Display Garden

At the annual Northwest Flower & Garden Festival

Washington State Convention Center

NOTE: The Arboretum will not be hosting a display garden in 2023, but there will be many other great Festival gardens to enjoy. 

The Arboretum Foundation, with support from its City and University partners at the Arboretum, regularly presents a horticultural display at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. We use the display to showcase the Arboretum’s prized plant collections and gardens, as well as features like the park’s diverse wildlife and sustainable practices.

Following are photos from some of our most recent displays:

2020 Display: “Gateway to a Greener Earth”

At the 2020 Garden Festival (February 26 to March 1), the Arboretum honored the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (April 2020) with a globe-shaped garden representing the diversity of plants from around the world found in our 230 acres. A mix of native and non-native trees formed the backdrop to the display, while species rhododendrons and other understory plants made up the foreground. “Gateway to a Greener Earth” was awarded a Gold Medal by the Festival judges, plus it won the awards for Best Use of Horticulture and Best Use of Color. (Photo by David Rosen/Slickpix Photography)

2019 Display: “Under the Mediterranean Sun”

Our 2019 Display Garden “Under the Mediterranean Sun” featured a white and blue villa and geometric plaza, with a tiled pathway leading to a cooling fountain; around the plaza were specimen plants featured in warm mediterannean climates, like boxwood and lavendar shrubs, and olive and citrus trees.

2018 Display: “Wonders of the Winter Garden”

Our “Arboretum Carnavale: Wonders of the Winter Garden” paid homage to the Washington Park Arboretum’s iconic Witt Winter Garden. It featured an abundance of plants that peak in interest at a time of year when most gardens are dormant or subdued. These include plants that bloom in winter, boast colorful winter foliage or bark, produce winter fragarance, or offer unique textures for winter interest.

HEADER PHOTO: David Rosen, SlickPix Photography