV program “Real Virginia” and has made radio appearances with Niki Jabbour and C.L. Fornari, as well as podcast interviews on “Slow Flowers,” “Living Homegrown,” “Mother Earth News,” and the “Urban Farm.” The Gardener's Workshop

Vegetables Love Flowers: Increase Garden Health and Production with Flowers

Learn how to have an organic garden where good bugs eat bad bugs, pollinators are abundant and the beautiful bouquet on the table came from your garden! Lisa shares how a small cutting garden in the vegetable patch leads to a healthier and more abundant garden. Learn why to grow flowers, which flowers to grow, how to tend it as a cutting garden, and, most importantly, how to do it all pesticide-free.

Saturday, Feb 23 at 5:45 pm / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

GARDEN 101: Focus on Flowers - Growing Great Spring Flowers

Sunday, Feb 24 at 2:15 pm / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

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