LYNNWOOD—Those walking under the bright, fluorescent lights of the Lynnwood Event Center this weekend were treated to a natural florescence: hundreds of different plant species on proud display.
It’s hard to overstate the visual volume of these polychromatic perennials, especially the eye-catching orchids that serve as the centerpiece of the annual Indoor Plant Festival. Held by Northwest Orchid Society, a nonprofit based in North Seattle, this year’s event followed the success of last year’s inaugural festival.
And while orchids are in the group’s name, those flowered plants aren’t the festival’s whole game. A wide diversity of plant life could be found on both Saturday and Sunday. From cacti to carnivorous plants and begonias to bluebells, plant lovers of any kind had tables to stop and stare at.
Exhibition booths included the Seattle-based Cascade Cactus & Succulent Society, the Portland-based Oregon Orchid Society, the Spokane Orchid Society, and, representing Whatcom County, the Mount Baker Orchid Society.
As for vendors, the festival platformed several nurseries and individual growers from the Pacific Northwest. Botanica Ltd out of Missoula, Montana showed off rare African angraecoids, while Snohomish County’s Predatory Perennials and Courting Frogs Nursery turned their corner of the event center into a housefly’s worst nightmare.
The Northwest Orchid Society also invited growers from across the globe, including Kanjarin Greens of Thailand, the Peruvian family business Orchideas Amazonica, Ecuagerena from Ecuador, and Taiwanese Ten Shin Gardens. Northwest Orchid Society event organizer Ben Johnson said that this annual convention offers the Seattle area a coveted chance to shop directly from these international nurseries.
Estimated attendance for the event was 1,300—a slightly higher turnout than last year’s festival. Johnson, whose current favorite orchid is the tiny Microterangis hildebrandtii from Madagascar, said the weekend was “very busy” and that Northwest Orchid Society hopes to continue strong in future years.
With a mischievous grin, Everett carnivorous plant horticulturist Steph Meyer called the Indoor Plant Festival “the best kept secret in Snohomish County.”
Author: Kayvon Bumpus
