All seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival are FREE with your ticket!
Seminar schedule subject to change, so we recommend checking back closer to the Festival for the most current schedule.
Download the Daily Seminar Guide
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Book Signing Add to Calendar
Rainier Room
|
10:00am |
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
View More
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.
|
Next Steps for Nature: Questions (and Answers) for How to Save Nature in Our Yards
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
|
|
11:30am |
Vertical Gardening with Strings Colin McCrate - Author, Founder of Seattle Urban Farm Company
View More
Vertical gardening makes it possible to grow more food without expanding your garden’s footprint—while adding structure and layers of beauty. This seminar explores how vegetables and flowers thrive with vertical support and why professional growers rely on string trellising for healthy, productive plants. Attendees will learn simple techniques for using vertical strings, horizontal lines, and string nets to train, prune, and harvest with ease. The result is a more efficient, organized, and visually dynamic garden that maximizes space and turns every inch into growing potential.
|
Vertical Gardening with Strings
Vertical gardening makes it possible to grow more food without expanding your garden’s footprint—while adding structure and layers of beauty. This seminar explores how vegetables and flowers thrive with vertical support and why professional growers rely on string trellising for healthy, productive plants. Attendees will learn simple techniques for using vertical strings, horizontal lines, and string nets to train, prune, and harvest with ease. The result is a more efficient, organized, and visually dynamic garden that maximizes space and turns every inch into growing potential.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 11:30am
|
|
1:00pm |
Designing a Life in Full Bloom Nick Cutsumpas - NWFG26 Judge, Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist
View More
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.
|
Designing a Life in Full Bloom
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
|
|
2:30pm |
Why Succession Planting Matters for Preservers Staci & Jeremy Hill - Authors, Owners of Gooseberry Bridge Farm
View More
Turn harvest chaos into calm with smart garden planning. This practical session shows how strategic planting can transform the growing season into a steady, manageable flow of fresh food. Attendees will learn how to maximize garden space, boost produce quality, and time plantings for easy, efficient preserving sessions. Designed for home gardeners who love to can, freeze, or ferment their harvests, this seminar offers realistic techniques to balance productivity with enjoyment—so you can spend less time scrambling and more time savoring the fruits of your labor.
|
Why Succession Planting Matters for Preservers
Turn harvest chaos into calm with smart garden planning. This practical session shows how strategic planting can transform the growing season into a steady, manageable flow of fresh food. Attendees will learn how to maximize garden space, boost produce quality, and time plantings for easy, efficient preserving sessions. Designed for home gardeners who love to can, freeze, or ferment their harvests, this seminar offers realistic techniques to balance productivity with enjoyment—so you can spend less time scrambling and more time savoring the fruits of your labor.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 2:30pm
|
Hood Room
|
10:45am |
Designing Regenerative Homesteads & Urban Farms Mary Marshall & Andrew Tuttle - Educators, Designers, Edge Perma & Redtail Edge Design Co-founders
View More
Learn how to design productive, resilient spaces that nourish people while regenerating ecosystems. This session guides you through the principles and practices of regenerative design to create homesteads and farms that work with nature, not against it. You’ll explore site planning, water harvesting, soil building, perennial food systems, and climate-smart strategies tailored to properties of all sizes. Whether you’re dreaming of a backyard food forest, abundant homestead, or production farm, this seminar provides the tools and inspiration to bring your vision to life.
|
Designing Regenerative Homesteads & Urban Farms
Learn how to design productive, resilient spaces that nourish people while regenerating ecosystems. This session guides you through the principles and practices of regenerative design to create homesteads and farms that work with nature, not against it. You’ll explore site planning, water harvesting, soil building, perennial food systems, and climate-smart strategies tailored to properties of all sizes. Whether you’re dreaming of a backyard food forest, abundant homestead, or production farm, this seminar provides the tools and inspiration to bring your vision to life.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 10:45am
|
|
12:00pm |
Edible Landscaping in the PNW Hailey Lampe - Garden Coach, Founder of Cruising Climate
View More
Imagine stepping outside your door into a garden that feeds both you and the local ecosystem. Learn how to design and grow a Pacific Northwest–style food forest using native plants that are as beautiful as they are productive. Learn how to select the right mix of trees, shrubs, and perennials, and determine how much food you want to grow while designing a space that fits your lifestyle. Attendees will leave inspired to create a thriving, edible landscape at home.
|
Edible Landscaping in the PNW
Imagine stepping outside your door into a garden that feeds both you and the local ecosystem. Learn how to design and grow a Pacific Northwest–style food forest using native plants that are as beautiful as they are productive. Learn how to select the right mix of trees, shrubs, and perennials, and determine how much food you want to grow while designing a space that fits your lifestyle. Attendees will leave inspired to create a thriving, edible landscape at home.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 12:00pm
|
|
1:15pm |
Organic Farmer Techniques for Thriving Backyard Gardens Sean Pessarra - Farmer, Educator, Founder of Mindful Farmer
View More
Discover how regenerative farming principles can turn any backyard into a thriving, low-input food system. In this practical and inspiring seminar, organic grower and educator Sean Pessarra, founder of Mindful Farmer, shares techniques adapted from professional agriculture for the home garden. Attendees will learn about no-till bed preparation, targeted organic fertilization, cover cropping, and natural pest and weed management, along with ways to attract beneficial wildlife through native habitat design. Grounded in sustainability and simplicity, this session offers clear guidance to help gardeners grow more while giving back to the land.
|
Organic Farmer Techniques for Thriving Backyard Gardens
Discover how regenerative farming principles can turn any backyard into a thriving, low-input food system. In this practical and inspiring seminar, organic grower and educator Sean Pessarra, founder of Mindful Farmer, shares techniques adapted from professional agriculture for the home garden. Attendees will learn about no-till bed preparation, targeted organic fertilization, cover cropping, and natural pest and weed management, along with ways to attract beneficial wildlife through native habitat design. Grounded in sustainability and simplicity, this session offers clear guidance to help gardeners grow more while giving back to the land.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 1:15pm
|
|
2:45pm |
Demystifying Soil Testing: Turning Numbers Into Knowledge Matt Williams - Plant & Soil Scientist, Educator, Researcher
View More
Ever looked at a soil test report and thought, “Now what?” This session takes the guesswork out of soil testing, from proper sampling techniques to interpreting results with confidence. Learn how to read and compare reports from different labs, identify key indicators like pH and nutrient levels, and make informed choices about fertilizers and amendments. With practical guidance on timing, tools, and next steps, this clear, approachable session will help you transform your soil data into a thriving, sustainable garden.
|
Demystifying Soil Testing: Turning Numbers Into Knowledge
Ever looked at a soil test report and thought, “Now what?” This session takes the guesswork out of soil testing, from proper sampling techniques to interpreting results with confidence. Learn how to read and compare reports from different labs, identify key indicators like pH and nutrient levels, and make informed choices about fertilizers and amendments. With practical guidance on timing, tools, and next steps, this clear, approachable session will help you transform your soil data into a thriving, sustainable garden. Sunday, February 22, 2026 2:45pm
|
Main Stage
|
11:00am |
Container Showdown - Sunday Dee Montpetit - Garden Designer, Founder of Ma Petite Gardens
Susan Browne - Award-winning Landscape Designer, Educator
|
Container Showdown - Sunday
Sunday, February 22, 2026 11:00am
|
|
2:30pm |
Blooms & Bubbles: Designing With Lilies [additional ticket required] Dee Hall Goodwin - Flower Farmer, Designer, Founder of Mermaid City Flowers
View More
Discover the timeless beauty of lilies with farmer-florist Dee Hall Goodwin. In this hands-on floral design session, Dee shares her creative approach to showcasing these dazzling focal flowers in both hand-tied bouquets and centerpiece arrangements. Working with locally grown Pacific Northwest lilies and complementary blooms, you’ll learn how to combine fragrance, texture, and color for a stunning arrangement that celebrates the season—perfect to gift or enjoy yourself.
|
Blooms & Bubbles: Designing With Lilies [additional ticket required]
Discover the timeless beauty of lilies with farmer-florist Dee Hall Goodwin. In this hands-on floral design session, Dee shares her creative approach to showcasing these dazzling focal flowers in both hand-tied bouquets and centerpiece arrangements. Working with locally grown Pacific Northwest lilies and complementary blooms, you’ll learn how to combine fragrance, texture, and color for a stunning arrangement that celebrates the season—perfect to gift or enjoy yourself.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 2:30pm
|
|
4:00pm |
Trending Houseplant Propagation Techniques Lindsay Sisti - Author, Plant Shop Owner, Houseplant Hybridizer
View More
As certain plants rise in popularity, so do the propagation techniques gardeners use to multiply them. This informative seminar reviews the anatomy of three favorite houseplants—the ZZ plant, string of hearts, and alocasia—as it relates to successful propagation. Attendees will observe step-by-step demonstrations of three effective methods: ZZ plant leaflet propagation, the string of hearts “butterfly technique,” and alocasia corm propagation. Each example highlights how understanding plant structure leads to greater success in growing new specimens, offering attendees practical knowledge to expand their collections with confidence and precision.
|
Trending Houseplant Propagation Techniques
As certain plants rise in popularity, so do the propagation techniques gardeners use to multiply them. This informative seminar reviews the anatomy of three favorite houseplants—the ZZ plant, string of hearts, and alocasia—as it relates to successful propagation. Attendees will observe step-by-step demonstrations of three effective methods: ZZ plant leaflet propagation, the string of hearts “butterfly technique,” and alocasia corm propagation. Each example highlights how understanding plant structure leads to greater success in growing new specimens, offering attendees practical knowledge to expand their collections with confidence and precision.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 4:00pm
|
DIY Stage
|
11:45am |
Soil Health Simplified with Epic Gardening Join Kevin Espiritu and Jacques Lyakov of Epic Gardening for a fast-paced, myth-busting look at what really makes healthy soil. Watch as they demonstrate how to build life below the surface through composting, microbial activity, and simple regenerative practices that boost everything from flavor to yield. With clear, practical tips and a dash of humor, Kevin and Jacques break down soil science into steps anyone can follow—whether you’re tending a backyard micro-farm or a few raised beds. This dynamic demo proves that thriving gardens start from the ground up.
|
Soil Health Simplified with Epic Gardening
Join Kevin Espiritu and Jacques Lyakov of Epic Gardening for a fast-paced, myth-busting look at what really makes healthy soil. Watch as they demonstrate how to build life below the surface through composting, microbial activity, and simple regenerative practices that boost everything from flavor to yield. With clear, practical tips and a dash of humor, Kevin and Jacques break down soil science into steps anyone can follow—whether you’re tending a backyard micro-farm or a few raised beds. This dynamic demo proves that thriving gardens start from the ground up.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 11:45am
|
|
1:30pm |
The Journey of 1000 Plants Begins With One Seed Geoffrey Johnson - Seed Enthusiast, Founder of D.O.P.E.
View More
Seeds carry stories—of people, places, and traditions that connect generations of growers. In this engaging seminar, Southern seed expert Geoffrey Johnson shares his most trusted strategies for successful seed starting, paired with inspiring tales from the communities that keep heirloom varieties alive. Learn practical techniques for starting strong, healthy plants while gaining a deeper appreciation for the cultural heritage behind the seeds we sow. With a blend of down-to-earth wisdom and contagious enthusiasm, this session celebrates the art, science, and soul of growing from seed.
|
The Journey of 1000 Plants Begins With One Seed
Seeds carry stories—of people, places, and traditions that connect generations of growers. In this engaging seminar, Southern seed expert Geoffrey Johnson shares his most trusted strategies for successful seed starting, paired with inspiring tales from the communities that keep heirloom varieties alive. Learn practical techniques for starting strong, healthy plants while gaining a deeper appreciation for the cultural heritage behind the seeds we sow. With a blend of down-to-earth wisdom and contagious enthusiasm, this session celebrates the art, science, and soul of growing from seed.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 1:30pm
|
|
3:15pm |
Care and Management of Happy Fruit Trees Allen Taylor - Master Arborist, Educator, Owner Conservation Tree Care
View More
Successful orchardists know that growing fruit is equal parts gardening and cooking. This session explores the full cycle of fruit tree care—from planting and pruning to harvesting and enjoying the results. Attendees will learn key techniques for cultivating healthy, productive trees and see a live demonstration of pruning and harvest methods in action. Whether you’re tending a backyard tree or dreaming of a home orchard, this session offers practical insight into growing, maintaining, and savoring fruit straight from your garden.
|
Care and Management of Happy Fruit Trees
Successful orchardists know that growing fruit is equal parts gardening and cooking. This session explores the full cycle of fruit tree care—from planting and pruning to harvesting and enjoying the results. Attendees will learn key techniques for cultivating healthy, productive trees and see a live demonstration of pruning and harvest methods in action. Whether you’re tending a backyard tree or dreaming of a home orchard, this session offers practical insight into growing, maintaining, and savoring fruit straight from your garden.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 3:15pm
|
Adams Room
|
10:30am |
Regenerative Flower Farming: How Beauty Can Heal the Earth Jennifer Gulizia - Flower Farmer, Educator, Podcast Host
View More
What if your flower garden could do more than just look beautiful? What if it could help restore soil, support pollinators, and play a role in healing the planet? In this inspiring seminar, attendees will follow Jennifer Gulizia’s journey of transforming 20 acres of depleted land into a thriving regenerative flower farm. The session explores what regenerative gardening really means, why soil health matters even in small spaces, and how to begin with simple, sustainable steps like composting, cover cropping, and planting with purpose. Every garden, no matter its size, can make a lasting difference.
|
Regenerative Flower Farming: How Beauty Can Heal the Earth
What if your flower garden could do more than just look beautiful? What if it could help restore soil, support pollinators, and play a role in healing the planet? In this inspiring seminar, attendees will follow Jennifer Gulizia’s journey of transforming 20 acres of depleted land into a thriving regenerative flower farm. The session explores what regenerative gardening really means, why soil health matters even in small spaces, and how to begin with simple, sustainable steps like composting, cover cropping, and planting with purpose. Every garden, no matter its size, can make a lasting difference.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 10:30am
|
|
12:00pm |
More Than Canning: Creative and Easy Ways to Preserve the Harvest Meagan Lloyd - Gardening Creator, Sustainable Living Advocate
View More
Your garden has given you abundance... now what? This practical, flavor-filled seminar explores both modern and traditional ways to preserve the harvest long after the season ends. Go beyond water bath and pressure canning to discover fermentation, dehydrating, freezing, infusing, and shelf-stable meal-making. Learn which methods best protect flavor and nutrients, how to store homegrown produce safely, and clever tricks for using every last bit (yes, even carrot tops). Whether you’re overflowing with tomatoes or buried in basil, this session will help you save - and savor - the season all year long.
|
More Than Canning: Creative and Easy Ways to Preserve the Harvest
Your garden has given you abundance... now what? This practical, flavor-filled seminar explores both modern and traditional ways to preserve the harvest long after the season ends. Go beyond water bath and pressure canning to discover fermentation, dehydrating, freezing, infusing, and shelf-stable meal-making. Learn which methods best protect flavor and nutrients, how to store homegrown produce safely, and clever tricks for using every last bit (yes, even carrot tops). Whether you’re overflowing with tomatoes or buried in basil, this session will help you save - and savor - the season all year long.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 12:00pm
|
|
1:30pm |
In the Garden with Flower Hill Farm Nicole Pitt - Flower Farmer, Garden Center Owner, Content Creator
View More
Step into the world of In the Garden with Flower Hill Farm as it comes to life on stage at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. In this upbeat, live podcast-style session, Nicole Pitt explores the history and magic of seeds, sharing practical tips, personal stories, and lessons learned as a flower farmer and garden center owner. With her signature humor and warmth, Nicole offers inspiration for gardeners at every level, inviting the audience to slow down, dig in, and reconnect with the simple joy of growing.
|
In the Garden with Flower Hill Farm
Step into the world of In the Garden with Flower Hill Farm as it comes to life on stage at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. In this upbeat, live podcast-style session, Nicole Pitt explores the history and magic of seeds, sharing practical tips, personal stories, and lessons learned as a flower farmer and garden center owner. With her signature humor and warmth, Nicole offers inspiration for gardeners at every level, inviting the audience to slow down, dig in, and reconnect with the simple joy of growing.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 1:30pm
|
|
3:00pm |
Reclaiming Kinship with our Plant Relatives LoriAnn Bird - Métis Herbalist, Educator, Author
View More
Rediscover the deep, interconnected relationship between people, plants, and the living world. This reflective session explores how we can regenerate and care for Mother Earth, who offers abundance through her gifts of life. Attendees will consider who to invite into their gardens to rebuild a reciprocal relationship with native plants... their nourishing wild edibles, their healing medicines, and their quiet beauty. Rooted in gratitude and respect, this session reminds us that every act of tending the earth is also an act of receiving, reconnecting, and belonging.
|
Reclaiming Kinship with our Plant Relatives
Rediscover the deep, interconnected relationship between people, plants, and the living world. This reflective session explores how we can regenerate and care for Mother Earth, who offers abundance through her gifts of life. Attendees will consider who to invite into their gardens to rebuild a reciprocal relationship with native plants... their nourishing wild edibles, their healing medicines, and their quiet beauty. Rooted in gratitude and respect, this session reminds us that every act of tending the earth is also an act of receiving, reconnecting, and belonging.
Sunday, February 22, 2026 3:00pm
|
