The City Living Displays in the skywalk at the Seattle Convention Center have long been my favorite Northwest Flower & Garden Festival feature. At the 2022 show there were only a couple of these displays and they were shoved in a dark corner of the main hall, it was very disappointing. I am happy to report this year they were back where they should be, and there were fun ideas to be had. First up, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Ma Petite Gardens...
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The only thing my eyes saw in this planter was the combination of the dark purple pot, the Corokia cotoneaster and the graptopetalum (or whatever that dusty succulent is). Magic! I love the color and texture and could do without the rest of the plants, well, except for the purple ranunculus, those can stay.
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"Savvy City Living" by Savvy Gardens & Home, there's a lot of fun stuff going on in there!
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I loved this planter, mainly because of the awesome Rhipsalis paradoxa cascading over the edge.
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I am still not a big fan of mixed container plantings, but I'd take this one if somebody offered it to me!
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They really get a 10 for cool plants in this display. I spied that same drool-worthy bromeliad—Vriesea (Goudaea) 'Ocean Mist'—at a nursery later in the weekend. It was $50, I left it behind. Sad.
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"Bringing Wine Country to the City" by Woodinville Barrel Works was really just an ad for their designs. Yes, they are all ads really, but this one even more so.
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Still, it was kind of fun to look at.
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"Coastal French Cottage" by the Brocante Beach House...
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Because planted shelves and drawers are fun!
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And I love the banner. In French.
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More French! This is "Balcon D’Oiseaux et Fleurs" or "Balcony of Birds and Flowers" by Portland's own JJ DeSousa and her Digs Inside & Out. Of course this was my very favorite...
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JJ has the merchant thing down to a T.
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That wallpaper (?) is just so fabulously LOUD. I love it.
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I love the light fixture and the bulb she chose too.
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The simply birdhouse display makes great use of the building's horizontal features. If I had one quibble with the whole booth it would be that I really wanted to climb in there and slightly turn the chairs, as though their occupants were engaged in conversation.
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JJ is always good with the details, magnolia branches sourced to go with the wallpaper print.
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Good Vibes Only went along with the show's theme "Spring Vibes Only", as seen throughout the venue and on a couple of selfie stations.
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One more booth, "Greenhouse Oasis" from Homegrown Organics. I waited so patiently to get a photo of this booth without onlookers. I finally had to give up, not a bad thing that there was so much interest.
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This is another display with great plants and interesting ways of using them.
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I heard just a tiny bit of the designer John Coghlan talking about the large pots, but not enough to say anything worthwhile about them.
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That's it for the City Living displays, but I also want to share this arrangement from the small Ikebana display. It's fabulous!
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The pin-cushion protea are the perfect flower for the vase and the arching twigs add a nice element.
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But those wavy aspidistra leaves... how did they do that? So good...
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