The Lost Gardener, A Journey From the Wild to the Cultivated

The plants were the stars at this display from the Northwest Flower and Garden show. The Lost Gardener was created by RHR Horticulture and Landwave Gardens and won the the Founders cup, which is the best in show. In their words: A journey form the wild to the cultivated, this garden takes on the themes from the following motion pictures: ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘King Kong’, and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. It showcases an extraordinary diverse plant palette that symbolizes a gardener’s quest for the rarest, most unusual plants. I loved the way the garden was raised up several feet, bringing the plants closer to eye level. This really made a difference to me. They were ‘in my face’ and I could appreciate the finer details, the shades and shapes and contrasts in the dim lighting of the show. That I didn’t like, it was a bit too dark for me and I liked the early hours before the show opened when the lights were turned all the way up. But the plants! There were eighty plants listed in their garden! 80! That’s the kind of number one expects at a Flower and Garden show! Tiger Eyes Abutilon was dazzling in red and yellow, Cardiocrinum was so tall and prehistoric, Rhododendron was a translucent candy pink and Podophyllum had that amazing sunburst leaf. I wish I could go back and identify all the plants now, I definitely didn’t have time to spy all eighty in this beautiful display.