Garden show

Every year in the spring I go to the Stockholm garden show. In a way it’s getting old and boring, but I have to go to meet friends and get some stuff and inspiration.

Here are some picts.

The greatest surprise and inspiration were the rusty sheet metal containers. I’m going to have to get into welding. I’d like to sink a metal ring around each crop circle.

This girl was eager to tell me all about the situation in Africa for food, farmers and saving traditional crop seed. I was intrigued by the standing balls of straw – not bee hives or bird houses, but seed saving bundles!

Bird houses made by school children.

A shirt/jacket I wish I had bought.

A lighting rack for starting plants indoors I wish I had.

Some fencing

There was a portable heavy-duty frame with tarp roof that was being used to hang hamocks that they were selling. It won’t blow apart in a storm either. But it was from Hungary and not for sale. Next year maybe he said.

And of coarse I got some plants – a cold-hearty wisteria from Siberia and a golden cherry tree – from my favorite garden store in Finland – Blomquists.

Seattle Garden Show

I saw a lot of cool stuff and met a lot of interesting people at the garden show. The NORTHWEST FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW.

A stone slab mound

Rain forest garden  
Basalt pillars 

Hexagonal shed 

  
 Marenakos supplies stones to just about everyone 

Dan Robinson a bonsai master  

He had the biggest stones and wild bonsai and was my favorite.  

His juniper scrag gave me some ideas.

Biodynamics was represented – good dirt to stick your hands into, but I was suprised at the absence of other alterantive gardening groups.  

There was an excellent lactic acid bacteria pickling seminar by Erica Strauss  

 I learned quite a few new tricks -and bought her book.

And there was much, much more…

  

  
  
  
 

 

Garden show

The weather got very gray yesterday, and I went to the Stockholm Garden Show for a bit of inspiration.

http://www.nordiskatradgardar.se

I spent all day trudging around, overloading my little brain with a cacophony of plants, bulbs, seeds, clothes, equiptment, accessories and what have you, as I do each year. My conclusion is that It was not as good as it has been – and no high points.

This was cool – a geodesic dome in kit form of light metal pipes and plastic.

And an electric wheelbarrow for my old age. I can charge it with my sollar panel.

The dome was the expo center for Frodas a garden center specializing in permaculture, hydroponics and ceramics.

http://frodas.org

Other highlights at the show were the permaculture group, another group propagating work horses in acriculture and forestry, and the very enthusiastic urban gardening gang.

There are a few places where I almost always meet friends to discuss the gardening year with – Runåbergs seeds, the organic gardening society FOBO, and The Biodynamic Society.

http://www.runabergsfroer.se
http://www.fobo.se
http://www.demeter.nu

At the later, I bought a packet of biodynamic compost preparations for the first time in 30 years – more on that later.

My favorite place is Blomqvist Nursery from Finland. This is the exhibit that makes the visit to the show every year worth while. They have plants and trees native to northern europe from Eastonia, Russia, Siberia, Finland and Sweden.

http://www.blomqvistintaimisto.com

Through the years I’ve gotten siberian blackberries, åkerbär, hjortron, and many old time plum and apple trees. This year i bought a himbergs prune tree (krikon), spulga grapes and a wojtek blueberry honeysuckle (bärtry). The vasa krikon was already sold out, so I’ll have to go to the show and visit them again next year.