Massive square stones stacked into an imposing fountain, which is skirted by blooming daffodils, greet visitors to the show gardens.

These steel and wood sculptures pair nicely and seem about to take flight.

The “Good Times Great Food” garden features a varied patio landscaping with an assortment of stone pavers and groundcovers.

This bar-fountain-pool combination nicely edges a patio in a small garden.

An artistic water sculpture echoed by another shapely sculpture behind highlights one garden.

A stylish espaliered tree dresses up this shed wall.

A scene from the Hoh Rainforest was the theme of the Arboretum Foundation’s garden at the NW Flower & Garden Show. I had the pleasure of helping bring this one to life.

A path through a nurse log was part of the Hoh Rainforest display at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Flowers line the path to a forest service lookout tower in this display at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Large circular stepping stones blended beautifully with washed gravel in a pleasing curved path in this Yard, Garden & Patio Show display.

“Tough to mow” was my first thought when seeing this grassy bridge in a garden at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Here’s a well-built stone bridge at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show.

An impressive combination of stone products created this inviting waterfall at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show.

Salmon (of the porcelain variety) headed upstream to spawn in a display garden at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Giant recycled-plastic pots lit from within and gabion walls with galvanized metal screens highlighted this garden at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Glamping in a Southwest cactus garden was part of this display at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Movie night in the garden – complete with s’mores and a fire pit – looked very inviting in this display at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show.

Simple and elegant with just two elements, this ikebana arrangement by Charles Coghlan caught my eye at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

Adding just a third element, this arrangement by Mina Dizon was also spare and striking at the NW Flower & Garden Show’s ikebana display.

A quote from the artist Cezanne mirrors my attitude toward vegetables at the Hudson Valley Seed Library’s booth at the NW Flower & Garden Show.

A stand of giant purple mustard among lettuce wowed visitors to the edible garden display. The greenhouse is from NW Green Panels.

Why not paint your beehive with a colorful scene and top it with stunning copper!

The edible garden creators used juniper for some raised beds. They promote it as being longer-lasting than other woods.

Coreten steel raised beds make a bold statement in the garden. The pricy steel rusts to a wonderful bronze color, then stops and is very long-lasting.

Friends and fellow speakers Marty Wingate and Mary Kate Mackey were clearly in a cheery mood while chatting at a colorful outdoor table set.

The Dennis’ 7 Dees display garden featured a series of planted pots sitting in a water feature.

The 7 Dees display also showed galvanized steel planters tightly packed with edibles and flowers.

Seeds saved in canning jars were part of the greenhouse exhibit in the edible garden display.

Why save seeds in jars, when you can just prop up the seed heads?

These benches, set into a standard wall of stacking concrete blocks, break up the monotony and must be much more comfortable.

Very nice design for a key season extension device from the local builders at Cedar Cold Frames.

The Edible Seattle folks are handing out scads of free magazines. And it happens to be the Nov/Dec issue, which has my article on seed saving!

One of the Great Plant Picks, um, picks this year is Splendid Wild Ginger. Get it.

Got a shipping pallet sitting around? Ballard Reuse could show you how to turn it into a cool bench.

An old bike painted a bright color with plants added in strategic places would make a whimsical piece of garden art.

And another bike/planter.

This is the Foody Garden Tower, which is how we will all grow veggies in the garden of the future.

David Hutchison in his element, at the Flora & Fauna Books booth. Lots of unusual finds there.

The “Romance of Steampunk” show garden evoked another era.

Old windows repurposed into a shed — probably the easiest way to build a cold frame.

This herb ladder from Ballard Reuse demonstrates an easy project with some old wood.