Nature Perfect at Northwest Flower and Garden Festival 2023: Aquaponics in the House

A short video of the stream in action

I want you to really appreciate what Nature Perfect Landscaping & Design created at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival with a show garden inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater including a greenhouse built by Northwest Green Panels. This incredible building puts the beauty of an aquaponics system on display. Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks while growing plants from the resulting enhanced water. "In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants and the plants help to purify the water for the fish."

The fish live in the water inside the greenhouse (above)

Nature Perfect Landscaping designed it so a stream could runs into the green house to a koi fish pond and then that water would flow under the greenhouse floor over to the hydroponic area where plants could thrive on the nutrient-rich water while growing in the greenhouse. It's interesting, creative and a dynamic approach to harnessing the power of byproducts. I almost wish there was an audio narration running inside the greenhouse, as I'm not sure that everyone who toured it understood what they were seeing. Wow. Every elementary school science class should see this as part of a field trip - it opens your eyes to the possibilities and it was built with intention. I loved it.

 The plants are growing hydroponically in the enriched water (above)

 

I was really taken with the beauty and ingenuity of this show garden. The style was true to the Pacific Northwest with the beautiful evergreens, native plants and bronze koi fish sculpture. 

#aquaponics #greehouse #hydroponics #nwfgs #ingenuity 

Arit Anderson: Seattle's Northwest Flower & Garden Show Judge & Speaker

                                        Anne Reeves & Arit Anderson

How luck am I? I adore BBC's Gardeners World and watch it like some kind of  meditative gift to myself.  British gardening, especially when we are in Seattle rainy season is the mental lift I need  The bird song, the garden paths, I can smell the dirt and hear the crunch of the gravel underfoot. I love it all.

Arit Anderson is a presenter on Gardeners World and I was thrilled when I learned that she was the special guest judge for this year's Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, sponsored by the Northwest Horticulture Society. What a perfect guest! Everyone was excited.

Arit has had a very interesting professional life working in fashion and retail, event planning and as a therapist teaching holistic therapies. Her path eventually led her to study gardening at Capel Manor College and made a name for herself when she and 2 other students won the Fresh Talent category for a student design collaboration at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea in 2013. Bravo! 

She is a passionate and talented garden designer who also "won a Gold Medal for her own design at Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court in 2016 in the conceptual category." She's known for for an "ethos (that) includes simplicity and environmental sensitivity." She is an excellent communicator and I found myself spellbound as she told of one particularly grand evening with famed broadcaster biologist and natural historian Sir David Attenborough. Arit along with Adam White and Jane Findlay were honored to present Sir David Attenborough with the 2019 Landscape Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. What an experience! 

A huge point Arit made was that our gardens (our little patch of earth) are literally how we can play a part in caring for the planet. That being responsible with water usage, planting native species, using organic products,  

She was a very engaging speaker and I intend to start listening to her podcast, Sustainable Gardening. Podcasting is such a gift because we can hear directly from so many inspirational figures around the world on a regular basis. If you have not had the chance to get acquainted with Arit Anderson and her marvelous effect on the world, please let this be your invitation to learn more. She's fantastic.

#gardenersworld #sustainabilityspeaker #aritanderson

Fleurs De Villes: Northwest Flower & Garden Festival: Seattle 2020: Flirty Fleurs

This beauty named Anastasia said "Stop, In the Name of Love" to me all week. Her neckline looked like a heart to me, hence the love and she so clearly wanted us to stop and absorb her striking pose. She had a dynamite leaf dress, embellished arm cuff and intricately woven parasol. She was prepared for the Seattle weather, but it didn't dare rain a drop. Created by Flirty Fleurs - all I can say is wow! 

The collection of floral mannequins is an installation arranged by Fleurs De Villes, who "combines the love of flowers, local design talent, and bespoke, utterly unique displays, for experiential events like none other." 

I enjoyed listening to Fleurs De Villes founders, Karen Marshall and Tina Barkley, discuss their company with SLOW Flowers creator, Debra Prinzing in her podcast, just weeks before their Seattle debut. 

Hendrick's Gin was a sponsor of the Fleurs De Villes at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show and they had a beautiful bar area and floral cocktails adorned with edible flowers available for purchase. My impression was that it was designed to looked like the mannequins, in their floral glory, were guests at Seattle's biggest garden party. Well done.

I have long talked about encouraging people to find delight at the intersection of two things that they love. As I stood at the show, I realized that my appreciation for the gowns of Fleurs De Villes at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival is because for me, they hit a bulls eye at the intersection of flowers and Barbies. 

I love Barbies and have such happy memories of combining just the right clothing, jewelry and hair styles to make my dolls look their best. I played with joy, imagination and freedom. When I walked among the Fleur De Villes mannequins, I had flashbacks of some of my favorite gowns, high heels and sheer nightgowns - all fabulous and all made for an 11 inch doll. I love that the whimsy of Fleurs De Villes allows local floral designers the chance to give in to their joy and imagination and the freedom to create custom couture. The result makes us all swoon.

#nwfgs #fleursdevilles #seattle #gardenshow #floraldesign #floralgown #colorstory #flowerinstallation #finddelight #seattleblogger #floralglory #barbies #hendricksgin #SLOWflowers

Fleurs De Villes: Northwest Flower & Garden Festival: Seattle 2020: Fena Flowers

I just love how designer Courtney at Fena Flowers repeated roses, carnations and orchids in shades of raspberry red, deep orchid, coral and soft rose to create an actual floral print. Tricking the eye to make it look like a flouncy floral fabric that is indeed floral. The dangling handbag is fantastic. The woven grass sleeve is so delicate, I didn't see that detail until I studied my photographs. The "feather" at the elbow has just the right flounce - a little 1930's flair. 

The collection of floral mannequins is an installation arranged by Fleurs De Villes, who "combines the love of flowers, local design talent, and bespoke, utterly unique displays, for experiential events like none other." 

I enjoyed listening to Fleurs De Villes founders, Karen Marshall and Tina Barkley, discuss their company with SLOW Flowers creator, Debra Prinzing in her podcast, just weeks before their Seattle debut. 

Hendrick's Gin was a sponsor of the Fleurs De Villes at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show and they had a beautiful bar area and floral cocktails adorned with edible flowers available for purchase. My impression was that it was designed to looked like the mannequins, in their floral glory, were guests at Seattle's biggest garden party. Well done.

 

I have long talked about encouraging people to find delight at the intersection of two things that they love. As I stood at the show, I realized that my appreciation for the gowns of Fleurs De Villes at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival is because for me, they hit a bulls eye at the intersection of flowers and Barbies. 

I love Barbies and have such happy memories of combining just the right clothing, jewelry and hair styles to make my dolls look their best. I played with joy, imagination and freedom. When I walked among the Fleur De Villes mannequins, I had flashbacks of some of my favorite gowns, high heels and sheer nightgowns - all fabulous and all made for an 11 inch doll. I love that the whimsy of Fleurs De Villes allows local floral designers the chance to give in to their joy and imagination and the freedom to create custom couture. The result makes us all swoon.

#nwfgs #fleursdevilles #seattle #gardenshow #floraldesign #floralgown #colorstory #flowerinstallation #finddelight #seattleblogger #floralglory 

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival 2020: City Living: Urban Earth Nursery

The City Living area of the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival is designed to highlight the many ways you can design a very small patio or balcony area. Each area is 6 ft x 12 ft and can represent a small apartment balcony or condo courtyard. The year I moved to Seattle, it was said that 25,000 people came with me. So many people that can benefit from garden show features like this, tailored to living in small spaces. 

This mini garden is called “Alice’s Woodland” by Urban Earth Nursery.

It combines birch stools, succulent planters, moss pads and a froth of flowering quince to make a magical "sit and dream" atmosphere.

#cityliving #nwfgs #seattle #apartmentliving #balconylife #smallgarden #bigdreamsmallspaces #finddelight #beautyofeverydaylife

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival 2020: The Zen of Furiosa Garden

This garden called The Zen of Furiosa "is inspired by the Imperator Furiosa's passion to make beauty out of what might be considered junk in the 2015 film, Max Max: Fury Road." The garden creators are Redwood Builders and Bonsaiko. The garden was designed by Anthony Fajarillo.

Look at this incredible bonsai. This is a Bird's Nest Spruce.

It is a tribute to time that metal turns to rust and matches the color of the bonsai trunks. Look at the machine parts sunk into the ground - incredible. I love how this garden blends what could be ugly with what is decidedly beautiful and serene. I wanted to sit and look a long time at this garden - I considered borrowing the designer's stool and parking myself for a while. I am thankful that I got to see it as a judge, for there were very few people around and it was a lovely experience. 

I don’t think I’ve ever really been drawn to this kind of garden before, but the arrangement and harmony spoke to me. Look at the bonsai above, there is a large flat saw blade embedded in the trunk and rusted nails impaled in the trunk. Appreciate the container, directional growth and balance conveyed. This bonsai sings with harmony. It is a Japanese Black Pine.

#nwfgs #bonsai #harmony #madmax #thebeautyofeverydaylife #finddelight #seattleblogger