It didn't really leave; however, we waited anxiously to hear if someone was going to buy the show when previous owner Duane Kelly decided to retire and put it up for sale. New owner, Terry O'Loughlin of O'Loughlin Trade Shows, Inc. said, "This marks a new beginning for the show, which has been a bright spot for thousands of Northwest flower and garden devotees for over two decades. This year will be no exception."

The show promises to have a line-up of 25 display gardens, speakers, and exhibitors like we've come to expect and love. "Beauty and Functionality" will be this year's theme.

The line-up of speakers for the show include authors Suzy Bales, Rich Darke, John Greenlee, Valerie Easton, Debra Lee Baldwin, Kathy Brenzel, Saxon Holt, Roger Gossler and Keeyla Meadows. Along with them will be plenty of how-to seminars and demonstrations, including vegetable gardening.

Previous owner Duane Kelly has stayed on as a consultant. Kelly, who built the show from the ground up, turned it into a spectacular extravaganza, which dazzled the Northwest gardening community every year. During the throes of winter, the show brought us practicality as well as fantasy and the taste of spring. Garden and Feature Manager Cyde Eldred, Exhibits Manager Linda Knudsen, and Seminar Manager Janet Endsley are still with the show, promising the same quality and high standards we have come to expect.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show will run from February 3-7 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. For more information, visit their web site .

A water feature in a display garden at the 2005 show.

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