Relished Garden

16: From Attendee to Speaker: My Garden Show Journey (NWFGS Part 1)

Long before I was a designer at the Northwest Flower and Garden show, I started as an attendee, marking up my catalog and planning my day around seminars and show gardens. I then became a volunteer, shadowing Lloyd and helping out wherever was needed. Eventually I stepped into designing show gardens, and this year I'm doing something new again. I'm speaking at the event for the first time and competing in Container Wars.
Today, I want to talk about my journey through the show and the important role it's played in my life since moving to Washington. This episode kicks off a series we're doing as we countdown to the show. We're about four weeks out, and over the next month we'll be sharing conversations with other designers, the people working behind the scenes, and reflections from our team as we prepare our next garden. If you've ever been curious about what the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is all about, or what it takes to create one of these gardens, this series is for you.
 
In this episode, I cover:
How the garden show became my annual escape from winter and what drew me in as an attendee
The pivot during COVID that led me to reach out to Lloyd on LinkedIn and start volunteering
Reflecting on my journey as a show garden designer, the inspiration behind the themes, and winning People's Choice.
Why I love show gardens as opportunities to educate people about different gardening perspectives and cool plants they might not otherwise see
A glimpse into our 2026 design theme, and what I'm doing differently this year as a first-time speaker and Container Wars competitor
Resources
Northwest Flower & Garden Show FREE Ticket Giveaway
Purchase discount tickets for the show
Check out our 2024 Show Garden
Check out our 2025 Show Garden
Little Prince Nursery
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with your gardening friends. 
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.
 

15: Winter in the Garden: What We Prioritize for a Healthier, Happier Spring Garden

It's early January. The days are short, it's cold, and there's often a desire to close the door on the garden until spring. But winter isn't a season to hide from. It's a season to work with on your terms, at your pace, and with intention. The time you spend now makes everything easier come spring. It makes your garden healthier and more beautiful. And even just getting out there for a little bit each day can be enjoyable and beneficial. In this episode, Stevie joins me to talk about what we're focusing on in our client gardens this winter. We talk about how strange this season has been because it's warm, things are blooming and popping up when they shouldn't be, and we're pausing on important dormant pruning work until plants actually go fully dormant. We discuss what we're prioritizing right now, our favorite winter projects, and what makes this season worth embracing.
In this episode, we cover:
What we love about winter in the garden, and why small intentional work now can lead to a less overwhelming spring
Why winter in the Seattle region is so different this year, and how it impacts the work we're doing in client gardens
Why we love dormant winter pruning, and why pruning techniques like espalier and pleaching feel like long-form sculpture
The joy of seed shopping and seed swaps, and the hope that planning for the future brings when it's cold and rainy in January
Why winter is the perfect time to add bare root trees to your garden and a low-stakes way to learn something new
Resources
Pruning with Confidence YouTube Playlist
Episode 5: How to Choose the Right Tree for Your Garden
Free Winter Gardening Guide
Free Winter Pruning Guide
Seattle Tilth Seed Swap
Raintree Nursery
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

14: How I Unlock Garden Design Inspiration from Unexpected Places to Design Personalized Gardens

I've been thinking a lot about where inspiration actually comes from. Not just where I find it, but where anyone finds it. And here's what I keep coming back to: garden design inspiration doesn't have to come from other gardens or even from plants. Some of my favorite inspiration comes from totally unexpected places. A dress. A meal. A painting hanging in someone's living room. Because at the end of the day, gardens are personal, intimate spaces where life happens and memories are built. So today, I'm walking you through my actual process for finding design inspiration anywhere and translating it into gardens that feel unique to the people who live there.
In this episode, I cover:
How to filter through the flood of New Year’s inspiration without wiping the slate clean or throwing out what you already love
Why looking beyond plants and gardens for inspiration and paying attention to what lights you up might be the key to designing spaces that feel personal
How the things you've curated in your home are clues to what you love, and why I start every design project by walking through my clients' homes
How to train your eye to see design elements everywhere by breaking things down into color, texture, shape, and line to distill patterns
Silly but intentional thought exercises (like designing a garden based on a Crunchwrap Supreme) that help unlock creativity and find inspiration in very unexpected places
Resources:
The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden by Roy Diblik
Shop our full list of favorite books at https://bookshop.org/lists/favorite-books-relish-gardens. Every purchase supports independent bookstores.
Some of the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We only share things we genuinely love, use, and trust in our day-to-day garden work.
Connect with Us:
Free Winter Gardening Guide
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
If you loved this episode, make sure to subscribe. We've got new episodes every week. And if you know gardening friends who would love this, send it their way. Sharing the show helps grow our little garden-loving community.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

13: The Garden Books I Return to Year After Year

We're in planning season, and this is when I pull out all my books and start developing ideas for the year ahead. I'm not a coffee table book kind of person. My books are dog-eared, written in, stuffed with pieces of paper. They're used and loved. Some came from my grandpa's collection, others I've picked up over the years, but if a book stays on my shelf, it's because I refer to it over and over, or because it's worth lending out. Today I'm walking through the books that have earned their permanent spot in my garden library, and the new ones I am currently reading through. These are the books that help me think more deeply about plants, connect ideas in the garden, and plan how I actually want to use my space.
In this episode, I cover:
Why I still choose books over endless internet searches, and what curated knowledge offers that Google can't
How I've built a working reference library as a gardener and cook, and what makes a book worth keeping
The different roles books play: broad inspiration, deep plant-specific knowledge, and seasonal living guides
How plant-obsessed authors give you a window into their passion and help you see familiar plants in completely new ways
Why seasonal cookbooks aren't just about food—they're about understanding what's happening in the garden and connecting to place
How regional cooking traditions can mirror your own climate and offer unexpected insight into what grows well where you live
Key moments:
00:00:00 - Why I Love Books The ritual of planning season, family influence, and why books are working tools that earn their place
00:05:01 - Essential Garden References The foundational books I return to: plant ID, regional guides, and maintenance basics
00:08:09 - Plant-Specific Deep Dives How books about roses and pansies help you see familiar plants in completely new ways
00:12:41 - Foraging: Learning About Plants I'll Never Grow Building a collection of foraging books from around the world and why I love them
00:16:22 - Cooking and Living a Seasonal Life Seasonal cookbooks that connect what's in the garden to what's on the table
00:18:47 - Closing Thoughts Pull out the books you already love and give them another look
 
Books Mentioned:
Shop our full list at https://bookshop.org/lists/favorite-books-relish-gardens Every purchase supports independent bookstores.
Plant Identification and Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary by James G. Harris
Pacific Northwest Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Christina Pfeiffer and Mary Robson
Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide from Seattle Tilth
Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning: What, When, Where, and How to Prune for a More Beautiful Garden by Cass Turnbull
Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas by Brenna Estrada
Roses in the Garden by Ngoc Minh Ngo
Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Arthur R. Kruckeberg and Linda Chalker-Scott
The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater
The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater
Saving the Season by Kevin West
Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen
Eat Weeds: A Field Guide to Foraging: How to Identify, Harvest, Eat and Use Wild Plants by Diego Bonetto
Some of the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We only share things we genuinely love, use, and trust in our day-to-day garden work. 
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
FREE Guide - What to do in your winter garden
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a fellow gardener who might be building their own library. And if you have garden books you love and return to, I'd love to hear about them—I'm always looking for new inspiration.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

12: Winter Garden Reflections: Rhythms That Anchor Us Through Time

There's something really grounding about returning to the same rhythms year after year. Showing up for the season. Showing up for yourself and the people around you. We set out to talk about seasonal rhythms in the garden, but what we ended up exploring is how those rhythms actually inform life, how repetition becomes ritual, and how those rituals anchor us through time.
In this episode, Nicole (my podcast producer and Relish Gardens marketing extraordinaire) joins me to share how she uses nature-based activities to help her kids connect to the season. 
Winter is a good moment to reflect on which activities you keep in your life, which ones you prioritize, and why you value them. Because it's those small things, the ones you return to again and again, that create real connection.
In this episode, I cover:
How traditions and seasonal rhythms ground us through the passage of time and connect us across years
The mindset shift from seeing storm debris as a chore to getting excited about materials for winter pots and bonfires
Nicole's approach to "microdosing anticipation" for her kids through nature-based advent calendar activities
How putting the garden to bed creates space for both reflection on the past year and anticipation for what's coming
Resources
Free Winter Gardening Guide
Frog Pond Farm (Oregon)
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
If you loved this episode, subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you know a gardening friend who'd appreciate this conversation, send it their way. Sharing the show helps grow our little garden-loving community.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

11: Winter Solstice in the Garden: Celebrating the Return of Light

Living in the Pacific Northwest has taught me to pay attention to the light, or really, the lack of it. Growing up in California, I had no idea how intensely the seasons could shift until I moved to Seattle, where dusk feels like it hits at 3:30 and some days the sun barely seems to come up at all. It took me years to adjust to the rhythm of it. As a gardener, so much of what we do is tied to the light. The winter solstice has become one of my favorite turning points of the year. It's the shortest day, yes, but it's also the moment when everything shifts. We stop moving away from summer and start building toward spring again. There is something celebratory about realizing that from here, the light starts coming back, even if it's just a few minutes at a time. 
This week, I'm talking about how I mark the winter solstice as a gardener and why I love these seasonal rhythms and the changing of seasons.
In this episode, I cover:
Why the winter solstice is such a turning point for gardeners, marking the shift back toward spring
Simple ways to celebrate solstice, from community walks to keeping your lights up a little longer than usual
The connection between holiday lights, cultural traditions, and our need for brightness during the darkest time of year
Why the change of seasons is my favorite, and how I like to slow down enough to really notice the changes
Resources:
St. Edward State Park, Kenmore, WA
Connect with Us:
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
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If you loved this episode, make sure to subscribe and share it with a gardening friend. Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

10 - The Curator's Mindset: Clarifying Your Space Through Editing

Have you ever had the feeling that you love your plants, but your garden doesn't quite reflect the story you were trying to tell? We collect plants we love, we're gifted things, we bring home treasures from the nursery, and over time, the garden can start to feel muddled. That's where editing comes in. It's the missing piece we don't talk about enough in garden design. Just like any creative work, a garden is only as strong as the edit you bring to it. In this episode, I'm talking about how to observe your space, identify what's working (and what's not), and refine your garden into something that feels intentional, clear, and truly yours.
In this episode, I cover:
Why gardens can start to feel muddled over time
Why editing is the overlooked skill in garden design
How editing creates stronger, more intentional spaces
Strategies for clarifying your garden's story
Connect with Us:
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
Free Fall Gardening Guide
If you loved this episode, make sure to subscribe. We've got new episodes every week. And if you know a gardening friend who'd appreciate this conversation, send it their way. Sharing the show helps grow our little garden-loving community.

9: The Curator's Mindset: How Design Parameters Shape Every Garden I Design

Mature gardens become collections over time. Pots, plants, benches, impulse buys, inherited pieces, and at some point, that collection either feels magical or it just feels muddled. In this episode, I walk through how I use design parameters to guide every garden I design, why limitations actually make gardens better, and how they can reduce decision fatigue.
In this episode, I cover:
How strong design parameters help you move between gardens, make faster decisions, and avoid creative fatigue
Why mature gardens can often feel muddled instead of magical, and how design parameters fix that
The difference between a collector's mindset and a curator's mindset when building a garden
What immersive experiences like Meow Wolf and Disneyland can teach us about garden design, storytelling, and creating intentional spaces
Real examples from my award-winning Northwest Flower and Garden Show gardens, and how completely different parameters created two totally distinct spaces
Why limitations, when developed ahead of time, contribute to stronger and more well-defined gardens
Resources and Links:
Meow Wolf
Relish Gardens 2025 NWFGS Show Garden
Relish Gardens 2024 NWFGS Garden
Download our FREE Fall Gardening Guide
Connect with Us:
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
If you loved this episode, make sure to subscribe—we've got new episodes every week. And if you know a gardening friend who'd benefit from thinking about their garden through a curator's lens, send this their way. Sharing the show helps grow our little garden-loving community.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

8: No Bad Weather: The Gardening Tools and Gear That Keep Us Comfortable all Winter

Winter gardening doesn’t have to be miserable—or overwhelming. In this episode, Stevie and I share what gear we rely on to help maintain our clients’ gardens year-round.
We will share how creating an essential gear kit doesn't have to take up your entire house, and what gear makes cold-weather gardening not just doable, but genuinely enjoyable. 
We dig into the stuff we actually use, the habits that make winter gardening feel less like a chore, and how a little fresh air can go a long way in keeping your spring garden (and your mood) in better shape.
In this episode, we cover:
The benefits of just one day in the garden each week for both your garden and you.
Why gardening in a light mist might be our actual favorite time of the year to garden.
The mental and physical benefits of getting outside, even when it's cold and grey.
The specific clothing and tools that make outdoor work bearable (and yes, comfortable)
The one item Stevie keeps giving, and why it's a total game-changer
Why you don’t need to own everything, and why we love the idea of borrowing and sharing tools with your community.
Small-space-friendly tools that earn their keep in our kit
Why more gear isn’t better, and can actually reduce your efficiency and lead to overwhelm.
Our Favorite Cold-Weather Gardening Gear We Actually Use
Helly Hansen Storm Weatherproof Rain Jacket
Helly Hansen Storm Waterproof Rain Bib Pants
Boot Dryer
Japanese Hand Hoe
Ryobi Electric Leaf Blower
Brute 10-Gallon Bucket
Stoggles
Hori Hori
Some of the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We only share products we genuinely love, use, and trust in our day-to-day garden work. We encourage you to shop local and directly from the retailer.
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
 
If you enjoyed this episode, send it to a garden-loving friend who loves learning about weird edible plants in the garden.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

7: Preserving a Season: Medlars, Quince, and the Joy of Uncommon Fruits with Maggie Rutherford

In this episode, I’m joined by horticulturist Maggie Rutherford, someone who shares my obsession with the weird, wonderful world of uncommon edible plants. We talk about blending ornamental and edible plants in the garden, the joy of preserving to capture each individual season, and how small-batch preserving can be a source of creativity and delight.
Maggie shares why she can't stop talking about her Quince tree, and we dive into the weird and wonderful world of Medlars.
In this episode, we discuss:
How moving into a blank-slate yard sparked Maggie’s love of growing and eventually led her to return to school to study horticulture
Our shared love of jamming weird little fruits, and preserving as a creative, artistic expression
Why we love blending edible and ornamental plants in the garden instead of separating them.
Resources and Links
Plants Mentioned in This Episode:
Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
Medlar (Mespilus germanica)
Sloes (Prunus spinosa)
Luma (Luma apiculata)
Szechuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum simulans)
If you are looking for unique edible plants, we highly recommend Raintree Nursery
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
Saving the Season: A Cook’s Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving by Kevin WestJam Bake: Inspired Recipes for Creating and Baking with Preserves by Camilla Wynne
Connect with Us
Relish Gardens Website
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube
Follow Maggie on Instagram
Visit Maggie's Art Website
If you enjoyed this episode, send it to a garden-loving friend who loves learning about weird edible plants in the garden.
Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.