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

Buy Tickets Early and Save

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

Thursday, February 19, 2026

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Rainier Room

(All seminars 60 minutes unless noted)

10:00am

Judge Session Descriptions Released In November

Wambui Ipolito - Horticulturalist, Award-winning Landscape Designer, Author


 

11:30am

Native or Not: Should We Be Growing Non-native plants? A Heronswood Perspective.

Ross Bayton - Botanist, Author, Director of Heronswood Garden

Debby Purser - Tribal Liaison at Heronswood Garden

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1:00pm

Judge Session Descriptions Released In November

Frances Tophill - TV Presenter, Author, Educator


 

2:30pm

High Lights from Soaring Heights; Reflections on Four Decades of Plant Hunting

Dan Hinkley - Award-winning Plantsman, Collector, Author

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4:00pm

Growing a Garden with Soul, Soil & Science

Anne Bikle - Soil Health Expert, Author, and Science Writer

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5:30pm

Hugelkultur Gardening in the PNW

Sarah Wagstaff - Flower Farmer, Educator, Owner of SUOT Farm

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Hood Room

(All seminars 60 minutes unless noted)

9:30am

Variegata!

Dan Heims - Author, President of Terra Nova Nurseries

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10:45am

Sedges Have Edges: Unlocking the Secrets of Carex in Your Garden

John Coghlan - Award-Winning Landscape Designer, Owner of HomeGrown Organics

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12:00pm

Garden Like a Flower Farmer

Debra Prinzing - Writer, Speaker, Founder of Slow Flowers Society

Robin Avni - Creative Director, Author, Co-founder of BLOOM Imprint

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1:15pm

Planting Awesome Every Day

Lloyd Traven - Plantsman, owner Peacetree Farm

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2:45pm

Operating Instructions for the (Occasionally Overwhelmed) Gardener

Lorene Edwards Forkner - Artist, Author, Garden Journalist

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4:00pm

Gardening in Alaska’s Zone 4: Cultivating Success on the Kenai Peninsula

Larry Opperman - Radio Host, Master Gardener, Educator

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5:15pm

Heaths & Heathers: Color For All Seasons

Karla Lortz - Owner of Heaths & Heathers, Heather Expert

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Main Stage

11:00am

Container Showdown - Thursday

Richie Steffen - Executive Director, Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden

Justin Henderson - Executive Director and Head Gardener, Lakewold Gardens


 

1:00pm

Container Showdown: Celebrity Edition Thursday

Nick Cutsumpas - NWFG26 Judge, Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist

Ryan McEnaney - Fifth-Generation Nurseryman


 

2:30pm

Blooms & Bubbles: Designing With Helebores  [additional ticket required]

Teresa Sabankaya - Author, Floral Designer, Slow Flowers Advocate

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4:00pm

Plant Coach Play Book

Nick Cutsumpas - NWFG26 Judge, Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist

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DIY Stage

(All seminars 60 minutes unless noted)

10:15am

All About Seeds

Anza Muenchow - Educator, Farmer, Garden Community Advocate

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11:45am

The Art of Ikebana: Beauty in Balance

Nobuko Relnick - Ikebana Artist and Expert

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1:30pm

The Resilient Gardener: Graceful Strategies for a Lifetime of Growing

Jessi Bloom - Award-winning Author, Ecological Designer, Certified Arborist

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3:15pm

Floral Therapy: Designing with Feeling + Intention

Kiara Hancock - Floral Artist, Creative Coach, Founder of K. Hancock Design

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5:00pm

Mounting Epiphytic Plants

Jessica Scovel - Houseplant Expert, Owner of Buds Interior Plant Design

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Adams Room

10:30am

20 Years of Rooftop Gardening at Portland's Noble Rot

Marc Boucher-Colbert - Garden Specialist, Educator, Urban Agriculture Innovator

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12:00pm

Smart Stormwater: Practical Solutions for a Resilient Future

Brandy Hall - Author and Founder, Shades of Green Permaculture

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1:30pm

Estate Gardens: Legacy & Future

Jennifer Jewel - Host of NPR's Cultivating Place, Author

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3:00pm

Spiritual Lessons from the World of Plants

Leo Carver - Author, Gardener, Ayurveda Practitioner

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4:30pm

Bird-Friendly Gardening: How to Make Your Garden Attractive to Birds

Jen McGuinness - Award-winning Journalist and Author

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Traveler's Tea

3:30pm

Traveler's Tea: Japan  [additional ticket required]

Ciscoe Morris - Author, Media Personality, National Treasure

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