Looking for Spring, Head Northward, to the NWFGS!

Coming and going to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, I found myself walking in the middle of the street.  Entering Seattle, I was met by a parade of what I heard reported as a group of 750,000 Seahawk fans.  

The train was packed to the very last seat, mostly by Portland Seahawk fans wanting to be part of their team's celebratory parade.

While walking in downtown Seattle, I stumbled upon this park which also celebrated the Seattle Seahawks.  I'll let you draw your own conclusions why.

The trees are my somewhat stilted segue into why I trekked up to Seattle in early February.  For the first time, since attending the garden shows, I met up with the actual 'flower' on all the brochures.

In the midst of winter, or late winter, it is as if sweet sirens summoning for Spring to come.  How could I resist?

Walking to the transit center to view my first day of the show, this was my morning view.   Not too shabby, eh?

I thought I would begin a look at the garden displays with my favorite container garden ensemble.

If you have read any of my meanderings, you will know that I am a sucker for bold color displays.  This combination of orange and pink I found simply scrumptious.  

Simply loved this idea of bringing the garden into the house, and vise a versa.  It doesn't hurt that one of my favorite flowers were used, hellebores.  But, why not gardenias or camellias also.   Strikingly original.

The chosen hue for 2014, at least for the NWFGS, seems to be white.

Love the whimsy of these
 glass bobbles.

Delightful display and the creme' de la creme'
was the chandelier in the way back.

Now for those whom (including moi) delight in the motto "Go Big or Go Home", here are a couple of those themes.

Vertical garden on steroids

Love the mono-lithic appeal of this zen-inspired display

The mind boggles on what could possibly go in this mammoth vase.

The harsh reality that it wasn't actually Spring hit me like a ton of bricks.  This is what I met up with when arriving in Portland.  I needed a good dentist after all the plant candy I had visually eaten.

Not a bad way to spend a weekend.  My logical side of my brain says, it still is too early to plant, but I can still plan and putter around the garden, until it gets closer to 'actual spring'.

Keep on,

Laura