EVERETT — Downtown will bloom with people this week at Sorticulture, the annual three-day garden art festival.
The city’s mega botanical party, with music, food trucks, plants and more, is Friday through Sunday. Admission is free, but bring some green stuff to spend on food and goods.
Two $10,000 backyard makeovers will be given away at the event that draws 18,000 to 22,000 people over three days, said Tyler Chism, Sorticulture spokesperson and a program manager with the city’s economic development.
“I am so excited about Sorticulture I am going to wet my plants,” he said.
You won’t find that on a T-shirt at the more than 130 vendors spread out over five blocks.
Multiple plants stick out of a backpack during the first day of Sorticulture on Friday, June 9, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“It’s a half-mile long festival,” Chism said. “We get people coming from Texas to Sorticulture.”
Just for this?
“There are garden art fanatics that go across the country,” he said.
Products are for outdoor living or enjoying or botanical-themed. And plants. Even more plants this year.
In the years before COVID, Sorticulture was held at Legion Park, where hundreds of cars clogged the streets in the quiet north Everett neighborhood. Sorticulture moved to downtown Everett in 2021 and the new location proved better for all.
“We are trying to bring some features of the park to make it feel like less of an urban street art festival and more of a garden art festival,” Chism said.
Vendors are set up in small groupings of booths, mapped by color zones. “So you just don’t spend time walking down rows, looking at everybody in a row,” Chism said. “It lets people meander and interact with the artist.”
Find copper and metal artist Roxann Van Wyk in the pink zone on Hoyt Avenue.
Tammy Brockmann looks though the different metal cutouts available at the Freeborn Metal Art booth during the first day of Sorticulture on Friday, June 9, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“When Sorticulture started many years ago it sparked a passion in me to create garden art,” Van Wyk said. “I am so grateful for that and have loved being a part of this special event over these past years. I’m really looking forward to this year’s show and happy to hear we are getting some nice weather for it.”
Free gardening classes are at the Schack Art Center, also in the Hoyt Avenue pink zone. Art classes, for a fee, include watercolor, basketry, collage, ceramics and mosaics and gnome-making.
The Sunnyside Nursery main stage is in the center of the festival at Hoyt and Hewitt avenues. Nearby is a beer and wine garden hosted by the Everett Music Initiative.
As usual, celebrity gardener Ciscoe Morris is the guest speaker. Catch his talk at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Another tradition is the Sorticulture poster. This year’s artist is Elizabeth Person, whose five different varieties of dahlia flowers will be free while supplies last.
“Come and collect them all,” Chism said.
On Saturday and Sunday, youth activities will be hosted by the city’s parks and recreation team, the Everett Public Library and Somebuddy, a face painter.
Parking is free in the Everpark Garage on Saturday and Sunday.
Everett Transit will offer a free shuttle from Everett Station to downtown for all three days. Shuttles will go every 15 minutes.
Go ahead, buy that heavy metal sculpture or glass orb, and keep going. Members of the Everett Rowing Association will operate two package pickup stations, at Hoyt and Pacific and at Wetmore and Hewitt.
“They’ll keep it safe. Pull up, load your stuff up, give everyone a high five and hit the road,” Chism said.
Sorticulture
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
visiteverett.com/1400/Sorticulture
MAIN STAGE
Hoyt and Hewitt avenues
Music
Friday
1 p.m. Jordan Campbell, singer-songwriter
2:30 p.m. Feddy Luongo, Americana singer songwriter
4 p.m. Stephanie Anne Johnson, singer-songwriter
5:30 p.m. The W Lovers, folk duo
Saturday
11:30 a.m. Beclynn, folk
3 p.m. Brittany Collins, singer-songwriter
4:30 p.m. Anthony Brock Group, indie rock
Sunday
1 p.m. Little Wins, singer-songwriter Andrew Vait
3 p.m. Bryan John Appleby, singer-songwriter
Speakers
Noon Friday: “Hydrangea-licious!” with Trevor Cameron, Sunnyside Nursery
1 p.m. Saturday: “Great plant picks” with Ciscoe Morris
Noon Sunday: “Japanese maples” with Trevor Cameron
FREE GARDENING CLASSES
Schack Art Center, 2921 Hoyt Ave.
Friday
11 a.m. “Pitcher plants (aka carnivorous plants),” with Ken Eshleman, Snohomish County WSU Master Gardener
1 p.m. “Noxious weeds,” with Geraldine Saw, Snohomish County Noxious Weeds
2:30 p.m. “Transforming turf,” with Sara Rocero, Snohomish Conservation District
4 p.m. “Bringing back the pollinators,” with Kim Palmer, Xerces Society
5:30 p.m. “Colorful climbers,” with Trevor Cameron, Sunnyside Nursery
Saturday
10 a.m. “Mason bees,” with Jeff Austin, master gardener
11:30 a.m. “Herbs,” with Sheryl Kelly, master gardener
2 p.m. “Garden fun for kids and seed library story time,” with Aarene Storms, Everett Public Library
3 p.m. “Roses,” with Meg Jacobsen, master gardener
4:30 p.m. “Summer perennials and pollinators,” with Trevor Cameron
Sunday
11 a.m. Tool care,” with Vicki Sorg, master gardener
1 p.m. “Vegetable gardening for yourself and your community,” with Terry Myer, Down to Earth Community Gardens
2:30 p.m. “Gardening in the shade,” with Trevor Cameron
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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