The Garden and Flowers Expo
Disclaimer:
Everything below is a mix of what I observed and heard during the event. The goal isn’t to pinpoint "who exactly said what," but to share (usually) an outsider's view and overall perspective on these industries. I’m not here to act as a definitive firsthand source—readers should do their own research. I hope this inspires you to attend events, explore new industries, and hear what leaders are presenting. These notes combine my observations with thoughts on how things could run smoother and how ideas connect (IMO). I’m not an expert, you know? Just hanging out in the room with them. Enjoy!Topics Covered: Trends in Gardening, Designer Gardners, Unknown Species, Creating and Design, Live Game Show Contests
This was an attend I didn’t know about until I was heading that direction, already. And I’d have been sad to have missed it!! It’s right up my alley. It was strange how this happened, I decided to research upcoming conventions randomly while on the subway/train—- and also, moments after finding this event was TODAY/NOW, I heard people on the way there to the event. It was like, once realizing “yes, there’s a flower expo”… as I’m on my way to a DIFFERENT event - so I chose to go to this one after.
Why Attend? Well, I have seen this event from the outside before, so I always had FOMO towards it for literal YEARS, hahaha. Plus, you wonder how big an event about flowers can be… who is there? What are they talking about?
Overall Event Ratings: Venue: 5/5, Food: 3/5, Speaker Content: 5/5, Networking: 3.5/5, Likeliness to Return: 4.5/5… (more below)
Photo Collage and Commentary:
Notes from the Event:
I took a mix of notes on my phone (just walking around) and then typed out notes.
I’ll put my phone notes first, then typed notes (from speeches), then my final reviews at the bottom.
Phone Notes + Reflections (casual walk around + elaborations)
ON THE WAY THERE
It was funny, cause I was thinking to myself, while on the subway “wow, I’m so glad to get out of the house to go to this other event (the one about automated driving)… I’m glad just to go do something.” (cause I only found the event I was on my way to, the night before)
I felt excited to stumble upon this, and again, rewarded by leaving my house and using public transit. Going out intentionally got me here, then going on the way adds to it.
The women are talking about how they want the right shoes with arch support. Maybe a cane? Stamina? They said they need to maintain it and work up to it year by year. Wow. See?? It’s important to get out.
Talking about gameshows and shows they like to watch on tv. Entertainment. This tv show you just judge yourself based on others. You don’t learn about the contestants and it’s all competitive.
Makes me think how shows can be trained to entertain people and get them thinking a certain way thinking it’s their idea. Inception. Studies on the implications of reality tv show. Positives and negatives.
All these women have the exact same haircut. Shoulder length.
Then suddenly, I overhear these ladies talk about how they’re on their way to the convention center to the garden show.
I was looking it up on my phone, pausing and thinking how happy I was to get out of the house, and then saw there’s a garden show, suddenly my subway neighbors are talking about how they’re excited to go to the convention center - AND it’s a three day event. LOL.
The flower convention show! It’s funny cause they’re on the way there as I’m randomly looking up if there are any conventions. They’re giggly and excited to go. Laughing about how the convention center has so many floors.
Since I’m right nearby for this other event first, why not go today, after! I even had the perfect flowery skirt on - idk why I put it on, but then it was perfect for that event!
Even later, someone complimented my skirt and then told their friend, “These events bring out flowery outfits!!”
But, it was random though! I didn’t wear it for this event hahah. But I did see lately on Twitter that “the world is getting more pastel”… (is that the “pastel theory” I heard of recently?!)
Funny enough, too, I’d stumbled upon THIS garden event years ago when I first moved to Seattle. I remember that now that I heard it’s here. So, I knew exactly where to go and find it. Last time, I just saw it but didn’t go inside… but this time, it was the perfect time to go see what was bloomin’!
ARRIVAL:
I bought my tickets and made my way up the escalators.
There was a sign for “Travelers Tea” that you pay extra for and go drink tea. This is the audience for that, for sure!
Travelers tea has a cute VIP feel. A cute entrance. A cute view from outside. You want to go if you like tea. It looks good. This crowd probably likes tea too. They impressive.
From the outside you can see teapots and cute set up. Then you’ll hear from a speaker too. It looks so nice for whoever wants it. Good presentation.
I love that I was interviewed by transit people about how I got here. I said subway, bus. I extremely love it. But I stayed cool. I love it.
It makes me feel like they’re trying to get proof and gauge the enthusasm for transit. But even those ladies on the subway were so hyped about it.
And I like overhearing someone say: “I don’t want to be nosey”. It just felt ironic
LOTS OF PEOPLE SELLING THINGS:
Here are a few moments and elements that stood out:
“How are you doing today?”(a salesperson ask an older gentleman). “Tired.” he says. The salesman replies: “Yeah it’s a big area to cover.”
See how he replied? It was so salesy and “Yes, and”… you’re given this advice in improv and teaching, too… match the mood of your audience. They’re more likely to buy/learn/listen.
One sales lady is so clever with her line… she’s offering samples, asking: “Anyone got any pain? Where do you hurt?”
- Then if you’re still willing to listen, “We’re a two year award winning salve. Best in the industry.”Found local honey. Eating local is so good
I’m observing how some companies spend so much money on merch and not enough money on teaching people to talk to customers.
I don’t like how they want all your info right there. It’s too much at once. But I love the idea of what they do. Farm to house delivery for a small price each month.
There’s a company who will deliver local farm food to your house, but they have no way to sign up except give their people your ID, card, saying your address aloud - its just too awkward to do aloud in person at a big event. I’d rather do it at home peacefully. I almost signed up but it was too overstimulating and crazy.
LUNCH Chat
I ate lunch with a woman here for fun. She said she ageeed, she didn’t realize plants are being bred like race horses by name-brand gardeners (you’ll see my notes below about ferns)
It’s funny, she talked about how huge this event is, but compared to other conventions I’ve been to, its not that huge.
It’s only one floor, but one floor + a bridge connecting two buildings + two floors below that are hosting small presentations… so it was “kinda big” but not as big as I’ve seen conventions be.
It makes you really appreciate how epic and various “events” and conventions can be. They’re so spectacular - and a world many people people hardly know about and explore.
I, myself, have always been a traveler… going random places.
I feel like attending these events and hearing speakers fills so much of that need.
I like staying in town so much lately and just getting the most of what’s here. So.. anyway, of course I’m headed to this flower show!!
Laptop / Speech Notes:
I attended three speeches/presentations. The first was on Ferns, the next was a live gameshow, and the last was a DIY flower sculpting.
Walked up to a speech titled (TOO up my alley) #FernsarethenewSucculants (and the presenter is so unexpected. She looks like she’s twice my age (and titleing her speech with a hashtag!? She’s so fun/bold!)
First SPEECH: #FernsarethenewSucculants
“My front garden doesn’t look this good,” she says. “Not as good as this picture, but it’s the style I’ve become known for. This backyard has lots of natural moisture, the water table is pretty high. The way he grows it is flawless and beautiful.”
The sensitive fern can not dry out. You must keep your soil moist or it will die in august.
Sometimes ferns just plant themselves (and they tend to do that well).
Ferns love to jaunt themselves over the sides of things.
Ferns make things more interesting.
Ferns decide to plant themselves wherever they want to be.
Agave love growing next to ferns, some of these you don’t even want to try and pronounce.
I have bunnies and some of this looks like bunny food for me. But so far the bunnies have left them alone.
When my bunnies love some I put chicken wire around it.
Another fern, my nursery friend was showing to me, but I was like, “that doesn’t look like a fern to me” and I expect it to grow flowers.
BTW I think I don’t like coffee. My mind feels so weird and I think it’s from the orange juice and coffee. Lately I feel so weird after having coffee (but I keep drinking it at events when tehy don’t have another choice) but I realize it makes me dizzy after, numerous times now.
There’s a plant that they working on, figuring is it “hastada or polydacta — this makes me think that the patent office should know? Or are new plants always developing? Is that hard to to?
Theoretically, we’re zone 9 in Portland… but I go with zone 8 in my garden, cause in one night it can change. We get nasty winds. I cut off ugly frawns and by the end of last summer you would have never known there was anything nasty.
I like to maximize my planting space in my very small garden. I like to have my ground things nd then recycled metal tubes with discs or metal ontop that I can set a planter on. This features three types of pyrosia and unnamed species.
Another collection t the bottom that is name brand (I had no clue that this was going on in the plant industry… series and species growing
Someone asks about the sunlight (she says they get a tiny bit of light in morning and night just in summer when the sun is at its height. But it can take sun, it doesn’t need full shade)
Color patterns emerge over time in plants.
Some plants people say we can’t grow here, or they emerge so late (so why bother)… but I grow mine in containers so I can protect them, warm them up earlier, and then get new growth earlier than I could if I got them in the constant cold.
Floral Design Gameshow Competition Live!!
Okay. This was INCREDIBLE. Something about it being live made things just so much funnier. It had two contestants who were professional floral arrangers and then they were matched, both, with two guys who have never touched a flower in their life basically. It was so funny. One of the guys reminded me of Ryan from Who’s Line and he kept making Dad Jokes galore.
It was so funny and entertaining and I am realizing that live contests and shows are so much fun.
The gimmick of the show is that they’re going to have to design floral containers… The teams don’t know what the containers look like, all they know is they’re water conserving containers.
spoiler alert: they end up being white squares!! hahaha. It was so funny in so many ways. tehy just added that extra pizazz to everything.
One rule: The team experts can’t touch ANY of the plants, they must instruct their partners on which plants to grab and put into the containers.
Another rule: The audience will help with various challenges… asking the audience to assign then challenges.
One of the contestants isn’t going to wear gloves. He says it’s cause he strong and wants the raw feel. He makes fun of the other guy, the other guy says, “well I love my family, I dont want to come home with dirty hands”
This literally made me laugh outloud. Maybe he doesn’t want grimeys hands for his wife, too. hahah. Just so funny from the start. It was a good reply back to that guy’s jab at him for wearing gloves.
The tables on the stand (and even here) are wobbly.
They have 30 minutes to figure out the goal (the goal is to make a great looking floral fixture)
Figure out your first plant in the container.
He makes the joke, “good things come in trees”
He makes another joke, “What did Luke Skywalker say to the trees? May the forest be with you.”
His teammate say, alright, get back here!
The audience cheers and laughs for him.
There is one team is going a bit too fast and panicked. Shoving everything into the potted plant.
She asks the audience for a number, number 1 is picked…
She uses that number to read from a list and read a condition/rule/challenge the Gardners must now abide by…
The garden experts are brought front and center: the experts now need to stop helping partners, partners can continue to work but you can not.
Experts, give us your best design tip that is helping you design this??
Texture first.
Lots of textures, full, pack in as much as you can.
Once they answer this, they can get back to work.
Nope!! The audience is asked to shout out a new number.
Someone raising their hand is picked, tehy say “3”
Next challenge question? Number 3: “Experts come to the front of the…
He interupts: BFF, best fern forever
She goes, “okay, get back to work. Well, no… stop working— everyone. This is easy, now - each of you must steal a plant from another.”
The audience cracks up!! They have to steal a plant from each other!?
They steal each others’ center piece plants.
Audience is asked if they have a suggestion: audience says to go for volume and fillers.
An audience member gives legit advice to one of the teams but the leader chooses to ignore it. The hosts makes a comment.
The host says, “she’s choosing to ignore you.” Then reassures that team, “you can do whatever you want….”
Hahahah. This is a funny contest where everyone will cheer and vote. It’s bold and brave to ignore your audience!!
Suddenly the host declares, “Mr Time Keeper, take 10 minutes off the clock… we are penalizing you for not taking audience suggestions.”
Ahahah they are insane!! This is so funny.
Next challenge: “swing or switch…”: I’ll let you switch partners or sing… both chose to sing,
One contestant (the other guy) said: I don’t want this to be a bad experience for you guys, can I dance instead?
The host goes, “got any music?”
suddenly then turn on music and he breaks down dancing!?
They get back to work 😂
The technique of putting the pot on the ground to step on it and gently step on it. Gently do this.
“Over here they’re getting into texture craziness”
Best water saving tip? Use mulch!! Mulch your soil ontop.
Maybe even set a reminder on your phone… consistency is super key for plants. It’s fun to have the reminder with a cup of coffee or tea and make it a whole situation.
Don’t lite sprinkle, deep drink for the plants
“I forgot to add one more thing to judging as we get close to the end… the other part is that they’ll be judged on on how clean their work environment is.”
Everyone gasps!!! Hahah.
They start trashing each others sites.
“"How do you want to bribe the audience? The MC asks towards the end”
Tea - (she - from the other team, says so enchantingly, “perfect tea or lavender rose?”, then someone from teh audience shouts out which one she wants, and the lady gives it to her gracefully!!!)
A Crown - a coffee mug, with sunglasses, the dad joke guy gives those out
A book: They’re hyped about the book and a woman gives out a copy of her book
A shirt: “we’re all mediums in my world” the dad jokes guy says and he hands out some shirts.
He works for the local news station maybe?
Pass it out to the loudest person you can find, he says to the assistants as he gives out the merch.
“A prize to whoever has the most flowers on their outfit” says the host
If I’d entered, I may have won- cause my skirt, no joke!
Recently I saw a post on how the world is getting less bright. I think it’s a bit true!! Especially in Seattle, peopel don’t dress bright for even flower shows!! I noticed this at art events lately. But, a few women had flower things so they won prizes
“Youngest gardener in the audience?”
Five years old? Congratulations, we’ll see you every year.
Lol, funny comment. And I like the “lots of prizes”
“Only 40 seconds to add color…” the audience suggests one team adds color, but then they add flowers to a nearby pot, not one thats part of theirs!?
Last minute flamingo was added by the dad-joke team, genius. I thought that was a good strategy to add a prop at the end
The other team says the flamingo is to get you forgetting that they were supposed to make art with flowers!!!
(and it seems the audience agreed with that)
The team defends themselves saying they’re not going to go low and talk trash about the other team (the other team says)
“This is gardening, people, this isn’t wrestling, Dad Jokes jokes.
We knew that we were going with the pink flamingo, so we started layering pinks very early on.
“I’m a family guy. I can’t wait to show them how well we did. I don’t wanna disappoint my kids by coming in second “- Dad Jokes jokes, again.
(but he did come in second!!)
Live gameshows are insanely fun. Who knew!!! They win gold painted shovels 😂
DIY Stage: Flower Sculpting an Archway
Arriving about halfway into her work.
“As you start filling up your work, you realize it gets a little bit harder and tighter to fit things in. Remember to keep room for your blooms, have a plan in mind.”
Often plants need a lot of water. Roses need water. Some that we’re using need to be in Water.
Add a fun lightness and movement to your arrangement as you build it through layers.
Hot tip for everyone: when I have things leftover, I use most everything. I will dry almost everything and hang thing at my house and hang it upside down. I experiment with drying everything… even dried it gives good texture. Things are so pretty dried.
I always experiment drying because dried products, buy-in git, it’s super expensive right now.
How do you estimate how much material you need?
I’m bad at it, but I jsut buy everything.
Honestly, you shoudl think about when you’re at home… take everything in 6 inch sections. If you have time to play around with it, get a few blooms and play around with a defined section. Think about how much it used to build both sides of a defined section. It’s an easy entryway. Eventually you just gain knowledge and “know” which is a weird thing to say
Bigger blooms, you probably want to use a couple.
CARNATION LOVE! Advocating for Carnations.
A lot of you may hate carnations and think they are aweful, but it’s not true. I use carnations in every single one of my designs. And I thin that peopel hate carnations most when they’re tight and closed or when they’ve had a lot of experience with them in odd colors from the 90’s. This is beautiful, okay? Carnations can last out of water. They’re “the cockroach” of the flower. I can take these, leave them in my garage for a week and a half, and they’re still usable.
Carnations are mini peonies… spread the flowers open and open the petals. Pull out the center and turn it into a min-peony.
She made it look amazing..
Brides will come and say, “my mom said no carnations” and I say, “she’ll never know”.
I want a bride who wants all carnations. I love those brides. They’re cost effective and incredible.
If you see flowers and think that they’re ugly and uninteresting, don’t pick them!! Look for ones that are great. Even Trader Joe’s!
Just pop colors inhere and there, all of your carnations.
Carnations last forever
Tulips you need to cut… but I think they get prettier as time goes on.
People love Dalias but they are dangerous. They are delicate and they will shatter. I try not to touch them until the night before when I order them because I am terrified.
Take a step back every now and then
Take a look at your layers… Some things closer, some thing poking out
If you can get texture, getting certain flowers in water for a few days to really open up and full out expand, displays can look amazing.
The ideas are in my head, so I make sure that more than anything, I have the right materials, size, and everything. In real life, plans go astray… you run out of time, something doesn’t show up… you have to wing it.
At least two hours to create a full arch. Bare minimum and with helper on hand. Four hours is better, I probably won’t use it all but its good to have.
Be very specific with what you are providing from start to finish for people. It opens up something in their brains. Look at your materials, time, labor to bring this. To process and bring it all together. Think about how much money I need to take this on. Thats what it’s about.
Kelly’s Remaining Questions:
How could they have advertised this better? I almost completely missed this… maybe the subways and transit should have more event advertising.
Would they like more people there?
Should I return multiple days? Even with my daughter? Hahah. Probably. I suggested this event to many friends yesterday at my daughter’s daycare. It’s a great place to bring your kids and let them look around.
Conference “Overall Rating” Further Elaboration:
VENUE - 5/5
Allow me to Elaborate: It’s a fantastic venue, perfect in size/location for this event.
FOOD - 3/5
Room for Improvement: I was so extremely hungry, so I just headed straight for the first restaurant I could find (when I suddenly realized I was so hungry)… and then that food was not amazing. It was orange chicken. It was not even very good. And then hardly anyone gave out food or samples at this event… hahah, so. I want more food sometimes, just asking. But overall - great!
SPEAKER CONTENT - 5/5
Allow me to Elaborate: This event was so entertaining and filled with variety. I learned a lot and laughed even more!
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES - 5/5
Room for Improvement: I met way more people than expected… but I think this is a group who would love more community, so if they’d had more community/networking elements it may be nice for the future.
LIKELINESS TO RETURN - 5/5
Allow me to Elaborate: Yeah! I may even return with my daughter hahah. Wish I’d bought the three day pass. 😁
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time.
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊
