Have you ever wondered how the second largest garden show in the United States happens? Have you thought about how all the vendors, speakers, demonstrations and gardens come together?
When you think about it, it is mindboggling. The 2026 Northwest Flower and Garden Festival, happening Feb. 18-22, 2026, at the Convention Center in Seattle, is shaping up to be among the best ever.
The seminars – and there will be more than 115 of them – “blend stunning visuals showcasing cutting-edge advice from garden designers, horticulturists and authors, as well as practical demonstrations of tools and pruning, creating garden art, tips for successful gardening and plant, and floral arranging from the garden,” stated on the festival’s website. That is a lot of action in just five days, and way too much to catch everything.
Multiple seminars are offered in the same time frames so it pays to check out the schedule beforehand and decide what you really want to attend the most. You will find speakers explaining the most basic gardening techniques, those who blend humor with education to entertain you, as well as technical presentations for advanced and professional garden experts. And they are all included free with your admission to the show.
One thing you can count on is that there is something for everyone.
The display gardens are one of my favorite parts of the whole show. As the event draws closer, I get more and more anxious to see what will be offered this year. I contemplate just standing and gazing for hours at the work that has been done. Truly, I could spend the entire show in the gardens – they capture my attention like no other part of the event.
The person behind the scenes making sure it all comes together is Lloyd Glasscock, and he has been doing it for more than 30 years. He self-describes himself as the “conductor,” likening the show to a train that he must keep moving forward and on the tracks. And as soon as the current show is completely lined out, he will begin working on next year’s show.
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The week before the show operates on a tight schedule, with every detail planned out and executed precisely. It is a whirlwind of activity with no time to waste. The Saturday before the show opens is move-in day. The spaces have been assigned and lined out on the floor, so each designer knows just where they are and how much space they have to work with. On Sunday, the plant materials move to a central location for selection and distribution. We are talking 30,000 flowers and plants that will end up being incorporated throughout the show.
But you cannot just lay plant material here and there and call it a garden now, can you? The foundation for each space must first be laid.
To accomplish that, 200 tons of rock and cobblestone must be laid out as directed. That it is topped off or filled in with 500 yards of sawdust, mulch and fill. Only then can the structures, lighting, shrubs and flowers find their places in the scheme of things. By Monday, the construction is mostly complete, and the green materials have found their places. It makes me tired to just think about it.
Every year the gardens must be equal to or better than the year before. Many designers come back year after year with a few new ones showing their talents in addition to the tried and true. They come to interact face-to-face with potential new customers, showcase their talents and demonstrate how it is done, and to have fun – perhaps the best part of all.
So, invite your friends, buy your tickets, plan your trip and get yourselves to Seattle for a show like no other. It is time to just stop and smell the roses and become immersed in the possibilities. Enjoy.
Everything you need to know about the show can be found at gardenshow.com.
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