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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, February 19, 2016

Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Ikebana!


Down in a corner of the convention center, beneath the escalators and between the rooms in which the free seminars take place and the rooms where the rest takes place, is situated the Ikebana display. I know very little about this art form but enjoy seeing them each year.

"The Japanese art form of Ikebana is the arrangement of living flowers that dates back to the 6th century. This long preserved floral display shows off much more than blooms and finds the simplistic beauty of plants themselves. The Northwest Flower & Garden Show has been a great platform for the various schools around the Pacific Northwest for students to show off their work."  (From the NWFGS website)

Here are most of this year's offerings:














These are an inspiration to try some new and different things in my own Monday vases.  Do you have a favorite?

Oh honey, it's just fabulous that your hat and bag match but let's rethink the shoes with this ensemble, mkay?  Seriously though, when do the horses start racing?

Happy weekend all!  The weather here is supposed to be great for gardening on Saturday and I look forward to spending some time in my garden instead of gallivanting hither and yon.

10 comments:

  1. Hope you have a great time in your garden this weekend! I always enjoy seeing the Ikebana at the show too. Some of the simplest ones are the most appealing to me.

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  2. I enjoy minimal arrangements. Since I don't know anything about the art I "fake" it a little and make my arrangements in the spirit of Ikebana. The pictures here are wonderful. They resonant with me. Here is to "Less Is More". Happy gardening, Peter.

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  3. I find the black vases most appealing, the way they set off the simple silhouettes. I'm taking mental notes, but will never achieve such simple elegance.

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  4. Well, we missed those! Sounds like they were hidden away. I do like this art form, but prefer exuberance in a vase.

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  5. Lovely! I could use a flower show this time of year.

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  6. Very cool but I prefer a bunch of wildflowers stuffed in jar/vase. :o) How'd your begonia trials go last year? Is starting your own begonias from corms worth it? I need some expert advice before I jump in. :o)

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    1. The begonia trials went well but I didn't notice a huge difference in the performance of the expensive ones versus the ones from the local store. The only exception is the AmeriHybird begonias. I've had some of those for years and they are always huge and beautiful. I may not have fed the fancy begonias as much as they'd like. In addition, we had an unusually hot summer and some of them didn't get out of the greenhouse. They like cool nights so operator error was certainly an issue as I killed a few of each variety due to the too-warm greenhouse. They are definitely worth starting yourself!

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    2. Thanks, Peter! I really appreciate it!

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  7. Great show. It's a very distinctive style of arrangement, interesting to see all the examples. I liked them all, except the one with the white shoes.

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  8. I liked the first and the second last. The first is because I love those containers. The second to last was simple and worked well with the container. But I do find yellow flowers so forward! I wanted something more burnished to go with the gold on the container. I know: picky, picky. But what a great offering at a garden show.

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