SEATTLE — Gardening guru and Executive Director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, Richie Steffen shared some lessons and advice on planet-friendly plants while previewing the garden’s presence at the upcoming Northwest Flower & Garden Festival (NWFGF).
Great Plant Picks is a comprehensive educational program at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. 2020's theme is "Plants for the Planet." Steffen showed us a lush collection of drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly plants, including hellebores (Lenton rose), camellias and ferns. This is exactly the time of year for hellebores, according to Steffen, as they come into their own in February, March and April.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” he said, “but there are little bumblebees out. And (hellebores) are great for bumblebees. They’re filled with nectar, and bees totally love them.”
Steffen’s Tips for Choosing a New Plant
- Do your research! Make sure you pick a plant for the right light it will be in. Take care to notice if the plant will be in sun, shade, or partial sun.
- Tap the pot – you want the plant to feel solid
- When planting hellebores, don’t break up the root system. They go into dormancy in the summertime, and need their dense roots.
- When planting ferns, break up the root system, you can be rough with them. March is a great time to cut back ferns.
What to Expect at the 2020 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival
The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, now the second-largest garden show in North America, is about nature-fueled creative energy as much as knowledge, blending nature and nurture in more than 30 spectacular showcase art displays.
The 2020 NWFGF also marks the debut of Fleurs de Villes in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Fleurs de Villes, which translates into English as “Flowers of the Cities,” is a traveling show that works with premier local florists and designers, growers and nurseries to create spectacular bespoke floral-art displays. For the Seattle show, attendees will encounter about 12 life-size floral-art mannequins with outfits made from flowers, plants and various botanicals.
Attendees can find the Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Gardens in the Solara Wine Garden on the show floor, under a big leaf that reads ‘Great Plant Picks.'
Richie Steffen is also leading a full seminar on “Great Plant Picks for a Better Planet” in the Rainier Room at 2 PM. on Saturday. Check the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival schedule for a full list of in-depth seminars, locations and times.
The festival runs from Wednesday Feb. 26 through Sunday March 1, 2020 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. For more details and ticket information, please visit gardenshow.com.
Sponsored by Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. Segment Producer Derek Haas. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.