Each year, the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival welcomes an esteemed panel of judges - three distinguished and renowned professionals from the landscape design and horticulture industry. These judges evaluate each display, awarding medals for excellence in design, creativity, and horticultural mastery, and determine the winners of multiple awards, including the coveted Founder’s Cup Award (Best in Show).
The 2026 judge panel is Frances Tophill, Wambui Ippolito and Nick Cutsumpas.
This year, we are also thrilled to welcome special presenters Dan Hinkley, Jennifer Jewell, and Doug Tallamy, whose leadership and insight continue to shape the future of gardening and environmental stewardship.
Please check the Seminar Schedule for a full list of ALL our seminars.
All seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival are FREE with your ticket!
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There Is No Right or Wrong in Gardening Frances Tophill - TV Presenter, Author, Educator
Our gardens are just that: our own... places where we can express ourselves, explore our interests, and play. In that sense, there is no right or wrong in how we choose to make them look. But is there a right or wrong way to garden? Are some methods more successful than unorthodox ones, and are there moral considerations we should keep in mind as gardeners? From wildlife care to chemical use to the choice of invasive plants, Frances explores what it means to be considerate or inconsiderate, correct or incorrect, and how we can enjoy our gardens without feeling pressured to always do things “the right way.”
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 / 10:00am / Rainier Room
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Landscaping to Create Awe Wambui Ipolito - Horticulturalist, Award-winning Landscape Designer, Author
Nature has long shaped landscapes with a single intention: to stir awe in the human spirit. Drawing from her African-centered identity and relationship with the natural world, Wambui invites gardeners and designers to look beyond plants as objects and toward the emotional, cultural, and sensory experiences they create. This thought-provoking session explores how intentional design can reconnect us with wonder—revealing awe as not just an outcome, but the ultimate purpose of a truly meaningful garden.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 / 1:00pm / Rainier Room
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Reawakening Connections to Ancestral Landscapes Wambui Ipolito - Horticulturalist, Award-winning Landscape Designer, Author
Victorian plant collecting is the “original sin” on which much of Western garden practice is built. The resulting commoditization of plants, homogenized landscapes, and formulaic “design by template” has disconnected many gardeners from deeper cultural and ecological roots. In this thought-provoking session, Wambui explores how reconnecting with your own ancestral landscapes - whether through memory, heritage, or lived experience -can restore meaning, authenticity, and intention to the garden.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 10:00am / Rainier Room
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The Modern Cottage Garden Frances Tophill - TV Presenter, Author, Educator
The modern English cottage garden can be many things: a source of food, a celebration of beauty, a haven for biodiversity, and a refuge for wildlife. In this richly illustrated talk, Frances Tophill explores the cottage garden’s hundred-plus-year history: how it began, how it has been remembered, and how its romantic legacy has shaped generations of gardeners. She then looks ahead, offering thoughtful ideas to reinterpret the cottage garden for today’s tastes and values, blending tradition with ecological awareness and a more relaxed, sustainable approach to horticulture.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 1:00pm / Rainier Room
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Container Showdown: Celebrity Edition Thursday Nick Cutsumpas - Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist
Ryan McEnaney - Fifth-Generation Nurseryman Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 1:00pm / Main Stage
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High Lights from Soaring Heights; Reflections on Four Decades of Plant Hunting Dan Hinkley - Award-winning Plantsman, Collector, Author
An hour seems inadequate to lucidly articulate the privilege Dan Hinkley feels to have been afforded the opportunity to observe, collect and introduce plants over the course of forty years. Join him as he takes you on a journey from Myanmar to Chile, Vietnam to South Africa, and beyond, and discover the process of observing, collecting processing and ultimately bringing into general cultivation what he considers to be his most choice of introductions. Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 2:30pm / Rainier Room
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From Concrete Jungle to Green Living Nick Cutsumpas - NWFG26 Judge, Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist
Discover how a passion for plants transformed one man’s life... and inspired countless others to grow greener, too. Nick shares his journey from tending vegetables in his parents’ backyard to filling a New York City apartment with 125 thriving houseplants, becoming one of the first “houseplant designers” in the city. With humor and honesty, he reflects on the challenges, client adventures, and lessons that turned a love of plants into a lifelong mission for environmental change.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 4:00pm / Main Stage
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Interview with Dan Hinkley: A Life in Plants Dan Hinkley - Award-winning Plantsman, Collector, Author
Recorded as part of Cultivating Place LIVE! with host Jennifer Jewell, this intimate conversation with renowned plantsman Dan Hinkley explores a lifetime devoted to discovering, growing, and sharing remarkable plants. From far-flung botanical expeditions to his beloved Heronswood and Windcliff gardens, Dan reflects on the beauty, curiosity, and conservation values that guide his work. A rare opportunity to hear one of horticulture’s most inspiring voices, recorded for broadcast on Jennifer Jewell’s acclaimed public radio podcast, Cultivating Place.
Friday, February 20, 2026 / 1:30pm / Adams Room
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Are Introduced Plants Bad? Doug Tallamy - T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture, University of Delaware
Some argue that non-native plants benefiting certain pollinators or birds should be embraced, but what is the full ecological cost? Tallamy presents research comparing the impact of introduced species versus native ones, showing that the latter support far richer and more stable food webs, making a compelling case for prioritizing native plants. Some argue that non-native plants benefiting certain pollinators or birds should be embraced, but what is the full ecological cost? Tallamy presents research comparing the impact of introduced species versus native ones, showing that the latter support far richer and more stable food webs, making a compelling case for prioritizing native plants. Saturday, February 21, 2026 / 10:00am / Rainier Room
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Interview with Doug Tallamy: Saving Nature at Home Doug Tallamy - T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture, University of Delaware  Join Jennifer Jewell for a thought-provoking Cultivating Place LIVE! interview with ecologist and bestselling author Doug Tallamy. Together they explore practical, hopeful ways each of us can make a difference through our own backyards, as captured in Tallamy’s latest book How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard. From native plants to the insects and birds they sustain, this lively conversation reminds us that real change begins right outside our doors.
Saturday, February 21, 2026 / 1:30pm / Adams room
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Next Steps for Nature: Questions (and Answers) for How to Save Nature in Our Yards Doug Tallamy, T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture, University of Delaware
Even after reading books and attending talks, many still have pressing questions about ecological landscaping. In this talk, Tallamy addresses common concerns on biodiversity, invasive species, native plants, and conservation strategies, providing practical guidance and motivation to restore nature in everyday spaces. Even after reading books and attending talks, many still have pressing questions about ecological landscaping. In this talk, Tallamy addresses common concerns on biodiversity, invasive species, native plants, and conservation strategies, providing practical guidance and motivation to restore nature in everyday spaces. Sunday, February 22, 2026 / 10:00am / Rainier Room
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Designing a Life in Full Bloom Nick Cutsumpas - NWFG26 Judge, Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist
What happens when a corporate career gives way to a calling rooted in nature? Nick tells how his passion for growing food and designing with plants sparked a coast-to-coast transformation... from a New York City sales job to operating a nationwide landscape design firm with the outcome... a 10-acre Michigan "forever" homestead. Learn how his experiences with native plants and ecosystem gardening now guide his personal projects and inspire a more sustainable approach to modern living.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 / 1:00pm / Rainier Room
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Soil Stories: Regeneration & Reconnecting Jennifer Jewel - Host of NPR's Cultivating Place, Author
Hosted by Jennifer Jewell as part of Cultivating Place LIVE!, this panel digs deep into the living foundation of every garden: soil. Panelists explore how regenerative practices are transforming how we grow, care, and connect with the earth. Expect an inspiring, science-meets-heart conversation about healing landscapes, rebuilding biodiversity, and rediscovering our shared relationship with the ground beneath us.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 / 1:30pm / Adams Room
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