February 17-21, 2027

Seattle Convention Center

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Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

All seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival are FREE with your ticket!

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Seminar schedule subject to change, so we recommend checking back closer to the Festival for the most current schedule.

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Thursday, February 18, 2027

Book Signing Add to Calendar

Hood Room

9:30am	The Vanishing Garden Eric Hsu - Chanticleer Horticulturist, Writer View More Some garden-worthy plants are quietly disappearing, not only because of pests and disease, but as specialty nurseries close, skilled growers retire, and changing fashions leave once-beloved plants behind. Explore the surprising forces that put our garden plant heritage at risk and discover several plants whose futures have become increasingly precarious. Learn why preserving these plants matters, how their loss affects the diversity of our gardens, and why gardeners have an important role to play in keeping them in cultivation.	The Vanishing Garden Some garden-worthy plants are quietly disappearing, not only because of pests and disease, but as specialty nurseries close, skilled growers retire, and changing fashions leave once-beloved plants behind. Explore the surprising forces that put our garden plant heritage at risk and discover several plants whose futures have become increasingly precarious. Learn why preserving these plants matters, how their loss affects the diversity of our gardens, and why gardeners have an important role to play in keeping them in cultivation. Thursday, February 18, 2027 9:30am
12:00pm	Three Weeks Inside Sissinghurst Tamara Paulat - Garden Coach, Writer, Photographer, Propagator View More What is it like to be invited to work as a guest gardener at one of the world’s most celebrated gardens? Step behind the scenes at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, England, through three weeks spent working alongside its garden team in the Delos Garden, a Greek-inspired dry garden first imagined by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in 1935. Discover how the once-unsuccessful garden was reimagined in 2019 with improved soil, drainage, and a new plant palette, giving the original vision new life. Through beautiful images and firsthand observations, explore techniques and inspiration for drought-adapted gardening closer to home.	Three Weeks Inside Sissinghurst What is it like to be invited to work as a guest gardener at one of the world’s most celebrated gardens? Step behind the scenes at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, England, through three weeks spent working alongside its garden team in the Delos Garden, a Greek-inspired dry garden first imagined by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in 1935. Discover how the once-unsuccessful garden was reimagined in 2019 with improved soil, drainage, and a new plant palette, giving the original vision new life. Through beautiful images and firsthand observations, explore techniques and inspiration for drought-adapted gardening closer to home. Thursday, February 18, 2027 12:00pm
1:15pm	Contained Brilliance: Container Garden Like a Pro Cynthia Funes - Certified Professional Horticulturist, Container Garden Designer, Educator View More Packed with visual inspiration and practical advice, this session takes the guesswork out of container gardening by sharing the principles and techniques professionals rely on. Whether you’re planting your first statement pot or refining a patio full of containers, you’ll come away with a more confident approach to creating combinations that look better and perform better. Beautiful container gardens start with more than great plants. Discover how thoughtful container selection, soil, plant choices, design principles, and the right tools work together to create polished, successful results.	Contained Brilliance: Container Garden Like a Pro Packed with visual inspiration and practical advice, this session takes the guesswork out of container gardening by sharing the principles and techniques professionals rely on. Whether you’re planting your first statement pot or refining a patio full of containers, you’ll come away with a more confident approach to creating combinations that look better and perform better. Beautiful container gardens start with more than great plants. Discover how thoughtful container selection, soil, plant choices, design principles, and the right tools work together to create polished, successful results. Thursday, February 18, 2027 1:15pm
2:30pm	Bedding Plants: A History of Empire & Industry Christin Geall - Author, Floral Designer, Writer View More They fill window boxes, public parks, and garden beds everywhere, but the familiar bedding plant has a surprisingly complicated past. Travel back to the nineteenth century to see how these colorful plants became horticultural sensations and transformed the look of public spaces. Trace where the plants came from, how bedding became a recognizable garden style, and the roles empire, commerce, and industry played in its rise. Along the way, see how a horticultural fashion born more than a century ago still shapes the plants and public landscapes around us today, and consider what bedding might look like in the future.	Bedding Plants: A History of Empire & Industry They fill window boxes, public parks, and garden beds everywhere, but the familiar bedding plant has a surprisingly complicated past. Travel back to the nineteenth century to see how these colorful plants became horticultural sensations and transformed the look of public spaces. Trace where the plants came from, how bedding became a recognizable garden style, and the roles empire, commerce, and industry played in its rise. Along the way, see how a horticultural fashion born more than a century ago still shapes the plants and public landscapes around us today, and consider what bedding might look like in the future. Thursday, February 18, 2027 2:30pm
3:45pm	The Four-Season Grass Garden Susan D Calhoun - Fine Gardening Contributing Editor Landscape Designer View More Inspired by sweeping prairie gardens but working with a smaller space, what began as an experiment with ornamental grasses evolved into a garden designed for interest in every season. The result combines grasses with carefully chosen companions for year-round color, texture, and life, with very little water. See how bulbs and evergreen grasses can start the show in early spring, while flowering companions such as echinacea, agapanthus, eremurus, and yarrow add color through the seasons. In winter, wheat-colored seed heads and grasses provide structure and food for birds. Pick up ideas for plant combinations, design, and seasonal maintenance to create a biodiverse grass garden in a space of almost any size.	The Four-Season Grass Garden Inspired by sweeping prairie gardens but working with a smaller space, what began as an experiment with ornamental grasses evolved into a garden designed for interest in every season. The result combines grasses with carefully chosen companions for year-round color, texture, and life, with very little water. See how bulbs and evergreen grasses can start the show in early spring, while flowering companions such as echinacea, agapanthus, eremurus, and yarrow add color through the seasons. In winter, wheat-colored seed heads and grasses provide structure and food for birds. Pick up ideas for plant combinations, design, and seasonal maintenance to create a biodiverse grass garden in a space of almost any size. Thursday, February 18, 2027 3:45pm
5:00pm	Beyond the Weeping Willow John Coghlan - Founder Cultivating Gardens, Landscape Designer View More There’s far more to willows than the familiar weeping tree. Discover an astonishing diversity of forms, colors, and uses, from Pacific Northwest native species to ornamental selections prized for colorful stems, graceful structure, and early-season catkins. Explore ways to use willows in habitat restoration, rain gardens, naturalized landscapes, and smaller residential gardens. Learn how to select the right species and successfully grow them in Northwest conditions while discovering just how beautiful and versatile this underappreciated group of plants can be.	Beyond the Weeping Willow There’s far more to willows than the familiar weeping tree. Discover an astonishing diversity of forms, colors, and uses, from Pacific Northwest native species to ornamental selections prized for colorful stems, graceful structure, and early-season catkins. Explore ways to use willows in habitat restoration, rain gardens, naturalized landscapes, and smaller residential gardens. Learn how to select the right species and successfully grow them in Northwest conditions while discovering just how beautiful and versatile this underappreciated group of plants can be. Thursday, February 18, 2027 5:00pm

Rainier Room

10:00am

Exciting New Plants from Around the World

Brian Minter - C.M., Horticulturist, O.B.C., Syndicated Columnist

Discover some of the most exciting new plants finding their way into gardens and landscapes from around the world. As gardeners adapt to a changing climate and declines in beneficial insects and birds, new introductions are offering greater heat and drought tolerance while providing valuable support for wildlife.

From trees and shrubs to perennials and annuals, see standout new plants and discover what they can bring to your garden, from beauty and resilience to greater habitat value and exciting new possibilities for the landscape.

Exciting New Plants from Around the World

Thursday, February 18, 2027 10:00am

1:45pm

Stunning Drought-Tolerant Perennials

Ciscoe Morris - Author, Radio & Television Personality

Stunning Drought-Tolerant Perennials

Thursday, February 18, 2027 1:45pm

3:00pm

Horticultural Hooch

C.L. Fornari - Author, Garden Communicator, Radio Host

Whether you’re mixing cocktails or mocktails, look to the garden and the great outdoors for fresh inspiration. Discover how foraged and homegrown weeds, flowers, herbs, and fruit can bring unexpected flavor, fragrance, and beauty to the glass.

Learn which plants make the delicious journey from garden to glass, along with ideas for harvesting and using them in creative drinks at home. You’ll leave looking at both your garden and your cocktail hour a little differently.

Horticultural Hooch

Thursday, February 18, 2027 3:00pm

Main Stage

4:00pm

Hydrangea Fan Club™ Happy Hour

Ryan McEnaney -

Hydrangea Fan Club™ Happy Hour

Thursday, February 18, 2027 4:00pm

DIY Stage

10:15am	Think Like an Arborist: What to Prune & Why Allen Taylor - ISA Board Certified Master Arborist View More Good pruning starts before you make the first cut. Learn how professional arborists evaluate a tree, decide what they’re trying to accomplish, and choose cuts that support a clear objective, from improving structure and reducing risk to increasing clearance or preserving a tree’s natural form. Then see that decision-making process put into practice with a live pruning demonstration. You’ll learn how thoughtful planning leads to better pruning decisions and healthier trees, giving you more confidence before reaching for the pruners in your own garden.	Think Like an Arborist: What to Prune & Why Good pruning starts before you make the first cut. Learn how professional arborists evaluate a tree, decide what they’re trying to accomplish, and choose cuts that support a clear objective, from improving structure and reducing risk to increasing clearance or preserving a tree’s natural form. Then see that decision-making process put into practice with a live pruning demonstration. You’ll learn how thoughtful planning leads to better pruning decisions and healthier trees, giving you more confidence before reaching for the pruners in your own garden. Thursday, February 18, 2027 10:15am
11:45am	Perfect Pairings: Houseplants That Thrive Together Kamili Bell Hill - Author, Content Creator, Founder PlantBlerd View More A beautiful mixed container is only successful if the plants are happy living together. See how to move beyond the single houseplant pot and create combinations that work both aesthetically and horticulturally. Watch a mixed houseplant container come together step by step, with practical guidance for pairing plants based on their light, soil, and humidity needs. See how those choices can create compatible microclimates within a single pot, and pick up ideas for mixing and matching plants into combinations that look great and thrive together long-term.	Perfect Pairings: Houseplants That Thrive Together A beautiful mixed container is only successful if the plants are happy living together. See how to move beyond the single houseplant pot and create combinations that work both aesthetically and horticulturally. Watch a mixed houseplant container come together step by step, with practical guidance for pairing plants based on their light, soil, and humidity needs. See how those choices can create compatible microclimates within a single pot, and pick up ideas for mixing and matching plants into combinations that look great and thrive together long-term. Thursday, February 18, 2027 11:45am
1:15pm	Written in Stone: Make a Hypertufa Trough Patrick Robert Ryan - Alaska Botanical Garden Education Specialist, Master Gardener, Communicator View More Think hypertufa looks complicated? Watch a trough take shape from start to finish and discover the techniques and simple skills needed to create these long-lasting, weatherproof garden containers. Learn how to make an attractive, inexpensive home for alpines, succulents, dwarf hostas, dwarf conifers, and other garden treasures. You’ll also receive an online recipe and complete instructions so you can recreate the process at home, make a hypertufa container of your own, and have something fabulous to show off to your gardening friends. They will be jealous.	Written in Stone: Make a Hypertufa Trough Think hypertufa looks complicated? Watch a trough take shape from start to finish and discover the techniques and simple skills needed to create these long-lasting, weatherproof garden containers. Learn how to make an attractive, inexpensive home for alpines, succulents, dwarf hostas, dwarf conifers, and other garden treasures. You’ll also receive an online recipe and complete instructions so you can recreate the process at home, make a hypertufa container of your own, and have something fabulous to show off to your gardening friends. They will be jealous. Thursday, February 18, 2027 1:15pm
2:45pm	Fools for Our Tools Marc W. Boucher-Colbert - Franciscan Montessori Garden Specialist, Urban AG Solutions Principal View More Great tools can make gardening easier, but what actually makes a garden tool great? Get an up-close look at favorite tools for common and specialized garden jobs and learn what separates a well-made tool from a cheap imitation. See how different tools are designed to tackle specific tasks, discover which specialized tools can genuinely make the job easier, and learn what to look for when choosing tools of your own. You’ll also pick up practical tips for keeping quality tools working at their peak for years to come.	Fools for Our Tools Great tools can make gardening easier, but what actually makes a garden tool great? Get an up-close look at favorite tools for common and specialized garden jobs and learn what separates a well-made tool from a cheap imitation. See how different tools are designed to tackle specific tasks, discover which specialized tools can genuinely make the job easier, and learn what to look for when choosing tools of your own. You’ll also pick up practical tips for keeping quality tools working at their peak for years to come. Thursday, February 18, 2027 2:45pm
4:15pm	The Shearables & the Hackables: Prune with Confidence Kristin Jackson - Certified Professional Horticulturist, Garden Designer View More Some shrubs can be cut nearly to the ground each year, while others barely tolerate a trim. How do you know which is which? Learn when to shear, when to cut back hard, and when to leave well enough alone. Through demonstrations using heather, lavender, rockrose, Perovskia, fuchsia, and other woody perennials, discover practical pruning techniques that take the guesswork out of maintaining these garden favorites. You’ll leave better equipped to make the right cut at the right time, without worrying that one enthusiastic snip will lead to pandemonium.	The Shearables & the Hackables: Prune with Confidence Some shrubs can be cut nearly to the ground each year, while others barely tolerate a trim. How do you know which is which? Learn when to shear, when to cut back hard, and when to leave well enough alone. Through demonstrations using heather, lavender, rockrose, Perovskia, fuchsia, and other woody perennials, discover practical pruning techniques that take the guesswork out of maintaining these garden favorites. You’ll leave better equipped to make the right cut at the right time, without worrying that one enthusiastic snip will lead to pandemonium. Thursday, February 18, 2027 4:15pm

Creative Studio

10:00am

Paper to Petals: Camellias

Quynh D. Nguyen -

Celebrate one of the Northwest garden’s earliest blooms by creating a remarkably lifelike camellia from crepe paper.

Shape and layer softly cupped, ruffled petals, add finely fringed stamens, then finish your flower with sepals and glossy green leaves on a graceful stem. Along the way, you’ll learn the techniques used to capture the details that make paper flowers look wonderfully real.

You’ll leave with your own handmade camellia and the techniques to keep turning simple sheets of crepe paper into flowers that never fade.

All materials are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Paper to Petals: Camellias

Celebrate one of the Northwest garden’s earliest blooms by creating a remarkably lifelike camellia from crepe paper.

You’ll leave with your own handmade camellia and the techniques to keep turning simple sheets of crepe paper into flowers that never fade.

All materials are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Thursday, February 18, 2027 10:00am

12:00pm

Sunshine & Spice: Turmeric Sun Prints

Janice Cox - Sheet-Mulching Queen, Content Creator

Turmeric is having a moment, and there’s much more to this vibrant golden-orange spice than its place in the kitchen. Discover its creative side by using turmeric as a photosensitive pigment to create your own botanical sun print with flowers, leaves, seed pods, and other natural materials.

The fun goes beyond the print, with a closer look at turmeric as a plant, how to grow and use it, and your own rhizome to plant and take home. You’ll leave with your botanical creation, turmeric to grow at home, and a little sunshine-powered botanical magic to carry into your own garden and creative life.

All materials are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Sunshine & Spice: Turmeric Sun Prints

All materials are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Thursday, February 18, 2027 12:00pm

2:00pm

Moss, Mud & Magic: Make a Kokedama

Davida Kaye Freeman - DIY Workshop Instructor, Houseplant Collector, Educator

Working with lush forest moss, rich soil, and a living plant, enjoy the tactile pleasure of shaping something beautiful with your hands. This Japanese planting tradition turns simple natural materials into a sculptural piece of botanical art.

You’ll create your own kokedama to take home and display, while gaining the confidence to make more on your own. Leave with a beautiful living creation and, perhaps, the beginning of a new botanical obsession.

All materials and plants are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Moss, Mud & Magic: Make a Kokedama

All materials and plants are provided, along with a complimentary pair of WomensWork gloves.

Thursday, February 18, 2027 2:00pm

Adams Room

10:30am	Birth of a Botanic Garden Mark Weathington - Author, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum, Horticulture Professor Jennifer Jewell New - NPR and Public Television Host Silas Zoeller - Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Horticulturist, Rare Plant Enthusiast Sean Bernard Hogan - Author, Cistus Design Nursery Co-Founder, Horticulturist View More Botanic gardens can feel as though they’ve always been there, shaped over generations and rooted in long-established institutions. But what does it take to create one now? Join Cultivating Place host Jennifer Jewell for a conversation with three plantsmen experiencing that process firsthand. Sean Hogan is developing a new botanic garden in Portland, Silas Zoeller is helping guide Far Reaches Farm’s evolution into a botanic garden, and Mark Weathington brings the perspective of the JC Raulston Arboretum as Juniper Level Botanic Garden becomes part of its future. Together, they’ll consider what transforms a remarkable collection of plants into a botanic garden, what these institutions can offer their communities, and how decisions being made today may shape the plants, knowledge, and landscapes preserved for generations to come.	Birth of a Botanic Garden Botanic gardens can feel as though they’ve always been there, shaped over generations and rooted in long-established institutions. But what does it take to create one now? Join Cultivating Place host Jennifer Jewell for a conversation with three plantsmen experiencing that process firsthand. Sean Hogan is developing a new botanic garden in Portland, Silas Zoeller is helping guide Far Reaches Farm’s evolution into a botanic garden, and Mark Weathington brings the perspective of the JC Raulston Arboretum as Juniper Level Botanic Garden becomes part of its future. Together, they’ll consider what transforms a remarkable collection of plants into a botanic garden, what these institutions can offer their communities, and how decisions being made today may shape the plants, knowledge, and landscapes preserved for generations to come. Thursday, February 18, 2027 10:30am
12:00pm	Bring your Garden to Life with Water John McCallen - Ecologist, Garden Designer, Habitat Restoration Specialist View More Imagine stepping into your garden to the gentle trickle of a fountain, a dragonfly skimming across a pond, or a bird stopping to bathe and drink. Water can add beauty and movement while creating valuable habitat, even in a small garden. Explore water features ranging from a compact pondless waterfall to a 5,000-gallon koi pond with a wastewater fertigation system. Learn practical ideas for integrating water beautifully into the landscape while supporting and attracting life to your garden.	Bring your Garden to Life with Water Imagine stepping into your garden to the gentle trickle of a fountain, a dragonfly skimming across a pond, or a bird stopping to bathe and drink. Water can add beauty and movement while creating valuable habitat, even in a small garden. Explore water features ranging from a compact pondless waterfall to a 5,000-gallon koi pond with a wastewater fertigation system. Learn practical ideas for integrating water beautifully into the landscape while supporting and attracting life to your garden. Thursday, February 18, 2027 12:00pm
1:30pm	Think Like a Garden Designer Kryssie Maybay - Author, Founder Kismet Design, Landscape Architect, Podcast Host View More Feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities in your own garden? Learn how to step back from the details and look at your landscape with a designer’s eye. You’ll discover how asking the right questions can help you make more confident design decisions and move from indecision to a clear, cohesive plan. Develop your own “designer brain” by learning to observe flow, traffic patterns, spatial proportions, and how different areas of the garden work together, giving you the tools to create an actionable vision for your own garden.	Think Like a Garden Designer Feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities in your own garden? Learn how to step back from the details and look at your landscape with a designer’s eye. You’ll discover how asking the right questions can help you make more confident design decisions and move from indecision to a clear, cohesive plan. Develop your own “designer brain” by learning to observe flow, traffic patterns, spatial proportions, and how different areas of the garden work together, giving you the tools to create an actionable vision for your own garden. Thursday, February 18, 2027 1:30pm
3:00pm	Gardening with Dinosaurs Gene Rozenboom - Garden Tour Host, IPM Specialist View More Imagine growing plants whose ancestors shared the planet with dinosaurs. Some remarkable plant lineages have persisted for millions of years, surviving dramatic changes to the planet and offering a living connection to Earth’s prehistoric past. Meet ancient plants that you can still grow in your garden or home today. Discover their fascinating histories, distinctive characteristics, and what has allowed them to endure through the ages, then learn how to add a little prehistory to your own plant collection.	Gardening with Dinosaurs Imagine growing plants whose ancestors shared the planet with dinosaurs. Some remarkable plant lineages have persisted for millions of years, surviving dramatic changes to the planet and offering a living connection to Earth’s prehistoric past. Meet ancient plants that you can still grow in your garden or home today. Discover their fascinating histories, distinctive characteristics, and what has allowed them to endure through the ages, then learn how to add a little prehistory to your own plant collection. Thursday, February 18, 2027 3:00pm

Traveler's Tea

3:30pm

English Gardens Worth the Journey

Sue Goetz - Author, Designer, Garden Tour Host, Horticulturist

Pack your (imaginary) bags and join Sue Goetz for a gardener’s journey through Cornwall, Southwest England, and the beautiful places in between. Visit gardens worth crossing an ocean for, gathering plant inspiration, memorable discoveries, and a few wonderful stories along the way.

Seen through the eyes of a fellow gardener and garden traveler, this is a personal journey through the places that linger long after the visit is over. Come away with new garden inspiration, a list of places to dream about visiting, and more than a little English garden wanderlust to feed your gardener’s soul.

English Gardens Worth the Journey

Thursday, February 18, 2027 3:30pm

Container Showdown

11:00am

Container Showdown

Anne Long - Educator, Flower Farmer, Dahlia House Owner

Container Showdown

Thursday, February 18, 2027 11:00am

1:00pm

Container Showdown: Celebrity Edition

Jessi Bloom - Resilient Gardening,Gardening & Landscape Design,Natives/Pollinators/Wildlife

Richie Steffen - Gardening & Landscape Design

Container Showdown: Celebrity Edition

Thursday, February 18, 2027 1:00pm

HOP

3:15pm

Plant Bingo

Lindsay Sisti - Author, Aroid Hybridizer, Houseplant Educator

Bingo, but make it botanical. Grab a card, settle in among the greenery in the House of Plants, and get ready for a lively round of Plant Bingo, where houseplant lovers, plant knowledge, and a little bit of luck come together.

Whether you know your houseplants backwards and forwards or simply know which ones you want to take home, everyone can play. Join the fun, meet some fellow plant people, and see if your card has what it takes to yell BINGO!

And while you’re there, meet Costa Farms plant expert Justin Hancock, author of the new The New Complete Guide to Houseplants, and pick up a little expert plant wisdom between rounds.

Plant Bingo

And while you’re there, meet Costa Farms plant expert Justin Hancock, author of the new The New Complete Guide to Houseplants, and pick up a little expert plant wisdom between rounds.

Thursday, February 18, 2027 3:15pm

Blooms & Bubbles

2:30pm

Botanical Love Letters: A Secret Message for the Table

Teresa Rao - Belle Pétale Founder, Floral Designer

Flowers have always had something to say. Teresa Rao, founder of Belle Pétale, brings the romance and symbolism of the Victorian language of flowers to the design table, where you’ll create a seasonal centerpiece with a message all its own.

Teresa will introduce you to the hidden meanings associated with flowers, herbs, and foliage, then help you choose and combine botanicals that express a sentiment personal to you. As your arrangement takes shape, you’ll discover how meaning can add another layer to floral design, turning a beautiful collection of flowers into something far more personal.

You’ll leave with your own Language of Flowers centerpiece, along with inspiration for creating arrangements that are as articulate as they are beautiful.

Botanical Love Letters: A Secret Message for the Table

You’ll leave with your own Language of Flowers centerpiece, along with inspiration for creating arrangements that are as articulate as they are beautiful.

Thursday, February 18, 2027 2:30pm