The Garden Show

Every year we get excited about our participation in the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. It is a week surrounded by green: book covers and spines in all different shades of green, display gardens with elaborate landscaping and unique plants, or a whole hall full of house plants and seeds and bulbs. We gather energy in the months leading up to the show by picking out the newest and best garden books and remembering the old classics that we love to put in people's hands. The energy continues as we set up our booth, putting books on shelves, displaying gift items in pretty places, all around building a mini-University Book Store inside the Washington State Convention Center. But the real fun is when the show starts and crowds of people buzz around our booth, flipping through books and chatting and asking questions and sharing stories.

This year we are particularly hyped up for the show because we love the theme: "Once Upon a Time...Spectacular Gardens with Stories to Tell". The whole show is based off of gardens in literature! Display gardens will be inspired by classics like A Wrinkle in Time, Alice in Wonderland, Rapunzel, and the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe. Even seminars will stick to literary themes. I personally can't wait for Colston Burrell's seminar called "Cultivating the Written Word: Books That Changed the Way We Garden." As a gardener and a book lover, I'm eager to hear what's on Colston's list. There will even be a "Sprout Stage" for little ones to get a start on their gardening skills and where you can find a selection of our favorite children garden books.

We hope you'll join us at the Garden Show this year, February 23-27 at the Washington State Convention Center. Come say hi in our booth, at the Sprout Stage or during the Book Signings outside of the seminar rooms.

--Anna, Events

It's That Time of Year...

...for Vegetable Gardening! I've got my gloves and trowel out of the old bucket in the garage. The soil is tilled, the seeds are sprouting, the starts have been bought. I'm slowly nurturing my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants to get used to this Seattle summer. Everything in my garden is going as planned. Of course, I couldn't have done it alone.

Each year, I add something new to my edible gardening repertoire and so, each year I pull out handy gardening books to keep my green thumb active. Here's the books I'll be referencing this year:

Edible Heirlooms by Bill Thorness is the must-have book for gardeners looking for tips on how to grow and find unique edible plants. Bill is a great writer and his book is a call for variety and diversity.

 Mcgee & Stuckey's The Bountiful Container A Container Garden Of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, And Edible Flowers 
is my go-to book for all container related information I may need. Whether you have a small apartment or a big deck, this book will tell  you how to make it work. It's an encyclopedia.

 Growing Your Own Vegetables by Carla Emery & Lorene Forkner is a great introductory book to grab when you have a nagging questions about a certain plant. It is easy to flip through and has basic information on how to grow most vegetables.

For us in the Northwest, Steve Solomon's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades is a beautiful and resourceful guidebook to organic gardening at home. This 6th edition is up to date on the latest gardening trends and best practices.







Whether you are a seasoned gardener or new to the dirt, there is always a multitude of gardening books that can help you help your plants grow. Any favorites you have?

--Anna, events