Gardeners have known all along that being around plants makes things better. Join special speakers at the 2026 show to learn more about how your garden can feed your soul as well as your body…
The Seminars by Category are listed in chronological order. Please check the Seminar Schedule for a full list of all our seminars. No ticket refunds for Speaker cancellation.
All seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival are FREE with your ticket!
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Gardening for Gut Health: Small Space Strategies to Improve Your Microbiome Grace Hensley - Certified Horticulturist, Photographer, Science Communicator
You don’t need a large garden to make a big impact on your health. In this inspiring seminar, attendees will learn how small spaces (kitchen counters, patios, balcony planters) can become thriving sources of nourishment. Microbiome gardening expert Grace Hensley shares practical ways to grow sprouts, herbs, and vegetables to support both soil health and personal well-being. Drawing from scientific insight and her own healing journey as a cancer survivor, Grace introduces powerhouse crops and easy fermenting techniques that boost gut health, resilience, and joy in every harvest—no matter the size of your garden.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 / 4:30pm / Adams Room
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The Resilient Gardener: Graceful Strategies for a Lifetime of Growing Jessi Bloom - Award-winning Author, Ecological Designer, Certified Arborist
As we age, our relationship with the garden evolves. This empowering seminar explores how to adapt gardening practices with accessible tools, ergonomic techniques, and thoughtful design that support both personal well-being and ecological health. Learn how to nurture yourself while nurturing the land—cultivating resilience, creativity, and connection through every season of life. With practical ideas and gentle inspiration, this session celebrates the enduring bond between gardener and garden, proving that the joy of growing never fades, only deepens.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 1:30pm / DIY Stage
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Spiritual Lessons from the World of Plants Leo Carver - Author, Gardener, Ayurveda Practitioner
What can plants teach us about living with greater awareness and connection? In this reflective seminar, Leo explores how plants experience their environment—responding to light, touch, rhythm, and relationship—and what those patterns reveal about our own lives. Attendees will discover how observing plant behavior can deepen mindfulness, inspire compassion, and renew a sense of belonging to the natural world. Blending science and spirituality, this session offers gentle insights into how we might grow, adapt, and connect more fully—just as plants do.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 3:00pm / Adams Room
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Growing a Garden with Soul, Soil & Science Anne Bikle - Soil Health Expert, Author, and Science Writer
The bond between gardener and garden is both real and essential, deepening through discovery and hands-on learning. In this session, attendees will learn why the symbiotic relationships plants form with soil organisms are foundational to more resilient, thriving gardens. Through using mulches to feed the soil microbes that support plant health and reducing soil disturbance, a gardener can join these ancient botanical networks and reap the benefits of wonder, beauty, and nourishment that begin with the soil in their garden.
Thursday, February 19, 2026 / 4:00pm / Rainier Room
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Natural Color from the Garden Janice Cox - Author, Natural Beauty Expert
Add a splash of color to your life... straight from the garden! This hands-on demo explores how to create beautiful, eco-friendly dyes and watercolor paints using common plants found right outside your door. From the golden glow of Oregon grape to the deep purples of hollyhock and the soft greens of yarrow, nature’s palette is vibrant and abundant. Learn simple techniques for making natural pigments to dye linens, paint garden-inspired art, or start a dye garden of your own. Author and floral craft expert Janice Cox brings color, creativity, and joy to every project.
Friday, February 20, 2026 / 1:30pm / DIY Stage
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Garden Alchemy: Transforming Your Garden with Nature’s Wisdom Stephanie Rose - Award-winning Author, Master Gardener, Permaculture Designer
Forget everything you thought you knew about gardening! In this imaginative and hands-on seminar, Stephanie Rose - author of Garden Alchemy (Cool Springs Press, 2020) - invites attendees to rediscover the garden as a living laboratory. Learn to test and build soil, craft custom compost and fertilizers, propagate plants creatively, and support beneficial insects while observing how nature responds. Blending science, intuition, and experimentation, this session encourages gardeners to co-create with nature, transforming ordinary spaces into thriving ecosystems that evolve with care, curiosity, and a touch of alchemy.
Friday, February 20, 2026 / 2:30pm / Rainier Room
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The Joy of Garden Breaks After Dark Perla Curbelo-Santiago - Award-winning Gardening Communicator, Author, Wellness Advocate
Step into The Joy of Garden Breaks After Dark and rediscover your outdoor space under the stars. In this immersive session, author Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago (¡Verdura!, Quarto, 2024) invites attendees to experience the garden after sunset through storytelling, tropical Caribbean soundscapes, and creative inspiration. Discover how evening nature breaks can restore well-being, how plants and wildlife transform at night, and what you can do to protect the beauty of darkness from light pollution. Blending science, art, and mindfulness, this sensory journey celebrates the wonder and renewal found only in the nighttime garden.
Saturday, February 21, 2026 / 1:30pm / DIY stage
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Reclaiming Kinship with our Plant Relatives LoriAnn Bird - Métis Herbalist, Educator, Author
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 / Adams Room
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