Small-space gardening niche blossoms amid condos' growth

Organizers of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show look at the new condo and apartment buildings popping up all over Seattle and see a burgeoning number of potential green-thumbed hobbyists.

The show, which runs for five days starting Wednesday at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, will include a first-of-its-kind exhibit featuring three display patios, plus 13 container gardens for dressing up a doorway or balcony. The purpose is to make sure the show stays relevant as more people choose downtown-style living.

A third of the show's more than 110 free seminars are aimed at small-space gardeners, said Cyle Eldred, who is managing the 20th annual show for Salmon Bay Events. Consider these titles: "Growing Vegetables Vertically," "Transform Your Containers with Paint & Style!" and "Discover the Versatility of Ferns."

"We have smaller spaces to live in, and we all want to make them pretty," Eldred said. "Even if you don't have a great big yard, you probably have a patio or deck. I grew carrots in a container on my deck this year."

Local businesses, such as Exteriorscapes in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood, are catering to condo and apartment dwellers by selling more container gardens.

"A lot of people move into a condo after having a yard and they're like, 'I've got to get my hands dirty' " said Peter Lavagnino, a landscape designer at Exteriorscapes.

Growing plants in terra-cotta pots, wire baskets or just about any other type of container doesn't require a big yard — just a place to put them, Lavagnino said.

"They soften a lot of the concrete, the look of the space," added Cameron Scott, Exteriorscapes' owner.

The 18-employee firm, which will have a container garden on display at next week's show, charges about $500 for a typical 3-foot-by-3-foot potted plant. Such a plant might include a Japanese maple tree surrounded by evergreen shrubs and a mixture of hanging and upright flowers.

Janit Calvo, who runs Two Green Thumbs nursery out of her West Seattle home, has a new miniature patio kit for $17.95 — ideal, she says, for gardening enthusiasts who don't have a yard.

The kit includes sand, cement mix, planting and decorating instructions, as well as borders for a "patio" about the size of a postcard. "The condo and apartment dwellers should have a field day with it," Calvo said.

Homeowners with big houses on tiny lots are also into small-space gardening, said Charlie Cessna, a horticulturist at Exteriorscapes.

"The lots themselves are smaller, or the houses are so big that they take the whole lot space," Cessna said. "That leaves you with very little space for gardening."

For them, a potted plant or miniature patio will have to do.

— Amy Martinez

Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting will offer free coffee and espresso drinks — one drink per customer — from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 26, the same hours Starbucks is closing its stores to retrain employees. Caffé Vita has stores on Capitol Hill, Fremont, Queen Anne and Seward Park in Seattle, and in downtown Olympia.

"We wanted to offer a destination for people to get their coffee while Starbucks is closed," said marketing manager Kate Perry. — MA

Zenith Vineyard in Oregon's Willamette Valley might win the viticultural prize for having the most names in the shortest period. D.A. Davidson food-industry analyst Tim Ramey settled on Zenith after trademark disputes over his vineyard's two other names.

Two years ago, London-based Diageo opposed the first name, Belle Provenance Vineyard, saying it was too close to that of Provenance Vineyards in Napa Valley. Ramey then tested the name Belle Origine Vineyard but ran into trouble with Albertsons over its private-label wine called Origin. Finally, last year he changed the name to Zenith Vineyard.

"We were never willing to hire a trademark attorney for $10,000, so that's why we got all this wonderful on-the-job education," Ramey said. — MA

Dream Dinners in Snohomish has named Darin Leonard as its new CEO. Founders Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna will remain active in the business, which has 209 stores nationwide that do food preparation for customers who assemble their own meals to take home. Leonard was most recently regional managing partner of the Bellevue consulting firm OneAccord. — MA

BooRah, an online restaurant-review guide based in California, has launched sites for Seattle, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago. It's been running for a year in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco at www.boorah.com. — MA

John Howie, proprietor of Bellevue's Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar, will open a steakhouse called John Howie Steak at The Bravern, according to Schnitzer West, developer of the 1.7-million-square-foot project in downtown Bellevue. The Bravern already has signed up Wild Ginger, Neiman Marcus and Jimmy Choo Shoes for the mixed-use project expected to open in September 2009. — MA

Kohl's is hiring about 150 people for a new Snohomish store to open in April. The Wisconsin-based retailer will hold a job fair Sunday through Thursday at the Holiday Inn in downtown Everett. Visit www.kohlscareers.com or call 877-639-5645 to begin the application process and schedule an interview. — AM

Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com