Nature’s Studio

“Nature’s Studio,” a collaborative effort by Washington State Nursery & Landscape Professionals—King County Chapter, and Washington Association of Landscape Professionals, designed by Kirsten Lints, CPH, of Gardens ALIVE Design, received the 2014 Pacific Horticulture award at this year’s Northwest Flower & Garden show for its fully-developed design and brilliantly executed craftsmanship. PHS judges particularly commended the makers on their scope of plants—from a tower of shiitake mushrooms (!) to a tapestry of fragrant winter blooming shrubs, perennials, and trees—for the way they evoked a sense of place that felt very grounded in a Pacific Northwest forest.

A pristine water feature replete with burbling waterfall, massive boulders, cedar snags and nurse logs, integrated with boldly-scaled rusty metal artwork led viewers around the fully 360-degree display completing a complicated but compelling narrative that convincingly drew viewers into a little slice of PNW abundance and belying the fact that outside the Washington State Convention Center temperatures were in the low 20s.

Flower shows are essentially theatre. And like all good performances, this display had us willingly suspending our disbelief. Watch this video for  a behind the scenes glimpse of the 3-day build of this ambitious garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFjvyCYcme4&w=600

[sidebar] Every year at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show the Pacific Horticulture magazine award is presented to the garden that best demonstrates the regional nature of garden design grounded  in the Pacific Northwest. Judged by Pacific Horticulture representatives.[/sidebar]

Thank you to our PHS panel of judges: Valerie Easton, author of Petal & Twig; Richie Steffen, curator, Elisabeth C. Miller Garden, and Wendy Welch, Wendy Welch Garden Design and PHS board member.