Boise Flower and Garden Show 2010

The display garden this year was about garden seating. Kind of interesting. Kim and I are big on places to sit and view the garden. If one wanted to really create a "wow" seating area, these were some great ideas.









The display was by Impact Imports. I have been to their shop and it is stuffed with interesting items.

I won't go on about all there was at the show. A lot of it was the same stuff - nice, but a repeat. There were some new things I noticed.

Chickens are becoming more popular. Zamzows had a coop with real chicks.






They also had some great looking tomato plants for sale at a very reasonable price.
























Franz Witte had a great Alice in Wonderland themed garden. Amber has some good photos of that.

Remember the flamingos used to play croquet in the story? Well Kim didn't, but I did. I thought it was very clever of Franz Witte Nursery since the flamingo has long been their logo.

















I also thought these packs of mixed veggies offered by D & B were a great idea.

Margaret Lauterbach was lamenting the fact that stores should sell mixed six packs of cabbage and broccoli. This at least is a step in the right direction.

For those people with not much space, one or two tomatoes and a couple of other veggies all in the same six pack is a great idea.


And of course Kim and I took advantage of the wine tasting. $8 gives you four generous tastings and you get to keep the glass. You can also carry it around as you peruse the show offerings. (I'm sure they make more sales that way.) :-)





It was a fun few hours. It's always nice to see fresh flower displays and fellow garden lovers.

Local Flower and Garden Show

I managed to talk Kim into attending the Boise Flower and Garden Show with me last night. He hadn't been in years.

The one display garden was created by Franz Witte Nursery. (For all of you reading this from larger cities, with larger shows, you read that correctly: ONE display garden is what we get in Boise.)
And since Franz Witte had the prestige of creating that garden there were plenty of these around:



If you're wondering, "Why the pink flamingos?" you can get that question thoroughly answered here.
Part of the answer goes like this:

"Franz wanted to do something to set us apart from other nurseries on state street, since there were so many of us, so he said "hey lets get a hundred pink flamingos and stick them out in the lawn one day and really freak people out!"

Well we found the suppliers of pink flamingos and called and ordered 100 of them. The minimum, however, was 120, but because of a mix-up, we actually got 120 pairs."

The display garden included a firepit, a fountain and had vegetable plants among the flowers.




There was a lot of talk about sustainable gardening. What exactly is that? Well, it includes organic gardening, water conservation, using renewable resources, among other things. Two good sources for more info:
Wild Wild Takoma and Casa Sugar

This "Eat Your Landscape" sign said it all:



These facts made me feel humble and I hope inspired viewers to plant a tree, or two, or three:



There were the usual garden decor for sale. I thought this bike was pretty.


There were plenty of bulbs to buy, a few perennials, and the usual orchids and bonsai.


























Kim thought this waterfall was clever; both inexpensive and within the ability of most people to re-create.





We stayed for the wine tasting. For $10 per person you received four tastings of the four wine options offered and a commemorative wine glass. Included was some live light jazz music. It seemed to be a very popular event.



Kim and I agreed that this show would be worth attending if you were new to gardening or new to the Boise area. For experienced gardeners you'll have to decide for yourself if the $5 entrance fee is worth the amusement.

Boise Flower Show

Sunday I attended our local flower and garden show at the Boise Centre on the Grove.
There was something for everyone at this show.

First impressions are so important and the planners did a great job beginning the event with a walk through a beautiful landscape. The scent of the flowers was nearly overwhelming. What a great way to set us up for the vendors to come. I felt like spring had moved indoors.




































And when you reached the vendors there was plenty to choose from; summer hats, whimsical garden accents, huge landscaping rocks, outdoor decks, handmade flower vases, metal decor. It was all there.

This fountain was in the display by All Wet, Sprinklers and Landscaping, a local company. I thought it was very attractive.






















































Any of the artwork by dharma works would have been a great addition to our Asian shade garden. They would look equally attractive indoors. You can check out more of his pieces at his website.






Friday and Saturday nights they held Wine and Jazz events. What a great idea. Too bad I was working.

This sign would be appropriate anywhere in our garden.




It's available from Winfield Designs in Greenbank, Washington. You can check out more of their products at their website.

I was glad I wandered into the orchid display room. Such gorgeous flowers!




And the bonsai......what can I say. Pictures certainly don't do them justice. Too bad I don't need a new hobby.







































































I certainly enjoyed the event. If I had any dispensable cash there would have been spending involved. As it was, with a $2 coupon from our bank, the entrance price was just $5. And since I stayed less than an hour, my parking was also free. Nice event.