Hummingbird: Small Bird Big Thoughts

You see it too, right? My hummingbird Larry seems to be thinking. He is not flighty or skittish or defending his feeder. He looks bored, like he needs a teeny tiny newspaper. I'm hoping that he just likes the feel of the sun on his back so he's decided to sit and relax. I had to show you. This is the beauty of everyday life.

#hummingbird #hummingbirdfeeder #naturephotography #birdfeeder
 

Milk Bar in Bellevue, WA

I am so happy I finally made it over to Christina Tosi's Milk Bar location attached to Nordstrom in Bellevue, Washington. 

I ordered her famous Cereal Milk soft serve with Corn Flake Crunch topping and I thought that it was delicious. It's an undeniably American creation that is both comforting and craveable. The corn flake crunch is a must - it adds so much flavor and texture. I loved it. In fact, I think I want it on most ice cream sundaes going forward.

I am such a fan of Christina Tosi. I love her approach to baking and the creation of sweets for American tastes. I have her original Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and I think it is brilliant. She looks at sugar and desserts through a very interesting lens and her desserts definitely make sense. You can tell that she created them and believe that they'll be good, if that makes sense. I guess I'm saying that I like how she thinks and I admire how she invents new fun desserts from old classics. I can't wait to see what she does next.

There's a great feature on Christina Tosi on Netflix's Chef's Table Pastry

I also wanted to tell you that during the pandemic, I was also amazed to see her hosting free baking classes on Zoom every week. She decided that it would be fun to form a Bake Club to help everyone, included her, cope with the strange times. I joined every once in a while and I really enjoyed it. She posted the ingredients we'd need the night before. It was such a neat way to spend a weekday afternoon. 

So Christina Tosi, I'm a fan. And I'm grateful that you brought your deliciousness to the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond the Build: Habitat for Humanity Seattle Annual Luncheon

I spent a wonderful afternoon learning all about the programs and partnerships that make Habitat for Humanity in Seattle - King & Kittitas Counties so strong. The annual event started with a Pre-Luncheon Community Showcase, where guests and supporters could visit tables and learn about the many aspects of Habitat's programs and outreach. I loved hearing directly with staff members and volunteers about the work impacting the community. 

I believe around 1,500 people attended this beautiful event in downtown Seattle.

The program included honoring Habitat's Volunteers in the categories of Advocacy, Resource Development, Home Repairs and Volunteer Service. The stories of their individual contributions were inspiring. We heard from Roxana Amaral, a member of a thriving Habitat Partner Family, about her life before and after her family was blessed with the chance to contribute to their own Habitat house. It was a reflection on the power of home and hard work and the difference both can make on generations. 

The luncheon was emceed by KIRO 7 Consumer Investigative Reporter Jesse Jones and he did a wonderful job. Seahawks Game Day Host & radio personality Gee Scott crafted a fascinating sit down interview/reflection with NFL Linebacker, Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist Bobby Wagner. The friends talked about life, our beloved Seattle Seahawks and making a difference. 

It was a terrific program that held all of our attention. Bobby loves Seattle and is a huge supporter of Habitat for Humanity. It was clear that he has a big heart and he will continue to do all he can to support Seattle in many different ways. We will miss Bobby wearing green & blue but we wish him well on this next NFL adventure.

I really enjoyed how this entire event was structured. It was informative, surprising (did I mention that part of a live drumline from the Seahawks ratter-tat-tat announced the start of the luncheon/take your seats - so fun!). It was a great event and I hope everyone felt just as generous to support this important organization. 

#habitatforhumanityskc #beyondthebuild #bobbywagner

 

Sweet Pea Planting

I love tucking Sweet Pea stems into my mixed bouquets. In my quest to become a home florist (not really), I must have access to more flowers! So here come the Sweet Peas...

I planted Blue Celeste, Cheri Amour, Spencer Ruffled, Garden Orchids, Fire & Ice, Spencer Ruffled and Perfume Delight (wink).  

Every little pot has seed starter mix in it and will be home to a few seedlings until they are ready to transplant. I know when you read about growing Sweet Peas they talk about huge trellis or a long length of staked netting. I want you to know that if you love Sweet Peas, you can grow just a few in a dedicated pot with a few tall sticks with a twine garland to grab. It's easy and so: easy, beautiful, rewarding, prolific, fragrant, fun. Please don't be put off by the grand instructions elsewhere. If you just want some blooms for yourself, this is all you have to do.

I am growing just a few of each variety and I'll transplant them into pots all over my property. Some will have a tuteur, most will grow up a 3-bamboo tripod in a pot on the deck and some will be in the full sun in front yard by the roses. 

It has been a damp and cold Spring here east of Seattle but that means Spring and I know these Sweet Peas seeds will like it outside and sprout in no time.

 

I can't wait for this!

#sweetpeas #containergarden #delightineverydaylife

Molten Works Glass Studio: Express Yourself in Color

I didn't know quite what to expect when I signed up with a few friends for an evening of glass fusing at Molten Works Glass Studio in Woodinville, WA.  I knew that I would be allowed to do whatever I wanted with color and that's all I really needed to know. It was so much fun and I definitely want to try it again, especially when all of these supplies are at our disposal.

The Junior League of Seattle often has social nights for the members to reconnect and enjoy each other's company. This Sip n Fuse night was a really neat way to gather members across the city on a work night to relax and create. They had live music with the blues duo Blue Healers and I absolutely loved their sound. Bravo.

Molten Works also has a small bar serving wine, beer, alcoholic seltzers and sparkling water spritzers. So perfect. 

I decided that I wanted to try a landscape, so I sketched a scene of stairs leading down to a favorite Lake Michigan beach from a photo on my phone. The ink burns off in the kiln, so I don't have to worry as I sketched my idea.

I hope it looks generally like this after it is fired; I really like it and I know exactly where it is. I also liked that the sand-like frit could be sprinkled between the worn boards of my stairs to look like sand. So cool!

It was all I could do not to start on another piece right then. I mean, I had so many Ideas when I saw this striated blue glass.

I highly recommend a Sip n Fuse night in Woodinville. It felt really wonderful to create and chat and make something permanently pretty. Delight can be trying something new.

#glassfusing #colorwheel #creatingart #finddelight @blue_healers
 

Signs of Spring: Look for the Beauty of Every Day Life

I have pots of perennial plants on my deck and today I peeked out my family room window to assess the damage from last night's snow on the spring growth. Look what I saw! The Bleeding Heart has developed one perfect pink heart. Normally this plant grows a stalk with little hearts dangling off of it, and that is usually when the stalks are taller and the leaves are fuller. I don't remember it getting ahead of itself like this, but it is so sweet. Spring is coming. #finddelight #bleedingheart #containergarden
 

Northwest Flower & Garden Show: From Game Nights to Barn Frames

Game Night by Washington Assoc of Landscape Professionals (WALP.org)

Game Night by Washington Assoc of Landscape Professionals (WALP.org)

Large chess pieces, board games and ample space to gather, this wonderful outdoor show garden design let everyone imagine a lively summer evening with friends and family. The Northwest Flower & Garden Show becomes a living showcase of ideas to help local home owners imagine what their yard could become.

Captured Nature by GMC Landscapes

It's incredible how the beauty of the Pacific Northwest could be recreated inside a convention center. GMC Landscapes managed to create a waterfall accented with fir trees, fern, moss and rocks and have it look and sound like a weekend hike. It was so peaceful standing right here.

 Backyard Bliss by Wintergreen Landscapes & Nursery & Root of Design

A "contemporary backyard retreat," this modern design brings luxury grilling and entertaining to those that want to extend their design aesthetic outdoors with clean lines and sleek touches. The grand plant chandelier looks both elegant and interesting. I loved how orchids are dangling from each of the containers with wire plants and moss. 

How Much She Loves Us by Jen Szabo Design 

Described as "the central garden structure serves as the ribcage of the home, organizing the space with balanced gardens in every direction offering a blend of public and private realms..."

How Much She Loves Us by Jen Szabo Design 

I find it beautiful how your imagination can fill in the missing parts of the building and complete the image. It makes it personal.

#nwfgs #ilovespring #gardendesign #showgardens #landscapedesign #seattleshow #gardenshow

Northwest Flower & Garden Show: Harvesting Beauty by HomeGrown Organics

Harvesting Beauty by HomeGrown Organics

This lovely greenhouse and reflective pool was built in a show garden called Harvesting Beauty by HomeGrown Organics. I absolutely loved how they showcased this small tranquil space and made it feel approachable and achievable. It was charming. Take a look inside.

Isn't it wonderful? Though I would definitely want a chair to sit and fuss with the plants.

 

There were 2 large logs suspended from the ceiling that had orchids growing on them. It looked beautiful and felt quite roomy inside. 

Here I am judging the show gardens with my esteemed colleague, author and photographer, Mark Turner.

Oh to be able to have my own Citrus Trees in pots. Reason enough to have a green house, don't you think? While Seattle's climate is mild, my house is in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and we get much colder weather and sharper winds. I can't keep citrus alive outdoors...sigh. 

2024 GardenComm Judges Anne Reeves, Mary-Kate Mackey and Mark Turner.

#nwfgs #seattle #gardendesign #ediblelandscape #organicfarming 

2024 Northwest Flower & Garden Show: Tremendous Tree Trunk Anchors a Mystical Show Garden

"The Secret Garden" Nature Perfect Landscape

In 2020, Better Homes & Gardens recognized Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden show as the best flower and garden show in the country. It is truly on a grand scale with 20 show gardens, a collection of City Living gardens designed for apartment or condo living with balcony or patio growing spaces. The show has educational programming and lectures included in your ticket price - the wealth of knowledge available is staggering. The show includes a large retail area where plant specialists of all types create stores to cater to your botanical whims - houseplants, citrus trees, camellias about to bloom, orchids, dahlia bulbs, tiny terrarium plants. The selection is far and wide and you will not know what to do. It's okay. Experts are on hand to talk you through it.

No matter what, you will be inspired. You thoughts will ping pong between  your patio, your kitchen windowsill, your front porch. You may find yourself sketching on a napkin while you're having lunch. Embrace it. And see what your brain does with all of this madness. Plus the shopping for garden-related tools, seeds, fertilizers, art, furniture, pots etc. is staggering. I am going to do my best to give you a glimpse at the magnificent show gardens and a variety of photos to give you a sense of the event over a series of posts. Please do try to attend next year with a garden friend; I know that you will love it. 

The Secret Garden by Nature Perfect Landscaping (also shown in top photo) won the 2024 Founder's Cup award as Best In Show for it's incredible use of a real 15 foot wide and 8 foot tall stump, including a flowing stream and the charming use of fairies and fairy doors throughout the installation. This enormous beautiful natural garden will find a permanent home at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. 

You can see the fairies leaping among the real Pearl Oyster mushrooms. Congratulations to Nature Perfect on winning this year's Founder's Cup award.

#nwfgs #natureperfect #founderscup2024 #treetrunkdisplay #gardendesign #fairies

 

Sneak Peek: Seattle Northwest Flower & Garden Show

A darling Instagram-able sign declaring this year's theme

It is February, so that means the Northwest Flower & Garden Show has come to Seattle. This year's theme is "I Love Spring!"

I was honored to judge the show today, so I had a chance to get a sneak peek. 

How Much She Loves Us by Jen Szabo Design

This garden had an optical illusion, allowing your eye to fill in the negative space and see an entire barn.

A Year in the Life of Your Garden by West Seattle Nursery

This mélange of color and texture is sure to make hearts swell.

Artful displays of spring bulbs, hellebores, moss, hyacinth and heuchera. Blooming trees, glorious pine, flowering witch hazel - nature honored.

The Secret Garden by Nature Perfect Landscape & Design

Can you imagine the water flowing down these rocks? You've got to come see it.

A heart on the side of Here Comes the Sun by Devonshire Landscapes

I think your Valentine would love to come walk around and look for ways to bring delight to your space - indoors or out. 

#nwfgs #seattle #plantlove #gardenshow #finddelight #sneakpeek #ilovespring

Boys in the Boat: Cherished Artifacts on Display at Seattle's MOHAI Museum of History & Industry

 

I spent an evening at Seattle's MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry) last month and was thrilled to see artifacts from the University of Washington men's rowing team that won gold in the 1936 Olympics. 

Their triumphant story was told in the novel Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown and then on the big screen in a major motion picture directed by George Clooney. I loved the movie and I am anxious to read the book, which my husband Dan said is far more captivating because when reading there is more space and mental bandwidth to go in depth. He loved it.

 

Bob Moch's blazer from the 1936 Oympics

Bob Moch's megaphone from the 1936 Olympics

American Flag (made in Germany) from the 1936 Olympics

Shirt betting is a tradition in rowing where the losing team gives the winning team their shirt after the race. This British shirt is included in the display because an American crew member received it after beating England in one of the races in the Olympics.

This display window is brimming with memorabilia from University of Washington's rich rowing history, including a 1936 crew sweater.

If you zoom in, you can see that this crew shell says "Husky" on the side and I learned from the website that in October 2023, "the UW men’s rowing team rowed the Challenger across Lake Union to MOHAI, where it now serves as the focal point of the exhibit." Isn't that wonderful? That the current team could honor their predecessors by bringing the shell to the place of honor, by water no less? I just love it. 

Please click this link if you'd like to learn more about the MOHAI museum & exhibit, right on Lake Union in Seattle. 

#boysintheboat #mohai #seattle #greatstory #rowing #universityofwashington

Call Up A Girlfriend: Seattle Northwest Flower & Garden Festival starts Feb 14-18

Details Home & Garden @detailshomeandgarden Booth in 2023 

I want to invite you to the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, my favorite event of the year. The show is in the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle from Weds Feb 14 - 17 from 9:00am - 8:00pm, Sunday Feb 18 from 9:00am - 6:00pm.  

Let me start by saying that the show is grand, imagine if Willy Wonka was into flowers. It has 20 huge show gardens (with an estimated 30,000 forced plants & trees trumpeting spring), a City Living section where designers focus plants & plans that urban dwellers can use to maximize their garden life. There's a huge plant market, a quirky Vintage Market and a staggering number of vendors selling art and design pieces. I'm going to expound on it below (and during the show) but it is an unreasonable feat and that is what makes it so fabulous. The show is all indoors and designed to inspire. This year I have been asked to judge 2 of the prestigious awards given and I can't wait to get at it.

This year’s theme is “I Love Spring.”  Built by the region’s best designers and landscape professionals, these show gardens are a breath of fresh air.  The outside is brought indoors. Green grass, blooming trees, flowing water, camellias flowering and a carpet of bulbs in bloom – it is the reassurance of spring that we all need in February.

Hartley Botanic Greenhouse

Each year I spend hours walking the show and then when I need a rest, I soak up knowledge at seminars covering everything from caring for succulents in the Pacific Northwest to How to Transplant & Root Prune for Healthier Container Plants. The breadth of content covered in the seminars is staggering and more than half of the speakers are GWA (now known as GardenComm) members. Impressive. The coursework available is like a "garden university" and I want you to look at the schedule a head of time and really plan which day suits you best. Here is a link to this year's seminar schedule. Pick a class, any class, they are all free to attendees.

An unexpected part of the show is the Vintage Market—booths crammed with up-cycled and vintage items, often planted with primulas or violets to give them a je ne se quoi. Charming and fresh, this section of the show inspires us all to work with what we have, to create meaningful and storied displays in our home. Last year I bought bundles of paper-wrapped pussywillow branches and an aqua drinks pitcher. You never know what you'll find and that's the fun.

Another neat event each day at 11 am is called Container Wars. Skilled garden experts take each other on in a healthy container design competition. Presented by Cascade Water Alliance, Crescent Garden, Corona Tools, and Sunnyside Nursery, Container Wars is hosted by Seattle's beloved gardening columnist and television host Marianne Binetti. Be sure to make your way over and watch Container Wars live to get great tips on planting your own container garden.

As you look ahead to the show, you can book a slot at Blooms & Bubbles presented by Debra Prinzing of SlowFlowers.com. During each session, a floral designer teaches a flower or plant inspired hands-on design workshop. Debra answers questions and encouraged the designers to share tips and tricks during their segment. The crowd loves these events and I encourage you to wander over and watch, even if you haven't booked one of the classes.

Wanna shop more? There are garden retail booths galore, merchandised to within an inch of their lives. I am so proud how (in just 72 hours) they can create a store out of thin air. My favorite booth is Ravenna Gardens and I always buy from them to give show them my love.

And how about pure plants, bulbs or citrus trees? Don't forget, there is a whole plant market dedicated to selling specific varieties orchids, houseplants, dahlia tubers, succulents. It is wonderful.

I will be judging Tuesday (yay!) and then supporting the show vendors and speakers on Weds & Thursday and then on Friday we have our GardenComm Regional Meeting & Post Show Happy Hour. Plus I've got a large group of Junior League of Seattle members meeting up with me to see the show for the first time. It's going to be a big week! Please look for me and say Hello. I always carry one of my ANA Delight totes, so you’ll know its me. 

ANA Delight magazine bags

My hope is that my words reach you. That you call up a girlfriend and make time to attend the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival this year; I know that you will love it and you must share what inspired you. 

I hope you have a wonderful growing season ahead of you and may the internet connect us like far-flung cousins until we meet again, hopefully at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. 

#NWFGF #seattle #gardenshow #plantcollector #beautyofeverydaylife #gardener