The Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Part III

As we continue the tour of the

 Northwest Flower and Garden Show

at the Seattle Convention Center, 

the first garden we will explore 

is called the 'Steampunk' Garden. 

You can find an explantion 

of the term 'Steampunk', 

 Here

This is a growing movement 

in Seattle (and elsewhere) and has evolved into

a sort of retro-futuristic style

of what the industrial era might 

have envisioned for the future,

using steam powered engines! 

I know......strange......, although

I am sure you have seen this style

in home decorating trends. 

I call it 'Back to the Future'! 

Right away we notice the garden shed

with submarine style portholes in the roof. 

The lighting was tinted, which distorts things

a bit, but we see a flowering viburnum and 

some narissus in the foreground. 

I like the diamond paned windows, 

the arched double doors, 

and the hayrack window planter. 

The scalloped roofing, porthole

windows, and telescoping pergola

add a nautical feel. 

I can see this in a garden by the sea. 

A recycled grinding stone 

adds interest to the retaining wall. 

I like the pink tulips with

the purple hyacinths. 

One of the main features of this garden, 

was the fantastical water fountain. 

This fountain was made of a large musical

instrument (a tuba?), copper tubing, 

and salvaged, miscellaneous junk,

along with many gears, 

wheels and moveable parts,

propelled by the water's path. 

Later, when perusing the vendor booths, 

we found these for sale in many different

configurations and sizes.

The other main feature of this garden was the large

clock, also made with many gears

 and salvaged industrial parts. 

The bright, colorful plantings added 

to the imaginative setting. 

Large slabs of stone anchor this garden 

to the site. 

Of course we can't forget to provide for the fairies! 

The next garden we will explore is  what I call the 'Recycled Garden'. 

Right away we notice the tall spires of crates

that form recycled garden sculpture for housing bees! 

This garden uses lovely shades of rose, lavender, gray and blue

in an informal setting. 

A small rock-lined water feature sits to the left. 

Colorful birdhouses, pots and a reclaimed wood shed

 give this garden charm. 

Nature collages (insect hotels) add artistic creativity

 to the crate bee towers

and front of building. 

There are many delightful details, such as the stone birdhouse, 

the heart on the door, and the informal stone path. 

This garden shed looks very inexpensive to build

and would add character to a country setting. 

A side view showing the pretty gardens

and interesting nature collages (insect and bee hotels). 

We found these for sale at one of the vendor booths. 

Recycled windows provide a backdrop to a bird bath 

nestled among tulips, heather, and lily of the valley. 

Tulips everywhere! So pretty with the grape hyacinth. 

The large ceramic pots and colorful watering cans 

are so bright and cheerful. 

A large driftwood bench nestles among lush plantings. 

Notice the colorful water bottles? 

They are 'keeping it real'. 

The liberal use of dwarf evergreens 

 guarantees this garden would look 

nice year round. 

Having the large stacks of crates would be wonderful 

for spring planting. :) 

Or bee-keeping! 

The last garden we will view today won 'Best in Show' 

for its amazing lunar lighting feature. 

It was difficult to photograph the lunar details, 

but it looked just like the face of the moon

with an owl in flight. 

A rather wild landscape frames this garden with red barberry, evergreens, 

 white birch and woodland plantings, along with rose and white flowers.  

The main feature of this garden was this Scandinavian

garden house. 

The backside of the building was framed with

lovely white flowers. 

I love the traditional Scandinavian detail. 

I hope you enjoyed exploring these beautiful gardens with me! 

xoxo

In the next installment, we will take a look at 

a Shabby Chic Garden, a Picnic Garden, 

and a Woodland Gazebo Garden. 

xoxo

I hope you will join me! 

Five on Friday

Sunrise on Mt. Rainier, illuminating lenticular clouds.

I am taking a break from the Garden Show Series

to participate in a new meme hosted by 

Amy at 'Love Made My Home' 

called, Five on Friday. 

If you would like to join this fun meme, 

click on the link above. 

Today I am posting 5 photos of Mt. Rainier. 

Moon Rise over Mt. Rainier at sunset 

14,411 ft. Mt. Rainier dominates the Cascade Mt. Range
here in Washington State,

and produces its own weather. 

It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes

in the world due to its large amount of glacial ice.

A potential eruption or lahar could bring down massive 

amounts of mud and rock into populated areas -

with a potential of burying the Puyallup Valley 40 ft. deep.

We are high above, protected by large ridges of mountains,
and not in the path of danger.  

If you would like to learn more about this beautiful, 

but dangerous mountain, you can read about it Here

Dramatic sunrise over the Cascade Range

As a young Mother, my husband and I moved onto raw land

overlooking this view, to build our dream home. 

You can read about our journey Here
and under 'Our Life Together' on my side bar.

Hole in the sky above Mt. Rainier

This was not an easy journey,
but this beautiful view made it worth
the struggle.

Lenticular clouds portend a coming storm

Living here on the edge of the wilderness may be quiet and lonely
in human terms, but there is always something interesting and dramatic
going on in nature.

I live by nature's rythyms and have learned to read her signs.
I have a profound respect for this beautiful place that we call Earth,
and a continued realization of how fragile this planet can be.

It has been my priviledge to live here
despite the hardships,
for I have learned the true
meaning and value of nature's beauty.

xoxo

Linking with: Five on Friday

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Part 11

As we continue on our tour of the Garden Show, 

we come upon this unique garden display. 

An outdoor living room! 

Let's take a closer look......

A simple hearth and lounger makes things cozy 

on cool evenings. 

Landscape paintings, chandelier, and floor lamp

bring the indoors out. 

I love the little bulldog! 

The lounger appears to  fold up in the 'off season', 

although with the fireplace and tin roof

panels, this could be used nearly year round. 

Recycled materials were used throughout 

all of the displays. 

The white porch post at the corner of the lounger

and the rusty tin roof panels are two examples.  

The berm around the perimeter was created 

with old logs, large rocks, and recycled

concrete pieces. 

We asked one of the creators of the displays

if the rocks used in the exhibits were real. 

'Oh yes', he said. He told us that they had 

3 days to set up and that cranes, large trucks, 

and other heavy equipment were rolled right in! 

This funky well feature was off to the side. 

I love the white birch, white tulips, 

and pale hellebore together. 

Here you can see the recycled tin roof. 

This structure would be very simple

 and inexpensive to construct. 

Perhaps built onto the side of a shed or garage....

A path of loosely arranged brick pavers

leads to a potting area on the side. 

Bright green moss, hellebore, and dwarf evergreens

make up the plantings here. 

An old stump with mushrooms anchors the corner. 

More dwarf evergreens and white tulips border the path

leading up to the potting area. 

A tiny herb and salad garden. 

A rustic potting bench. 

An interesting construction technique! 

A very inexpensive garden structure. 

A weathered eating area on the other side. 

I love the watering can <3 

I hope you enjoyed this rustic outdoor 'Living Room'

as much as I did, Dear Friends. 

Next time we will explore a 'Steampunk' Garden, 

and a 'Recycled' Garden. 

I hope you will join me!

Today I am linking with; The Enchanting Rose - Roses of Inspiration

xoxo

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Part 1

Over the weekend, my Mr. and I attended

the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. 

We took the hour long drive from our foothills home,

to the beautiful city of Seattle, to attend. 

It was a lovely, warm day, with parting clouds

that gave way to full sunshine, as we arrived

at the gorgeous Washington State Convention Center 

where the event was held. 

After parking in the Convention Center garage,

we took the escalator to level 3

 with much anticipation, to attend the show. 

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show

is billed as the 2nd largest in the country. 

We have attended this show many times

over the years, but have missed it

the last few. 

Right away we were captivated by the heavenly scent

of flowers. The lobby was filled with display gardens

of spring flowers, including the highly scented

hyacinth. 

While my Mr. bought our tickets, I admired the 

juried arrangements along the walls. 

This one caught my eye. 

As we entered the show, 

this beautiful gateway attracted

our attention. 

Let's take a closer look........

This beautiful gate opens to a primrose lined path....

The show consisted of amazing display gardens, 

each set up to reveal the possibilities for individual

home gardens. 

This is the first one, and my favorite. 

Let's see what lies beyond the gate.....

Along the flagstone path, this antique cart

was surrounded by tulips. 

Low growing grasses and primroses 

nestle in the foreground.

A tall, stone waterfall splashed behind.   

Red twig dogwood and dwarf evergreens provide

a contrasting background. 

A mossy stone bench peeks out from behind. 

Here's a better view of the stone bench. 

Built right into a small mound of mossy turf, 

this looks like a wonderful place to sit

 and contemplate the beauty.

A full view of the gate and path.

Where does the path lead? 

Well,  to this, of course! 

An open ended 'gazebo' made with recycled windows! 

This little structure just caught my fancy! 

So simple and sweet. 

The lighting was bright and tinted, 

which distorted the colors, 

so I will tell you the woodwork was

a lovely soft blue with whitewash, 

and the windows a deeper blue, also whitewashed. 

It had a lovely, faded, sun-bleached effect. 

Masses of purple tulips anchored with flowering clematis

bordered the lattice-work base. 

Let's take a look inside, shall we? 

We see the sweetest little table

set for two. 

Large blue pots separate a backdrop of flowering trees. 

I love the little details - the lantern, the pot of hydrangea, 

the pretty chairs, the globe lights. 

(Twig globes with strands of white twinkle lights inside)

The candelabra stand is also a very nice touch.

I think that I need one of these.....:)

Notice what the mugs say......

"Mr. Right"

and

"Mrs. Always Right"! 

*smile*

Heart shaped plant labels for Valentine's Day. 

This was the first display garden of many that I will 

show you over several posts. 

We had so much fun and were very inspired! 

I hope you enjoyed the first view of the gardens

at the Northwest Flower and Garden show, 

and that you will follow along as I continue 

the tour, Dear Friends.

A bit of spring in a terrible winter for many of you! 

I wish you all could have come along!

Wouldn't we have had fun together?  

xoxo