As we visit one of the greatest flower and garden shows of our time, we go behind the scenes to see every part of how the show comes together. From bare indoor space, to awe inspiring, full-blown gardens, from award-winning designers, world-renowned speakers, every year gardeners from around the world just can’t get enough of this great show.
This episode originally aired as Episode 205. Read the full show notes for additional information at: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode205/
More Season 2 Episodes – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwY8ORPCFuqrSTbSyCD04rIte6ep-xErD
Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy™ for Joe’s growing library of organic gardening courses -https://organicgardeningacademy.com
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I’m Joe lample when I created Growing a
Greener World I had one goal to tell
stories of Everyday People innovators
entrepreneurs forward-thinking leaders
who are all in ways both big and small
dedicated to organic gardening and
farming lightening our footprint
conserving vital resources prot
protecting natural habitats making a
tangible difference for us all they’re
real they’re passionate they’re all
around us they’re the game changers who
are literally Growing a Greener World
and inspiring the rest of us to do the
same Growing a Greener World it’s more
than a movement it’s our
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mission
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founded in 1989 the Northwest Flower and
Garden Show here in Seattle Washington
has been inspiring gardeners for years
now famous for its incredible display
Gardens that feature the latest and
gardening Trends they also showcase
green outdoor living and sustainability
but more than that it’s a place to bring
all of these people together Under One
Roof to share one common passion and
that’s
gardening for many the display Gardens
are the heart of any Garden Show and
it’s no exception here now these
designers will spend months and even up
to a year creating the Landscapes
they’re going to build that’s right and
when we get to the show we’re going to
see results on the floor that’ll appear
as if by Magic and today we’re going to
take you behind the scenes to show you
how it’s done and trust me on this it
takes a lot of work to make this magic
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happen all right so we just got in from
the east coast to the Pacific Northwest
and it is crazy now all the designers
this is their first opportunity to bring
everything in here from the rocks and
the boulders and the trucks that bring
it all in they’ve only been here a few
hours but it’s amazing the
transformation that’s already taken
place they’ve got less than 3 days to do
it all and these designers are out for
the top prize I mean these are some of
the best people in the business and it
is all business right now
buddy all right it’s so busy around here
these people do not stop I mean I’m
talking probably breakfast lunch and
dinner right here just some snacks but
they’re so energized the adrenaline
keeps them going we’re talking Blank
Slate here earlier today nothing but
concrete floors hours later things are
really taking shape but this is what’s
so cool about this perspective if you’re
at home and you’re thinking I want to do
a total makeover you got the blank slate
well this is where it all comes together
in the show and it’s where it can all
come together at your house right now
it’s just a matter of hardscapes being
stacked up in a couple days an
incredible pair Parise and we’ll bring
you back right here to see the
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change one of the Hallmarks of any top
Flower and Garden Show is the quality of
the designers and that’s certainly no
exception here at the Northwest
flowering Garden Show and we have
Courtney gets now Courtney I’m just kind
of wondering about that with you you
look a little young what kind of
experience are we talking here I’m I’m
I’m an amateur by anybody’s standards
I’m 17 years old she’s the youngest well
she’s tied for the youngest she’s the
youngest female they had a 17-year-old
male before but this is your first
design opportunity right yes the first
all by myself now I can tell that she’s
a great designer and there are a few
Clues to that for example they always
travel light I’m looking over here at
her chair of course you have the
all-important plan of course the
wireless enabled laptop you got to have
a camera and Courtney what’s
this it’s the green Gardener guy I take
it me I’m sorry I just have to bring it
everywhere with me she’s very smart I
vote for you but tell me more about your
garden courney it’s my senior project
for graduation and and it has to be
Community involved and so the basis of
the project is I wanted to have a garden
that was environmentally friendly I
wanted it to be really educational for
people and so I wanted people to come to
this garden and see oh this is something
I can do in my garden this is you know I
want them to be able to take away ideas
so tell me about some of the elements
that you have in your garden well I have
a lot of reusing stuff a lot of like
Architectural Salvage stuff for example
we have gabion they have um black
Nursery pots which are not recyclable by
the way very hard to recycle and we have
plastic bottles and old bricks and just
really old stuff and also you can see a
part of the retaining wall is an old
heat radiator and it’s just so cool and
it’s just really eclectic but you know
we just wanted to make something that
was just really fun and shows people
that you can give something new life and
use it for a different purpose it’s
taking something that had a previous
character and recharacterizing it giving
it you new use New Life So Courtney so
you’re 17 we’ve established that you’re
up against all these professional
designers with all these resources and
money mainly and Big Time sponsors how
are you able to make a big splash as a
high school senior it it’s a challenge I
will not deny that it’s it it was very
hard and there is a stien the show gives
us but that it just covers basic costs
it’s nothing spectacular so really we
just we I try and give as much
sponsorship as I can and I just say this
is my senior project it’s volunteer
purely and if you could just do
something for the community you know and
and that’s what I really wanted and I
did I did get it I did get sponsors out
of that there were some things we did
have to pay for you know and and that’s
just how it is and you know but I I
didn’t want to SA rice the Integrity of
the design just because of money you
know there’s a message there too that
you may have already thought about but
in listening to you respond that way I’m
thinking you know talking about a
transferable opportunity here for people
who probably are in the same situation
as you are with limited financial
resources and yet they too want a
beautiful garden and what you’re doing
is you’re giving them that takeway those
repurpose recharacterized opportunities
through the salvage yard and through
resources like your mom and friends just
as you’re doing to create a beautiful
space every bit as much as anybody else
here right yeah kudos to you for that
thank
you put those together and the other way
around now some of the Gardens at the
show are all about Pomp and Circumstance
and some of them are about the plants
and we got tipped off our Recon told us
that Susan Calhoun is all about the
plants hey Susan Joe hi hi GL to meet
you nice to meet you too now one thing
that we heard in our investigation of
who’s doing what around here is that you
are all about the plants is that right I
am okay so tell me about that because a
lot of people are about the show all the
glitz and the glamour but I think
there’s something in the name of your
company that might give that away tell
us about that right um well plantswoman
is actually a term that’s used in
Britain a lot for somebody with a
passion for plants you call yourself a
plantsman or a plantswoman and uh I
really want to introduce new plants and
all kinds of great things for people to
see that they don’t usually get to see
so so the opportunity for the viewers
that are coming by and looking at your
garden is they’re hopefully taking away
some great opportunities for new plant
ideas that they may not see in other
Gardens is that about right that’s what
I’m looking for yeah well I love the
educational aspect that you’re bringing
to your design so I think that’s
important I think people can get excited
and passionate about plants I think a
lot of The Hardscape is good but you can
see that in magazines a lot and and to
see a new plant and say oh where can I
get that I think that’s great yeah I
agree with that and that’s one of the
things that a lot of people come to see
of course they come for the inspiration
in those big aha designs and they’re
certainly going to have a lot of that
but it’s the things like Susan’s
bringing to the viewer and to the
visitor that really has an impact on
what they can take home and actually
apply to their Gardens good luck with
all of this all right thank you see you
later Susan all right see you
around all right so you want to just get
all the wide shots that you can can
because we’re going to want to come and
see the same perspective in 3 days to
really show the contrast you know what’s
really cool about this I was just
talking to my buddy David our camera
shooter here and he was saying he had no
idea it was going to be this elaborate
all the money all the time all the
energy all the people going into making
this happen what’s great about this
perspective is we’re here right now to
see this but in 3 days you’re not going
to recognize this these are all going to
be individual rooms and you won’t even
remember that this is where we were
standing
so this is one of the occupational
hazards and all the logistics that comes
into putting a show like this together
right now there’s kind of a traffic jam
going on there’s Stone in the way of the
aisles where the tractors and the front
loaders need to go so they’re having to
divert it’s getting a little congested
and certainly quite dangerous right here
but that’s part of the excitement and
attension that goes on during these very
precious 36 hours before the show opens
to the public so David have you gotten
hit yet or had any close calls close a
few close
ones now with multiple landscaping
companies and contractors all on the
floor at the same time what might appear
to be a chaotic free-for-all is really a
well orchestrated event Terry olofin is
one of the show owners responsible for
all the details and the big picture
too we’re here because the passion that
stands behind the show the passion is
the Cornerstone that this show is built
upon for 22 23 years now
this show is about passion there’s so
much to this that there is no stopping
there’s only how do we make it better
how do we go forward here you have
businesses coming together who come
Wednesday are going to be on their own
again doing their one thing but here
they come together and say how can we
present and give a little bit of
entertainment a little bit of
Education to the masses for just a few
days Seattle in the
Northwest gets that little piece of
magic it’s going to be snowing outside
in a couple days and I’ll tell you what
it doesn’t matter cuz inside is
Magic in less than a day Courtney and
her team of friends and volunteers have
managed to get most of the plants
installed and now it’s a matter of
putting on the finishing touches and
when you’re out to impress it’s this all
important step that can make all the
difference
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so Nancy Claire when I was here
yesterday just 24 hours ago looking into
your garden it was just really some
hardcap some Stones stacked up with a
lot left to go but you’re not a rookie
at this you’ve been doing this for like
four years yeah this will be my fourth
year but this is the biggest garden I’ve
ever done so h a little nervous now you
specialize in Rain Gardens in your
practice of of landscape design and this
is a rain Gard yes tell me about some of
the elements that we’re going to see
here together a bit of anomaly because
um it’s a formal rain garden and who’s
ever heard of a formal rain Garden well
I hadn’t either so I um decided to
design one and so the shapes that you
see you know you see a lot of uh circles
and lines and uh even the plantings are
going to be a little bit more in the
formal when do you see grass is kind of
in a hedge uh kind of configuration
um so that’s what we’re going to be
doing we’re going to be having fun with
geometric shapes and a lot of
architectural elements and using that
with the rain Garden you don’t usually
see that combination together I love
that opportunity because it really opens
it up to a bigger audience because a lot
of people probably have this idea that
rain Gardens are sort of Swampy and not
so attractive and you’re totally
changing the perspective on that all
right so Nancy CLA 24 hours to go how do
you feel at this point a little nervous
obviously we have a long way to to go
but I have a great team here so well
best of luck to you and I can’t wait to
see the progress and so we’ll see you
back here in 24 hours to check you out
can’t wait okay good luck
thank all right so this is it this is
the Gayla now this is the night before
opening day when the Public’s allowed to
come in but only moments ago the
designers found out whether all their
hard work had paid off and of course you
know us we’ve been tracking Courtney so
we thought we’ checking on her and you
literally just found out a few minutes
ago that you won an award or two right
mhm tell us what you won I won a gold
medal and the sunset Western living
award sponsored by Sunset magazine and
she says this like it’s no big deal like
she wins these every day just another
day in the garden but Courtney this is
huge and if you forgot already this is
the youngest female designer in the
history of the Northwest flowering
Garden Show so this is huge yes how are
you feeling I’m just on cloud n it’s
it’s a little overwhelming in I I was I
was in tears earlier with my mom but
we’ve cleaned up a little bit all right
well fantastic I know this is an
inspiration for us and hopefully as you
have always planned it to be an
inspiration to others real takeaway
opportunities here and we’re really
proud of you I know you’ve raised the
bar for yourself and you’ve raised the
bar for the whole show yes way to go I
hope so all right good for you we’ll see
you soon thank
you each designer must go through a
detailed and comprehensive application
process just to get into the show so
being selected for so few spaces already
makes them a winner then the designers
must adhere to the Show’s theme and to
their stated plan is the judges view
each completed project in the end some
designers walked away with extra
recognition including this Garden titled
A Wrinkle in Time and winner of Best in
Show Brian Heather’s EOS Chic Hotel
Babylon was a winner as was Nancy cla’s
formal rain garden with a perfect blend
of sustainability and beauty and a crowd
favorite ch christensen’s Nursery won
several awards for their design that
took us back to simpler times and a day
well
[Music]
spent all right so it’s opening day
people start counting the days when the
show ends the year before 365 days later
it starts up again they get here way
before 9:00 but they don’t let them in
until 9 it’s a little cloudy and a lot
cold outside but right now it’s sunny
and beautiful inside and everyone is
ready to see those
[Music]
Gardens whenever you come to a flower or
garden show especially the really big
ones it can almost seem overwhelming
because let’s face it there’s so much to
see so how do you get the most out of
your time once you’re here well whether
you’re a seasoned veteran or a
first-time attendee here’s a few things
to keep in mind before and when once you
arrive now these days just about all
shows have a website for online
information but many run a newspaper
circular like this about a week before
the show begins inside you’ll find lots
of good stuff like a show floor layout
information about the designers and the
vendors even a speaker schedule and it’s
a great resource to make the most of
your time once you get
[Music]
here now once you get into the show
there are a few things you don’t want to
leave home without first of all you need
that camera and for most of us that’s in
our phone you also should have a pad
with paper to write down those important
notes and don’t forget your wallet
because there are so many things here to
buy there’s great tools and garden
gadgets and plant varieties you might
see for the very first time at these
shows some even have a plant check-in
area where you can store your stash
until you’re ready to
leave and then there are the educational
opportunities you know all those great
display Gardens out there well the
designers are there too and it’s your
chance to meet with them oneon-one and
get all your questions answered and
let’s not forget the speakers now some
of the top selling authors media
personalities expert horticulturalists
and gardeners they’re all here at the
same time Under One
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Roof each year the Northwest Flower and
Garden Show brings together a community
of people with a common passion for
gardening nature environmental
stewardship and so much
more Garden shows Across America have so
much to offer it might be a takeaway
like a new plant variety or garden
technique true or you’ll get to hear an
informative lecture by an expert and you
might even change your outlook on the
environment and your role in it as a
gardener you know for more information
on this episode our past episodes or all
of my recipes please come to our website
and the address is the same as our name
it’s growing A Greener world.com I’m Joe
lample and I’m Nathan lion and we’ll see
you back here next time for more Growing
a Greener World is that it yeah hold
uh yeah that’s it sweet great guys it
was a wrap thank you great let’s eat
let’s
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eat a year creating the Landscapes that
they’re going to
build
[Music]
[Music]
w
yeah