Long before I was a designer at the Northwest Flower and Garden show, I started as an attendee, marking up my catalog and planning my day around seminars and show gardens. I then became a volunteer, shadowing Lloyd and helping out wherever was needed. Eventually I stepped into designing show gardens, and this year I'm doing something new again. I'm speaking at the event for the first time and competing in Container Wars.

Today, I want to talk about my journey through the show and the important role it's played in my life since moving to Washington. This episode kicks off a series we're doing as we countdown to the show. We're about four weeks out, and over the next month we'll be sharing conversations with other designers, the people working behind the scenes, and reflections from our team as we prepare our next garden. If you've ever been curious about what the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is all about, or what it takes to create one of these gardens, this series is for you.

• How the garden show became my annual escape from winter and what drew me in as an attendee
• The pivot during COVID that led me to reach out to Lloyd on LinkedIn and start volunteering
• Reflecting on my journey as a show garden designer, the inspiration behind the themes, and winning People's Choice.
• Why I love show gardens as opportunities to educate people about different gardening perspectives and cool plants they might not otherwise see
• A glimpse into our 2026 design theme, and what I'm doing differently this year as a first-time speaker and Container Wars competitor

• Northwest Flower & Garden Show FREE Ticket Giveaway
• Purchase discount tickets for the show
• Check out our 2024 Show Garden
• Check out our 2025 Show Garden
• Little Prince Nursery

• Relish Gardens Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on YouTube

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with your gardening friends.

Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

It's early January. The days are short, it's cold, and there's often a desire to close the door on the garden until spring. But winter isn't a season to hide from. It's a season to work with on your terms, at your pace, and with intention. The time you spend now makes everything easier come spring. It makes your garden healthier and more beautiful. And even just getting out there for a little bit each day can be enjoyable and beneficial. In this episode, Stevie joins me to talk about what we're focusing on in our client gardens this winter. We talk about how strange this season has been because it's warm, things are blooming and popping up when they shouldn't be, and we're pausing on important dormant pruning work until plants actually go fully dormant. We discuss what we're prioritizing right now, our favorite winter projects, and what makes this season worth embracing.

• What we love about winter in the garden, and why small intentional work now can lead to a less overwhelming spring
• Why winter in the Seattle region is so different this year, and how it impacts the work we're doing in client gardens
• Why we love dormant winter pruning, and why pruning techniques like espalier and pleaching feel like long-form sculpture
• The joy of seed shopping and seed swaps, and the hope that planning for the future brings when it's cold and rainy in January
• Why winter is the perfect time to add bare root trees to your garden and a low-stakes way to learn something new

• Pruning with Confidence YouTube Playlist
• Episode 5: How to Choose the Right Tree for Your Garden
• Free Winter Gardening Guide
• Free Winter Pruning Guide
• Seattle Tilth Seed Swap
• Raintree Nursery

• Relish Gardens Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on YouTube

Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

I've been thinking a lot about where inspiration actually comes from. Not just where I find it, but where anyone finds it. And here's what I keep coming back to: garden design inspiration doesn't have to come from other gardens or even from plants. Some of my favorite inspiration comes from totally unexpected places. A dress. A meal. A painting hanging in someone's living room. Because at the end of the day, gardens are personal, intimate spaces where life happens and memories are built. So today, I'm walking you through my actual process for finding design inspiration anywhere and translating it into gardens that feel unique to the people who live there.

In this episode, I cover:

• How to filter through the flood of New Year’s inspiration without wiping the slate clean or throwing out what you already love
• Why looking beyond plants and gardens for inspiration and paying attention to what lights you up might be the key to designing spaces that feel personal
• How the things you've curated in your home are clues to what you love, and why I start every design project by walking through my clients' homes
• How to train your eye to see design elements everywhere by breaking things down into color, texture, shape, and line to distill patterns
• Silly but intentional thought exercises (like designing a garden based on a Crunchwrap Supreme) that help unlock creativity and find inspiration in very unexpected places

Resources:

• The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden by Roy Diblik

Shop our full list of favorite books at https://bookshop.org/lists/favorite-books-relish-gardens. Every purchase supports independent bookstores.

Some of the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We only share things we genuinely love, use, and trust in our day-to-day garden work.

Connect with Us:

• Free Winter Gardening Guide
• Relish Gardens Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on YouTube

If you loved this episode, make sure to subscribe. We've got new episodes every week. And if you know gardening friends who would love this, send it their way. Sharing the show helps grow our little garden-loving community.

Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.