Boost Your Garden Design Skills and Save Money at a Flower and Garden Show

What if you could complete a master garden figure course in a 24-hour interval ? That ’s what you get when you attend one of themajor flower and garden showsin anticipation of spring . sure enough , calculate through web sites , books , and magazines are useful ways to get inspiration , but walking through dozen of garden in a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ( sans cram shuddery winds and snow trend ) is my idea of comfort and efficiency .

If you be anywhere near Seattle , Chicago , Philadelphia , San Francisco or any of the big - fourth dimension , renown - studded venues , you ’ll find the inspiration to labour your design chops to the next level . True confession : I ’ve only been attending appearance for a few old age , chiefly to determine smart idea to share with my reader . But even though I ’ve been designing garden since the seventy , each meter I visit a show , I come off withnew tricks , discover hot plants , and find groundbreaking productsto purpose in my own clients ’ gardens .

( And this year , you could find me sharing my intention wisdom at two West Coast show , but more on that in a minute . )

My purpose is n’t to diss the smaller regional show scattered around the country , but the resource pool of top - of - their game architect , garden Almighty , and speakers can be limited . On the other hand , regional shows feature local pro closely aware of the opportunity and challenge of horticulture mighty where you live . If a local household and garden show is as far as your spare time and budget can take you , by all means , get thee to a nearby exhibit hall and soak up everything you could . The following advice applies regardless :

Purchase with Purpose

We ’ve heard the warning never to foodstuff store when you ’re really hungry . The answer ? Finding yourself conjuring dinner from a dish of Chee - zee Poofs , a dry pint of Ben and Jerry ’s Here Comes Pastrami meth cream , and topping the concoction with aroot beer reducing sauce .

The same caution applies at garden show , especially when you attend without a biz plan : You ’ll watch powerlessly as you transform your SUV into a Third World bus topology with plants , cock , and traveling bag cascading out the windows and lashed to the ceiling . But you do n’t have to accede to these torture . Here ’s how toget the mostout of your foray to a show and stave off draining your Visa batting order .

1 picture show = 1000 Christian Bible : Bring photographs of your garden - the good , the forged , and the ugly . While take care through the lens , you ’ll get a sobering look at what ’s ferment and what ’s not , plus you could showdesignersand glasshouse salespeople the exact conditions you ’re working with . You do n’t even have to publish them out if you save them on a digital television camera with a exonerated display .

Be Inspired : Sort through yourLeaning Tower of Fine Gardeningback number . look back the dog - eared pages you found so exciting and describe what attracted you to those garden - the colour scheme , the serenity or excitement of the opus , accessories that made you smile . fetch the best of the best clippings with you , so you could explain what you ’re hop to reach .

Have a Game Plan : adumbrate the area you ’d like to set up to aid set limits on your ambition . Jot down cardinal data like the approximate dimension , solar predilection , and dirt type you ’re blessed ( or plague ) with . Consider whether some of the plant need tosolve a trouble , like protecting a hillside from erosion or sieve an eyesore .

Right Plant / Right Place : Would n’t it be cool if you could urge the STOP button when a plant accomplish the size of it you need ? Until someone develops an app for that , do your homework . learn the recording label for the plant ’s mature size of it ( precaution : it ’s varying ) , special needs , and hardiness . If the vendor is n’t totally flood , ask whether that adorable Heuchera you crave will thrive where you specify to put it . bright telephone set user can instantly explore a candidate plant life at Fine Gardening ’s website by entering the name in thePlant Guidebox . This is the info you need to avoid the overgrown mass that ofttimes comes from impulse purchases .

Attend a Seminar or Twelve : No matter what your horticulture passion might be — nurturing Mister Stripey heirloom tomatoes or create a secluded fern grotto — there ’s bound to be an expert or generator sharing their knowledge . We ’re talking theJoe Lamp’l — P. Allen Smith — Alice Waterscaliber celebrities .

And then there ’s me .

On Thursday , February 9 at 5:30 p.m. , I ’ll be making my first appearance at theNorthwest Flower and Garden Showin Seattle . Join in the sport as I daze the gang with a power - compact , entertaining lesson title ( take a deep breathing time ; ready?)How to Design Any Style Gardening Using Locally Appropriate Plants . Gimme an hour of your clock time and I promise you ’ll go a better , more confident garden interior designer than when you come through the room access .

Then on to theSan Francisco Flower and Garden Show(the entanglement site is presently being update for 2012 ) where I ’ll try something never before try at a garden show ( or perhaps it has ) . We ’re shout itTour the Garden Floor . alternatively of sitting in a room watch my luscious slide show , I ’ll be your docent as we wander the showing garden on the primary floor , interpreting the designs and using them aswalk - thru 3 - D classroom . If you miss the fun at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday , March 21 , I ’ll be offering a repetition public presentation at the same time thenext day .

So whaddaya think ? January is n’t over , so I recollect the room access is still open for pee one more New Year ’s solvent . Maybe this is the year you ’ll treat yourself to a big show and take your garden to the next degree .

For more , read last year ’s column : Your New Year ’s Resolution : Get Thee To A Garden Show

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