Thanks for the report.

I went on Wed and then Thurs AM. Much smaller this year and I was amazed that there were no massive crowds as in the past. Not sure what to make of that! The gardens were OK nothing spectacular but as Grant said they were definately more sensible (for the most part)My favorite was Judith Jones (Fancy Fronds) Garden. Not sensible, but fun with some colorful accessories! Let's see, I bought Vareigated Ligularias from Sunnyside and a Yucca gloriosa 'Vareigatus' from Dig. Also bought a couple more smaller chickens to add to my flock. I saw those Acanthus! WOW they were even more $$$$ than the Ligularia/Farfugiums but I will bite the bullet on that one at some point too, STUNNING PLANT!!!! Now, if I could only get rid of some of my plain green ones....

After standing for the best part of 8 hours manning our retail booth yesterday and then taking a turn after my stint through the rest of the displays, I decided I simply wasn't motivated enough to return today :-)

None of the display gardens really moved me. I guess I tend to look at them with a too-critical designer's eye and wonder how many visitors will take home some ill-advised plant combinations that will either not thrive in the same environment or rapidly outgrow their overly close proximity to their neighbors. I realize that for the most part, these are fantasy gardens and not intended to be reproduced item for item at home but I still think they send mixed messages to newer or inexperienced gardeners. Some of them were very visually appealling - I also liked the Fancy Fronds offering. Very colorful, great plant selection (although I can just hear all those requests coming into the nursery for vireya Rhododendrons and Justicia!). And the 'Suburban Swank with a Twist' was pretty striking with all that corrugated steel and to-die-for resin chaises. And I guess I missed the point of the "Garden as Gallery", overly distracted as I was by the enormous stone sculpture that bore an uncomfortably strong resemblance to female genitalia. Or maybe that was the point ?!! It was certainly drawing some attention :-)

And was there anybody who wasn't selling hellebores?? My gawd, they were everywhere! The 'Tasmanian Angel' acanthus was very striking, but ridiculously priced - Dan Heims must be laughing all the way to the bank with the gullibilty of the gardening public. I'll wait on that one until the prices approach something reasonably related to the plant - it is an acanthus, afterall, a plant that is almost a weed in many gardens.

I enjoyed the show, as always - just not enough to make another visit today. For me, often the best part is running into and visiting with business and gardening acquaintances I seldom see. My total purchase for the day was a pair of sox - whoo hoo!! Nothin' I couldn't live without or get later with benefit of my employee discount at the nursery.

Gardengal, you really made me feel like I didn't miss too much! (I did not attend.)

For me it's been kind of a fun thing to go to some years, but I think this year I will pass it up. I'm a bit turned off by the whole Dan Heims And His Latest Variegated Over-hyped Whatever-it-is phenomenon. On the other hand, attending the show is a good chance to connect with what the gardening public is interested in, and see what other vendors are up to without having to spy on them individually.

"The older leaves eventually lose most of their coloration..."

Here is a link that might be useful: Acanthus

Female genitalia!! I'll be right down!

Hopefully somebody at Emery's went to CostCo and got some of those mats to stand on.

Sounds like the show this year is what I expected. I wouldn't single out Dan Heims for a trend.

Cushioned mats.....now that's something we didn't think of! Of course we got 'em at the store (concrete floors there, too) but never thought of bringing one. And unless we carpeted outside our area with them, it wouldn't have made a big difference as the booth's much too tiny to accomodate both shoppers and the employees together and the employees tend to hover just outside its confines. But definitely something to put on the list for the future.

Ian, you could already see that effect on the acanthus - only the most newly emerging foliage was heavily variegated, the older more green than anything else. But at $39.99 for a 4" pot at one local vendor (who shall remain nameless), a much too expensive curiosity.

I did see some exceptionally nice winter/early spring interest heaths and heathers at the Floral Fantasia display by ......you guessed it, Heaths and Heathers!! A good many are quite different and much less common than the usual offerings of local vendors and Karla was nice enough to share her sources with me so I can bring them into the nursery.

Not an incredibly outstanding show, but as enjoyable as any other.

Some of the callunas have appealing foliage colors. Both with these and the flowers of the ericas the redder the bedder, it seems.

Fun to see the reports....keep them coming. Mary, I like your purchases. Let us know how everything does for you.

It seems very mean-spirited to call people "gullible" for purchasing expensive plants, espeically while working at a retail event. I say let people enjoy their purchases, expensive or not, without trying to diminish them.

Who else went, and what did you purchase? Don't be shy, be proud of your purchases, sharing about who likes or purchases what is fun, or is supposed to be at least.

Happy gardening,
Grant

>>I wouldn't single out Dan Heims for a trend.

Maybe not... I'll cut the guy a break (not that anyone cares, LOL) for being clever and connecting effectively with his market, regardless of my sentiments about the 'trendy plant' phenomenon. I'll admit to having my own personal palette of 'trendy plants', which may not have as much mass appeal, but they still have some. Mostly, I tend to prefer species over cultivars.

Are gardeners gullible, or do some of them simply have too much disposable income? That could be another whole topic in itself....

>>I wouldn't single out Dan Heims for a trend.

Nor I, but he has certainly managed to capitalize on the newest and weirdest craze. Do we really need several dozen new heucheras each season with only a slight variation in appearance? And is a variegated anything worth 5 time the price of its non-variegated counterpart?

I'll most certainly admit to having been gullible in plant purchasing in the past and no doubt will be taken in again in the future. If you love it and have to have it and can afford to pay the premium, then by all means go for it. But too many seem to get snowed by the hype and the "be the first on the block" syndrome and fork out exhorbitant prices for the newest and hottest when next year it'll be a third of the price or worse, a true dud. And venues like the NW F&G show just fuel the frenzy. Remember the 'Art's Pride'/'Orange Meadowbrite' fiasco? Or 'Amber Waves', the first of the gold colored heucheras (and from Terra Nova, no less) that has proven to be a real wimp and has been easily surpassed in performance by other, later introductions?

Valid points all around. :)

I for one got sucked in to the hype of the first yellow African violets a decade or two ago. I wouldn't say I was gullible (though you might, :) ), but it had what I wanted so I went for it. It was, of course, highly inbred, weak and not a good long-term performer (all of which were fully disclosed by the seller, much like the fades-to-green is with the current variegated acanthus), but I like to think of it as experimental, not gullible. Maybe I'm just kidding myself (hey, it happens!) They've gotten much better since then, but I do get sucked in to the hype sometimes, though I wouldn't call it gullible.

As to whether a variegated form of a regular plant should be five times more expensive, I say YES, heh heh, but I'm a variegated nut in general (though I have to admit the current crop of variegated echinaceas leaves me cold). But I see what you mean about very similar varieties being sold as totally unique etc.

And trends do come and go....people like grandma plants, people like native plants, people like species, people like hybrids, people want columns that drip water or have concrete gunnera leaves salivating on top, etc etc etc., and I'm glad they do come and go...it keeps things interesting.

Keep the reports and opinions coming. And the purchases, too!

Best wishes,
Grant

I'm afraid I was disappointed in the gardens this year. Too much hardscape and not enough landscape for me. Plus many of the plants were in sad condition. (wilted and stressed more than I've ever seen them)
I did have a wonderful day though with the company I kept and the great ideas and plants I saw.
By the way I purchased a great cobalt blue hardy geranium fom Sundquist Nursery. Can't wait to see it.

One person's meat...I have an aversion to most variegated plants, ditto anything with frilly double/triple/quadruple flowers (feels like breeders are trying to outdo Gillette and their blades.) I do like plain old green leafed A. Spinosus, A. Mollis, and L. Japonica. It might be just me, but A. 'Tas Angel' and the yellow marking on some Farfugiums look like diseased plant material. Guess I'm just boring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yuk!

Some do seem to be fundamentally ugly but most 'plant materials' (ugh) have a use somewhere. What bugs me is when I try a flashy new toy and its batteries wear out right away. 'Amber Waves' didn't last very long at all.

A lot of plants did seem stressed, didn't they? Especially the lizard one, which seemed to rely on a lot of plants that aren't reliably hardy; another example of why "designers" aren't necessarily good gardeners (though some are of course).

Yeah, some variegations really do look like diseases, don't they? Some of the echinaceas and toad lilies come to mind. And don't get me started on the echinaceas with the little top knot of petals coming right out of the top of the cone. Of course, other folks probably love them...it's fun that different people like different things.

Keep the reports coming.
Take care,
Grant

I have gone almost every year and I wasn't impressed. Too many non-garden things in the market place like socks (NOT wind socks) jewelry, etc. There were not enough tables to sit at and eat lunch so we left to find someplace to grab a bite and never went back! I did like Sunnyside, Naylor Creek and Edelweiss Nursery - and I bought plants at all of those places. But where were Swanson's, Sky and some of my other favorite nurseries??

I didn't buy any expensive Acanthus but in 5 years the price will be down to something reasonable and I'll spring for it then.

I have to agree with mac_6 who said too much hardscape and not enough landscape. But then I'm a cottage gardener at heart (as I told Grant elsewhere [g]), so my favorites were the bungalow porch with the swing and the "green garage."

I just bought simple things, two lilies and a clematis. I'm not big on artsy plants. I just like the plain basics with lots of flowers.

BTW, I have a hellebore free to a good home if anyone in the Puyallup area wants to come dig it up without laughing at the state of my garden (I'm working on it, but I'm not nearly as far along as I'd like to be before another gardener gets a look at it). I don't know the variety. I can tell you that its buds are just opening, and it's a pale pink with a bit of green.

Hey!! I liked the sock place - that was my one big purchase :-))

A lot of the local retail garden centers never participate in the F&G show or do so only in a very limited capacity. Frankly, it is one heck of a lot of work for very little return. And staffing at this time of year is always an issue - staffing at nurseries in February is generally very low (no seasonal hirings yet) so you have to worry about who's to man the show booth for 12 hour days as well as have enough staff at home at the nursery to keep things going. And while things are still fairly quiet in area gardens, nurseries are humming in February, trying desperately to get ready for spring........which generally hits in most folk's mind as soon as the F&G show closes (although today would inspire spring fever in anyone!)

Both Sky and Swanson's have their early spring sales going on right now also, as does Emery's. Now's the time to buy your roses and fruit trees!!

Hi mmegaera, I live in Puyallup and would love a pink hellebore. I have lots of cottage garden plants on my trade list if you would like to trade. Send me an e-mail if you would like to trade. Karen

Interesting - I went to Victoria's "Seedy Saturday" today, and also found that Hellebores were everywhere. And I bought a Mouse Plant! Tonnes of cyclamen too, I'll be planting my two under my magnolia tree.

Amy in Vic

Acanthus is on my list of plants I never warmed up to, but I like variegated plants in general and am one of the people who will go for them over green plants. Some do well and some don't, who's next? I got a really cute one last fall that is marginally hardy so I'm going to have to wait to see how it survives the winter. Uh oh, I just remembered I put a bucket over it to protect it from cold one time, I better go uncover it tomorrow. I'd have to go look up the name on my old computer. I also like striped roses. I generally wait for years for plants to get cheaper before I buy them and also buy in small sizes to save money. There are some growers at shows that accomodate with the small sizes, last year I bought a bunch of the newer Heucheras but lost several when those weird very hot weekends hit because they were in the sun. One was the very lovely Peach Melba.:-( I'll have to try to find it in a small size this year.

My friends and I, had a great time mucking about. Enjoyed some of the displays, some were just over the top. The water shower with large stacked rocks was really cool!

Did someone say Double Flowering Helebore?, everyone had a burgandy form it seemed.

Anyhow, picked up some new hostas from the Naylor Creek folks: I got "Heat Wave" "Cliffords Forest Fire"

Hosta Heatwave:

{{gwi:1069474}}

Hosta Cliffords Foreset Fire:

{{gwi:1069475}}

Nancy, I love it when they offer smaller sizes too. It makes it easy to get more different types of goodies home, doesn't it? :) Sorry you lost some of your plants.

I did buy one of the variegated acanthus as a splurge--if it does even a third as well as my all-green one I'll be giving babies away in no time. We'll see though.

Nice hostas, hostaguy. I really like those variegated blue-leaf types.

Best wishes,
Grant

We attended on Friday and Saturday. Friday seemed the busiest. This is the first time I have been to the Seattle show. It was not quite what I expected. I am happier with the master gardener sales where I can get most of these things for much less. I was amazed at the size of the boulders/mountains that were brought in for the display gardens. I attended some really good seminars as well.

I got the free trowel (very nice, thank you to the roofing company). I bought a loquat seedling, some Sunshine Blue blueberries from Raintree, and some brugmansia starts. I also could not pass up one of the wall hangings made from steel drums. There was one there that is almost exactly what I have been looking for. It looks good on the wall too. Most other things I would have bought are readily available in my area.

All in all my hubby and I had a very nice time. We also brought home 30 tulips from the flower sellers at Pike Street Market which are still looking just wonderful.

Amy

Amy in Victoria, we'll have to compare notes on our mouse plants. I've admired them for a long time but this is the first time I've planted one in my own garden.

Amy PNW, sounds like you made a nice haul. I bought a loquat from Raintree probably ten years ago and planted it in my second West Seattle garden. Two owners later, that little tree still stands and looks terrific in its southeast exposure. I'm sure yours will thrive, as will your other goodies.

I really go for the plant retail areas, and a quick run through the displays, so most of the larger area sales are probably a better return on the investment (since you don't have to pay the 13 dollars (or more) just to get in).

Take care,
Grant

Enjoy your mouse plant Grant, I've got one of those little guys too. One of my favorites. I bought it at one of the plant sales in Victoria B.C. a number of years ago. I thought I'd lost it the first time it went dormant. Live and learn.

A......

I too bought the little Mouse plant at the show years ago. I didn't know they were to become a groundcover. Still cute, but not what I expected. I remember feeling cheated as there was so little in the bag now LOL! Enjoy.

Hi all,

Glad to hear others like those mouse plants (mice plants? lol). Midnight, are they summer-dormant? I'm terrible at accidentally digging up dormant plants so any heads up would be great.

Take care,
Grant

Hi Grant,

They're summer dormant for me. Of course, as usual, I didn't know anything about it when I bought it. It was just one of those plants I just had to have. The first time I saw it's leaves dying off I thought to myself well that's another one biting the dust. It pays to read up on things, or at least ask about it. Good advice, I should try it sometime. Talking about accidentlly digging things up, after warning everybody not to step on my Lily bulbs, I usually tramp on them myself. If I manage to stay off them, I usually cut them in half with the spade.

A......

Grant,
I am ambivalent about the loquat seedling. After much discussion with the vendor I decided to buy it. I have a seedling with lovely foliage but I eventually would like to have the possibility of edible fruit in a good weather year. I have been second guessing myself trying to decide whether I should get a named plant from mail order somewhere. Any thoughts?
Amy

Amy, loquat is a great choice for tropical looking evergreen foliage but your chances for getting one to fruit in the NW are slim to none. It flowers in late winter and requires above freezing winter temps to set fruit and hot summers to ripen it. Unfortunately, that eliminates pretty much all NW gardens unless you can contrive an ideal microclimate :-) Growing it in a conservatory or greenhouse might improve your luck, otherwise a frost-free zone 10 is far more to its liking.

Thanks for the additional mouse plant information. I'll be sure to mark it somehow so I don't dig it up (or at least reduce the likelihood of me digging it up) during its summer dormancy.

Amy, you're as likely, or unlikely, to get fruit from your seedling as from most grafted, named varieties, so I'd say test-drive you new seedling and see what you think. Otherwise you'll be spending prime money for a grafted named variety that probably won't bear fruit anyway in this climate. My old one has become a very, very attractive little tree. As gardengal mentioned, they really can't be expected to bear fruit in the Pacific Northwest unless you can give them additional protection. My old one does flower reliably, so that's a start, but in this climate they're basically fun foliage plants. The raintree catalog mentions that clearly, and I hope the sales person did when you talked with them. I still may plant one in this current garden as a foliage plant.

Let us know what you do with yours, and how it works out.
Take care,
Grant

You can also dry the mouse plant inflorescence and plug it into your computer.

Loquats at least sometimes fruit here, I have seen them studding the trees and covering the ground beneath like yellow golfballs.

Thanks for the feedback. You know how it is when you are hoping that if you do everything you can something might happen eventually. I see that no one in the PNW really sells named loquats and for probably very good reason. I think Raintree used to sell "Golden Nugget". Perhaps the test drive is a good idea. There are a few trees in the PNW that bear fruit. I was just hoping that if the circumstances were right that I might have one or two years in the life of the tree where something happens.

I had a fruiting loquat in my yard years ago when I spent a couple of years in the Napa Valley. The foliage and the fruit were wonderful. I am a PNW native and I am not willing to move back to the Napa Valley just for the loquat. It was a fun and novel plant for me.

Amy

Here is a link that might be useful: loquats in the PNW

Neat! I'll have to check out that fruiting one too. Maybe there's hope for "my" old one after all, heh heh. It's been a good little bloomer.

Amy, I like your attitude about maybe getting a rare crop sometime during the tree's life. Keep us posted on how yours does for you. The foliage is really neat. You're starting to give me a craving (makes note to check out Raintree's sale section on their website).

Very funny about the mouse, bboy. I laughed Diet Pepsi out my nose.

Happy gardening,
Grant

Amy, I have the same persistent hopes for my pineapple guava :-) No fruit yet on mine, although I know someone in North Seattle who has actually harvested some. I'm not sure I care overly much one way or the other, as it's the rather incredible and exotic looking flowers that attracted me to it in the first place as well as the slightly fuzzy silver foliage. It suffered a bit of foliage burn this winter and is going to need some tidying up.

But I'd still wouldn't mind the experience of a Mai Tai made from my very own pineapple guava nectar :-)