This winter has been so dreary and cold. I need something to lift my spirits and what better than way than to observe the seasonal changes in the garden. It is early and I will try to track what is in bloom along with what is happening in our garden.

The annual event to start off the gardening season is the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It has been going on for over 20 years. In the early days when G worked at the garden store in downtown Seattle, he would regularly work the booth. Working a show and going to a show for please are two very different things so occasionally I would come down after work. But there were many years that I didn’t attend.

After a break, we did finally get interested in the show again. One year we even went to both the NW Garden Show and the SF Garden Show. The lectures are often good but they can be so crowded on the weekend.

Last year and this year a fellow plant geek has come over from Spokane and we’ve gone together. What fun! He really loves plants and it is a blast. But I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed this year. The two plant geeks like it but I found it much smaller and the displays were not very creative. I did really like the Marginal Madness display by Fancy Fronds. Lots of tender semi-tropical plants to tempt us plus a wild theme. But I was so turned off by the sports theme display. A garden with a TV in it! And the fence gate with baseballs to top the spikes. That was too much.

We saved the best for last – the plant vendors. The orchids were so tempting but I was able to pull G away. He did get several arisaemas and I was couldn’t resist the huge Casablanca oriental lily bulbs from B&B Lilies. It is going to be so nice in July to sit on the deck and smell their sweet fragrance.