Sneak Peek: Northwest Flower and Garden Display, 2011.
Do you ever stop and ask yourself, “What am I doing?”
I found myself asking this question again when getting ready for the Northwest Flower and Garden show this week.
If most of my fellow Miniature Gardeners are online and a large percentage of them are out-of-state, why am I spending my valuable time and resources prepping for this local show? What benefit would it be to the miniature gardener in Maryland or Florida?
It’s a good question and I think I’ve got some good answers for you:
1. We develop new techniques.
Creating a miniature garden to fit into a specific theme often creates a series of new techniques that we can add to our arsenal. Customizing accessories to fit the idea is through trial and error until we reach the exact look that we want. Sometimes we stumble upon completely different techniques that were never thought of before.
2. New themes are conquered and mastered.
Because we have no choice but to master them! This garden show has a different theme each year, having someone else choose your theme it is more challenging than choosing your own theme. The thought of thousands of people looking at and taking photos of the miniature gardens forces the quality of work to exceed each year.
3. New product ideas.
Finding right miniature garden accessory to fit into the theme leads to finding more new product ideas. If we can’t find the right item to fit into our plan, we’ll make it with the hopes of adding it to our line.
4. New plants found.
Similar to #3, searching for plants to fit the theme lead to finding more plants that can be used in our miniature gardens with success – or not. If the plant doesn’t hold up to our standards, we won’t carry it. The stress and strain (Our standards are: low maintenance, easy care, small foliage and slow growing.)
5. Troubleshooting.
A different set of problems lead to new solutions. Our philosophy is that there are ways around everything we just have to find the way. It certainly keeps it interesting!
Our theme for this year’s display is Eat, Pray, Love, Garden and we have some wonderful mini garden ideas to share from Italy, India and Bali!
Stay tuned for all the juicy details coming next Thursday – the show opens on Wednesday, February 23rd.
See the ‘New or Back-In-Stock’ items in our online store this month here.
See our previous displays on Flickr here.
Another reason is that it inspires many. Every yes I’m there, everyone seems to just gravitate to your displays. It’s one of the highlights of the show for me. 🙂 by the way, any idea why Maryland and Florida are more into it?
Hi Diane! Thanks for your comments! Looking forward to seeing you at the show.
Actually, the Illinois area and California have the majority of my customers. I picked Maryland and Florida because they were in the opposite corners of the country. I can explain why California are more into miniature gardening with the Disneyland/Fairyland as well as the M & M Nursery in the Orange area have been doing fairy gardens for much longer than I have. Illinois, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are all up there. Possibly because of the Philadelphia Flower Show with their miniature garden display and Chicago has THE best miniature show each year in April and has been for years. Which brings us back to you ‘more exposure’ idea, you’re right! ;o)
I love the miniature gardens at the show and can’t wait to see your newest creation. Especially now that I know who is behind it!