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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Tacoma Home and Garden Show Part !: The Italian Job

The Tacoma Home and Garden Show opened on Thursday and there was much to see. More posts will follow but today I'll focus on one space.  As I entered the Tacoma Dome, I was eagerly anticipating what Olympic Landscape would dream up this year for their display garden.  What a delightful surprise to see Italian statuary which immediately brought to mind my dear friend Florence Welborn's Garden.


It came as no surprise that the statuary came from Howard Welborn Antiques.  (Howard is Florence's husband.) 


One of Olympic's designers is and old acquaintance from years ago when he worked at Vassey Nursery. It was a little like walking through the garden of friends.



These display gardens are thrown together fairly quickly and I'm always in awe of all the work and the ability to conceive , design, and create a garden  rather than having design evolve over years of trial and error.   


Team of gardeners?

Someone's lying down on the job.  It's so hard to get good help.


Carved marble lions anyone?


This pot had me drooling a bit.  Fortunately there was a tissue in my pocket and I was able to stem the flow before anyone noticed.
The show visit was off to a great start.  Stay tuned for more fun and if you're in the area, drop by the Tacoma Dome and enjoy the event yourself.  The show is open through Sunday, January28.  Spoiler alert: This is primarily a home show but there is also an artist's row, vintage market, several garden tool sellers, yard artists, and  a couple of plant vendors. 

10 comments:

  1. Is it worth it? I've been debating with myself, considering my garden fix from the big show is only a couple of weeks away. I'm surprised to see you were there on Thursday. Were you playing hooky?

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  2. You're lucky to have so many garden events leading into spring's kick-off. Enjoy your weekend, Peter!

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  3. I haven't been to a garden show in years. This is tempting me to go to Indy to see theirs. Love those columns I would love to have them in my garden. Not all of them. Just a few. I know what you mean by not such good help not being able to find them. Always lolling about in the chaises.

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  4. I went for the tour of Florence's garden. I see that there is a need for an updated tour. I would love to see how it has all grown in. All of those lovely marble/stone urns. Well, just everything. I bet she has filled in with more plants too. That set of arches in her garden are to live for...and in the secret garden the rose covered gazebo. I would oust the statue there so I could sit in solitude and smell the roses. Fun tour.

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  5. Hi, I am back again. I keep thinking about Florence's garden and you saying how you pop in from time to time. I have a friend that loves to come strolling through my garden. Not only do I sometimes look up and see her strolling through the garden she sometimes has a friend tagging along with her. ha... I don't mind because she can sometimes see me sitting in her garden unannounced.

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  6. Secretly (no not so secretly now..) I dream of a perfectly landscaped and manicured garden. What would it be like to stroll through something that needs not a touch of work, every day? I'll never know. HA! I enjoyed this post, Peter. While this garden does not speak to me, I do admire the 'art' behind it :)

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  7. I can't believe the NWFG "festival" is so close! It's nice you have this show to get you in the spirit of things.

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  8. For anyone who has the space for a large formal garden, and a deep pocket, this would be inspiring. I love the dramatic black and white patio.

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  9. James is such a nice guy, I met him at the show this year, he bought a couple of my concrete lotus pods. I really enjoyed this years show! Can’t for the Seattle one!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.