Find beer, wine, demos and, of course, flowers galore at Point Defiance garden show
After a 15-year absence, a springtime flower-and-garden event returns to Tacoma this weekend.
The Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival will be held near the park’s main entrance on Saturday and Sunday and brings lectures, demonstrations, garden tours, shopping, food trucks, live music and a beer and wine tasting garden.
Proceeds benefit the Tacoma Farmers Market and Metro Parks gardening programs. The market will kick off its summer season at the festival with fresh fruits, vegetables and other items for sale.
Visitors can tour display gardens created for the show by local nurseries and landscapers.
Guided garden tours
Guided tours of the rose garden, Japanese garden, rhododendron garden and Northwest native garden will be offered at an additional cost. The tours include the gardens’ plants and history related by horticulturists. Tour space is limited. Check website for times and cost.
Vendor Village
A highlight of the festival’s merchandise booths will be the hanging baskets that are produced for Tacoma’s parks. They will be available for purchase.
Attendees can get advice from horticulturists, buy merchandise or have lunch at a variety of food trucks.
Beer and wine tasting garden
Regional wines and beers will be offered in a tasting garden. Winery and brewery representatives will be present. A $27 tasting package comes with five tokens, a souvenir tasting glass and entry to the festival. Proceeds benefit the Tacoma Farmers Market.
Lectures, demonstrations and classes
Lectures and demonstrations will be held near the park’s rose garden and inside the Pagoda. They are free to festival ticket holders. Speakers and workshop sessions include:
▪ Growing Pollinator Friendly Xeric Gardens with Ann Amato.
▪ A Tour of Heronswood with Ross Bayton.
▪ Western Washington Native Plants and the Habitats in Which they Grow BEST with Anna Thurston.
▪ No Fear Garden Design with Sue Goetz.
▪ Sogetsu Ikebana with Shirley Hill.
▪ Built Indoor Ecosystems with Maggie Hellis.
▪ Birds, Bees, Flowers, and Trees with Pierce County Beekeepers Association/Tahoma Audubon Society.
▪ Sound Horticulture: The Benefits of Beneficials with Alison Kutz.
▪ Connecting to Nature with Sarah Low
▪ Is it a Zoo, or is it a Garden? Excerpts of Zoological Horticulture with Bryon Jones.
▪ Herbal Workshop: Natural Care Recipes with Sue Goetz.
▪ Seeds! with Ann Amato.
▪ Japanese garden history with Peter Putnicki.
▪ Pacific Bonsai Museum with Aarin Packard.
▪ Transitioning Landscapes Towards Sustainability with Anna Thurston.
▪ Accessible Gardening with Caitlin Moats.
Happy hour with live music
A happy hour will be held in the Rose Garden on Saturday from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Tacoma Farmers Market and Metro Parks horticultural programs. Cost is $5 per person. 21 and over only.
If you go
What: Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival.
When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 4.
Where: Point Defiance Park, 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma. Pond and main entrance area.
Tickets: Festival pass is $12 and includes lectures, demonstrations and full access.
Information: metroparkstacoma.org/event/ptdflowergardenfest/
