Make the most of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Think of it as your midwinter safari. A trek through a horticultural souk. A gardening expedition.

When visiting the big Northwest Flower & Garden Show, even the hardiest landscapers can feel their feet turn to mulch in the wilds of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

"I've seen people try to get in and out in a couple hours," says show manager Cyle Eldred. He doesn't advise it. "There's just so much to see." Come prepared: Comfortable shoes, a shopping tote and the inevitable camera are show-safari basics. But Eldred's also seen wheeled luggage for purchases and file folders for organizing the many fliers and info sheets. He advises taking pictures of plants and display-garden signs as quick, easy reminders of your finds.

Want to hit the show midafternoon and spend five or six hours there? Here's a plan to comfortably enjoy a long visit:

2 p.m. Once in the door, resist the urge to sprint for the gardens. Instead, grab a show program and plan your attack.

Especially important is to first pick a seminar. (With more than 100 on offer, maybe you want to do that online at www.gardenshow.com prior to your visit.) Let's say you want to see "Never a Dull Moment: Maintaining Year-round Garden Interest," with show judge and former Sissinghurst Castlehead gardener Pamela Schwerdt. You're going to need a pass, which is free but required, and only given out two hours before the session. It's at 3:45, so you'd better finish reviewing the program in the line for passes.

The show gardens, being the prime visitor magnet, deserve an early visit, but don't linger over every petal. Often, afternoons are the busiest time at the displays, says Eldred. Walk through and get a feel, but you'll be back, so save the close-up photos and chats with the designers for later.

3 p.m. The east half of the display gardens hall hosts a village of booths, including some of the larger nurseries, so visit these booths before your seminar. This year the food and beverage sales have been split up into three locations, including a deli behind these exhibitors. Grab a coffee, but leave enough time to get to the seminar, because they'll give away your seat if you're not in it 10 minutes before the scheduled start.

This year, most sessions are located adjacent to the north escalators on floors two and three (all gardens and exhibits are on floor four). For the first time, the show is not using floor six.

5 p.m. On your way to the exhibit hall, check out the container displays on the skybridge. These offer great ideas for front porches or condo decks.

In the big hall, turn left and you'll be among plants once again, as nurseries are grouped here. To the right is the Marketplace, where you'll see the trendiest gear in many shoppers' hands. This year, the educational booths are sprinkled among the retail ones, so you can join, donate or support, too.

6:30 p.m. Now you really need a break. Deposit your purchases at the free package check adjacent to the skybridge, then take a few minutes to relax once again with some refreshments. Head to the café on the far end of the exhibit hall. Kick back with a snack and enjoy the din — the café is adjacent to the children's area.

Energy should be high at kid events happening on the Sproutopia stage. New this year is a day care across from the stage, which will be surrounded by the popular children's garden displays. The 2-foot-square boxes, designed entirely by children, remind viewers that nature responds to the playful.

Here you can also check out Funky Junk, a display of garden-related creations made with recycled materials and found objects.

7 p.m. To come down from the kid energy, step over to the Women's Health Pavilion. New this year and not just for women, it will offer information and health screenings on blood pressure, bone density and cholesterol.

If you're a guy and standing in the Women's Health Pavilion just doesn't feel right, make a beeline to the "just for guys" display garden, featuring a sports theme and willful ignorance of nagging pains.

7:30 p.m. Rejoin your spouse for a good, long stroll through the display gardens. Snap your hundred or so photos, fawn over the rusty stuff artfully offsetting the green shoots of life, and imagine what it would be like to actually have one of these gardens behind your own bungalow.

8:30 p.m. The hall is thinning out, and you're ready for dinner, so it's time to head for the exit before the 9 p.m. closing time. (Note: The show closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday.) One last stop — don't forget those purchases being held for you at the package check. Exit the gardens through the north lobby area, grab the bags and away you go.

If more than six hours of garden viewing, seminars, shopping, kid fun, health tests and wine bars doesn't sound like it will be enough, there's always the two-day pass.

Bill Thorness is a freelance garden writer in Seattle: bill@thorness.com.