Nuts and Bolts: Garden Club's next speaker designs NW show

Flower show insider: The Snohomish Garden Club’s next regular meeting, set for 7 p.m. Monday at the Snohomish Senior Center, 506 Fourth St., Snohomish, will feature guest speaker Cyle Eldred, the longtime show designer for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

Eldred, who has been with the popular Seattle show since it opened in 1989, is now responsible for the show’s life-size display gardens and all the special features of the show, such as the container and floral displays.

Eldred recruits the display garden creators and then shepherds their progress, from the initial design stages to the final chaotic moments just before the judging begins.

The meeting is free and open to the public. See www.snohomishgardenclub.com or call 425-374-8622 or more information about the club.

Series starts: The 2011 Snohomish County Master Gardener Sustainable Gardening Speaker Series starts Friday.

Lectures will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every other Friday, January through April, at Mukilteo Presbyterian Church, 4515 84th St. SW, Mukilteo.

Series passes are $85 and will be sold at the door of the first lecture. Some single lecture tickets may be available at the door for $20.

This Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation fundraiser will feature eight speakers in all:

Jan. 7: Willi Galloway, “Gourmet Gardening: Grow Your Own Vegetables.”

Jan. 21: Karen Chapman, “Dynamic Plant Combinations and Container Design for Early Spring.”

Feb. 4: Ciscoe Morris, “The Good, The Bad and Why Did I Ever Plant That?”

Feb. 18: Dan Hinkley, “The World Condensed: Life in a Pacific Northwest Garden.”

March 4: Marianne Binetti, “Knock Out Gardens That Fight Weeds and Pack a Punch With Color.”

March 18: EagleSong, “The Magic and Medicine of Herbs.”

April 1: Lorene Edwards Forkner, “Backyard Bountiful With Ornamental Edibles.”