See It, Learn It, Do It: Practical Insights to Grow Your Gardening Skills
Orchids 101: Everything You Need to Know to Grow
Gorgeous Orchids Like a Pro
Joe Grienauer–Orchid
expert and owner, Emerald City Orchids
Joe will help you get orchids that you
treasure with this great hands-on demonstration. He’ll cover basic orchid
background, cultural requirements, (light/temp/water/etc.), fertilization, and
pest/disease control and reblooming. He’ll review greenhouse vs. window vs.
artificial light growing techniques, how to initiate flowers on a healthy
plant, which orchids are best for newbies, demo orchid repotting and mounting
an orchid to a piece of wood. Even brown thumbs can grow orchids if you learn
the basic techniques!
Wednesday, Feb 15 at 11:45 am / DIY Stage
Successful Garden Maintenance with the Correct
Tools
Ginger Hudson–Garden designer and Director,
Jensen-Olson Arboretum, Juneau, AK
Ginger has been gardening in the roughest of
roughs—from the limestone of the Texas Hill Country to the glacier outflows of
the Chugach Mountains and now in the moist, thin soil of Alaska’s Inside
Passage. Ginger will start at the bottom digging and move up to pruning. She’s
dealt with a thing or two over a career of nearly thirty years breaking tools
and shredding gloves while operating her own landscape business and managing
horticulture projects in public display gardens.
Wednesday, Feb 15 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage
Set in Stone: Making Hypertufa Garden Troughs
Patrick Ryan–Garden writer, radio host and education
specialist, Alaska Botanical Garden
You’ve no doubt seen these stylish troughs and
thought you’d like to have one or two. You probably thought it would be too
hard to make one, but Patrick will show you how to make a unique trough to
display your garden treasures. Alpines, dwarf hostas, dwarf conifers, mosses and
more look great in these rugged, yet classic containers.
A “cooking show” format will be utilized to make and plant an actual trough, to
be given away!
Wednesday, Feb 15 at 3:15 pm / DIY Stage
Never Ending Garden Chores? Get Organized!
Robin Haglund–Educator and founder and
president of Garden Mentors® and Garden Mentors Academy
Ever wonder how you keep ending up exhausted
after long gardening days and still have a garden that looks like you did
nothing? When this happens, you’re likely getting ‘randomized’ and just need
help getting organized! In this session, Robin draws from her online Garden
Mentors Gardening Academy to help you become a more efficient, targeted, and
effective gardener. You’ll come away with easy ways to plan, prioritize, and set
realistic, achievable individualized gardening goals.
Wednesday, Feb 15 at 6:30 pm / Hood Room
Rooting Out Problems Before You Plant
Linda Chalker-Scott, PhD–WSU Horticulture Professor and
author, How Plants Work and The Informed Gardener
This seminar will demonstrate the best ways to
prepare trees and shrubs for transplanting. Root washing and corrective pruning
is different from conventional methods, yet ongoing research demonstrates that
this new procedure leads to substantial increases in woody plant establishment
and survival. Investing the time to prepare and install trees and shrubs
properly will pay future dividends of reduced maintenance and increased plant
health for the lifetime of your landscape. Handouts containing the text of the
talk will be available to download.
Thursday, Feb 16 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
Shake it up! Herbal Happy Hour Garden Mixology
Robin Haglund–Educator and founder and
president of Garden Mentors® and Garden Mentors Academy
Take your happy hour to new levels! In this
hands-on presentation drafted from her Herbal Happy Hour Garden Course online,
Robin demonstrates how to craft tantalizingly tasty libations harvested from
beautiful garden-grown plants. She’ll teach ways to craft unique cocktails and
mocktails you can grow, blend, pour, and sip in your home garden. Skip pricey
bar tabs! Discover how to garden-to-glass your own tangy, tasty, unique, and
luscious sippables at home.
Thursday, Feb 16 at 3:30 pm / DIY Stage
Growing and Propagating a Bevy of Begonias
Ann Amato–Horticulturist and seed
propagator at Cistus Nursery and blogger, amateurbotannist.com
Begonias are one of the most beautiful plants
in our homes and gardens. From the huge blooms that last all summer in the
tuberous group, to the luscious leaves of the indoor and conservatory types.
Fibrous-rooted, tuberous, hardy, rhizomatous, and rex begonias, where should a
beginner begin? From the easiest begonias to the fussiest, care, propagation,
and cultivation tips will be shared for both beginners and advanced growers.
Friday, Feb 17 at 11:45 am / DIY Stage
A Simple Approach and Best Tools for Pruning
Most Shrubs and Small Garden Trees
Christina Pfeiffer–Horticulture
consultant and educator, ISA certified arborist and co-author, Pacific Northwest Gardening Month-by-Month
Pruning shrubs and small trees is very much a
science as well as an art. If you’ve had the frustration of not getting the
results you expected after pruning, this invaluable seminar will help you
figure out the right tools, the right cuts, and the best timing to get the most
out of your garden shrubs with the least amount of effort. Properly pruned
trees enhance their beauty and add value to your landscaping. Your shrubs and
trees will thank you!
Friday, Feb 17 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
The Language of Flowers: Gifts from the Garden
Teresa
Sabankaya–Author of The Posy Book
Join Teresa’s floral demonstration for an
entertaining look at how the language of flowers tells a story. Posies are a
circular nosegay with flowers and herbs that carry sentiments and messages in a
secret language. They are a sweet, elegant, and whimsical treat for the eyes,
and extremely fun to make. Teresa will demonstrate the materials and
inspiration to create a posy, sharing modern design techniques along with
garden blooms and heartfelt messages—yellow roses convey friendship,
silver-leaf geraniums articulate admiration, basil signifies best wishes, and a
world of other possibilities.
Friday, Feb 17 at 3:15 pm / DIY Stage/ Book signing to follow
The Plantrama Top 10:
What to Know and Grow
C L Fornari–Author, Coffee
for Roses and The Cocktail Garden Hour and award-winning co-host, Plantrama Podcast
Ellen Zachos– Award-winning co-host, Plantrama
Podcast, and author,
The Forager’s Pantry, Backyard
Foraging and The Wildcrafted Cocktail
The award-winning Plantrama
duo returns! Join Plantrama podcast co-hosts C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos as they
present their Top 10 suggestions for what to know and grow this year. Top 10
new shrubs, favorite herbs for cooking, cocktail hour garden plants, and
vegetables. Hear about the Top 10 Tools and the Top 10 Tricks for making your
gardening easier. Inspirations you can use with plants you can grow, plus
door-prizes! In 2019 the Plantrama podcast won the
Gold Medal from GardenComm International.
Friday, Feb 17 at 5:15 pm / Hood Room / Book signing to follow
The Language of Flowers: Gifts from the Garden
Teresa
Sabankaya–Author of The Posy Book
Join Teresa’s floral demonstration for an
entertaining look at how the language of flowers tells a story. Posies are a
circular nosegay with flowers and herbs that carry sentiments and messages in a
secret language. They are a sweet, elegant, and whimsical treat for the eyes,
and extremely fun to make. Teresa will demonstrate the materials and
inspiration to create a posy, sharing modern design techniques along with
garden blooms and heartfelt messages—yellow roses convey friendship,
silver-leaf geraniums articulate admiration, basil signifies best wishes, and a
world of other possibilities.
Saturday, Feb 18 at 10:00 am / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
Developing an Orchard Mason Bee Habitat in our
Urban Landscape
James Ullrich–Owner,
Knox Cellars Mason Bees
This demonstration covers developing a backyard
sanctuary for our invaluable native pollinators—Orchard Mason bees. Jim will
cover all the Mason bee's needs, including proper housing, housing location,
and plants to assist in the success of bringing Mason bees into one’s yard.
He’ll also review the life cycle of the Mason bee, and the maintenance
requirements of your colony during the pollination process, and how to harvest,
clean the cocoons and store them.
Saturday, Feb 18 at 11:45 am / DIY Stage
Get Free Plants When You Propagate like
the Pros!
Charlie Nardozzi–Regional Emmy award-winning radio, TV host and
author, Gardening Complete and No-Dig
Gardening
Many gardeners would love more of their
favorite plants, but shy away from the expense. You can save money and still
have those plants by propagating them yourself. In this hands-on demonstration,
Charlie Nardozzi will show the best ways to propagate
popular trees, shrubs, houseplants and flowers. Learn
plant division, taking and rooting leaf, stem and hardwood cuttings and air
layering, along with rooting hormone powders, the best soils, and the watering
and light conditions to be successful. It’s fun and easy to get more of your
favorite plants when you learn to propagate! Sponsored by Gardeners Supply
Company & Velcro USA.
Saturday, Feb 18 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
Composting for a Bountiful Garden and Planet
Christy Wilhelmi–Award-winning blogger, Gardenerd and author, Gardening for Geeks and
Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden
Composting is one of the best ways to build
better soil, solve pest problems, and grow more vibrant plants year after year.
Learn the difference between hot and cold composting, how to do both, and why
composting makes a difference for both people and planet. Find out what you can
really put in that bin, how to use the finished product, and how to get over
the “ick” factor in the process.
Saturday, Feb 18 at 5:15 pm / Hood Room / Book signing to follow
Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other
Backyard Wildlife
David Mizejewski–Naturalist at National Wildlife
Federation and author, Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard
Wildlife
One of the joys of gardening is creating a
beautiful, natural space that you and the local birds, butterflies and other
backyard wildlife can enjoy. National Wildlife Federation naturalist and TV
host David Mizejewski will show you how to create a
thriving wildlife habitat garden that provides the four components of habitat
using native plants and sustainable gardening practices. He’ll also tell you
how to get your garden recognized as an official “Certified Wildlife Habitat.”
Saturday, Feb 18 at 6:30 pm / Hood Room / Book signing to follow
Growing Anemones, Ranunculus, Peonies and
Dahlias
Anne Long–Owner, The Dahlia House, Skagit
Valley
Dahlia House owner Anne Long will share everything
you need to know to grow these popular spring and summer cut flowers. The
following information will be covered for each variety listed: best time to
plant for growing zone 7 – 8; ideal growing conditions (temperature, sun
exposure, wind consideration, when to water); soil preparation and amendments;
season extension; effective staking and corralling techniques (for peonies and
dahlias); harvesting and vase life extension; identifying and controlling pests.
This year will be your best ever for growing these
fabulous florals!
Sunday, Feb 19 at 10:00 AM / DIY Stage
The Three Basic Pruning Cuts (and How to Use
Them)
Allen
Taylor–Award-winning founder and lead arborist,
Conservation Tree Care
Pruning is both an art and a science. A
well-pruned tree or shrub both enhances its beauty and its value to a
landscape. An entire world of tree pruning all comes down to the three basic
cuts: Removal cuts, reduction cuts, and heading cuts. People spend their whole
careers just learning where and when to use these three basic cuts. We will
delve into what these cuts look like, where to use them, and where to not use
them.
Sunday, Feb 19 at 10:30 am / Hood Room
Training Young Trees for Future Health and Beauty
Christina Pfeiffer–Horticulture
consultant and educator, ISA certified arborist and co-author, Pacific Northwest Gardening Month-by-Month
The most important pruning for training young
trees can be quickly done with hand tools, yet it is often overlooked until
much later, when the pruning options and efforts are much more difficult. Learn
how to nip those potential problems in the bud with five basic steps for
inspecting the structure of a young tree and how to prune early for future
structure and long-term beauty.
Sunday, Feb 19 at 11:45 am / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
The Regenerative Garden: Small Scale
Permaculture for the Home Garden
Stephanie Rose–Award-winning author, The Regenerative
Garden, Garden Made and Garden Alchemy and founder of GardenTherapy.ca
A regenerative garden is so much more than
sustainable. It’s more than resilient. Learn how and why you should transform
your garden into a self-sustaining ecosystem that follows the path of nature.
Stephanie will share the key components of a regenerative garden, including how
to turn your space into a functioning ecosystem and help you become a better,
more eco-conscious gardener.
Sunday, Feb 19 at 12:30 pm / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow
Grow–Harvest–Preserve: Getting the Best from
Your Herb Garden
Sue Goetz CPH, EcoPro–Owner, Creative
Gardener and author, Complete Container Herb Gardening and A Taste
for Herbs
It all starts in the garden, growing fresh
herbs—then the journey continues with learning how to use them. Discover harvesting
tips for the best ways to fully capture the essence of all your herbs, how to preserve
them, freezing and drying techniques, and how to use herbs in infusions. Also
learn proper storage and herb blending ideas for use in teas, culinary dishes,
and natural beauty, healing, and personal care, and more.
Sunday, Feb 19 at 1:30 pm / DIY Stage / Book signing to follow
Be the Boss of Your Bareroots and Bulbs: Learn
Planting Tips and Techniques
Sean and Allison McManus–Co-owners
of Spoken Garden, co-authors of The
First-time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers, and YouTube channel hosts
Don’t let bareroot plants or bulbs intimidate
you this spring. Learn from Sean and Allison how to confidently handle and
plant bareroot perennials like Itoh peonies, coneflowers, and more. You’ll also
learn bulb planting techniques and ideas to level up your bulb game with
“Lasagna” layered bulb containers for both spring and summer flowering bulbs. Take
away planting skills, like bulb planting depth, handling, and tools, to help
your plants thrive this spring and summer.
Sunday, Feb 19 at 3:15 pm / DIY Stage / Book
Signing to follow