For more than twenty-five years, with few time-outs, I have attended Seattle’s Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. This year, in the gardens created on the show floor, I was struck by the tawny shades of winter—tan, brown, gray, and almost black—apparent in many of the displays. Not that the gardens didn’t show off massive amounts of colorful flowers and foliage. But, outside, those subtle winter colors dominate most of the country right now. What happens when you bring those colors indoors?
An interior garden show is like a huge greenhouse. When you introduce plants onto the show floor, you put them under a closer lens, and in the best cases, plants and plant combinations are elevated to the level of art. So, seeing these subtle winter colors mixed in with all the greenery this year—what were these designers doing?
Reminding Us about Pollinators
In “The Maker’s Meadow,” designed by Lacewing Fine Gardening and Botanical Design, the upright dried tufts of grasses were woven through lower green plant materials. This got me thinking about gardening aesthetics. For a long time, cutting down plants in the fall was considered correct and pleasing. Now, we know that allowing those grasses and perennials to stand over winter is a better choice for pollinator habitat. But it’s hard for gardeners to change ideas of what is beautiful. Bringing that winter look onto the show floor is a step in the right direction.
Leaf litter—good for overwintering insects—is not often spotted at an indoor show, but Jessie Bloom’s Northwest Bloom used it to good effect under a massive cedar. Showgoers were invited to hang wishes on its branches. And nestled among the leaves at the base were various ocher fungi. The effect was a nature surprise waiting half-hidden under the tree.
Other ideas for insect protection in Jessie’s display were two “Bug Snugs.” The first was a simple round nest, made of straw with some stone eggs to hold it in place. The second were three-foot tall tepees with twigs arranged horizontally inside—all in the shades of winter.
Linking Outdoors with In
So, what would a greenhouse look like with the addition of these soft colors that some, looking out the windows, might call “the winter drabs?” By bringing those tawny color indoors, it could tie the plant room visually to the sere winterscape outside. This enlarges the greenhouse experience beyond the glass. And it could be something simple, like a few rocks or a branch.
For instance, on the show floor this year, the golden color of found objects in nature was evident. Elandan Gardens had a large piece of twisted driftwood, reminding many of a unicorn, leaping high above the display. And Nature Perfect Landscape had an entire moon gate made of sun-bleached driftwood, enticing viewers to peer through into a waterfall world. So, go ahead, mix the subtle colors with lush foliage indoors for a look that is both timely and celebrates the seasons.
