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!