Couple’s business prepares to blossom for the big show

Admirers might consider it a mirage, but for an Auburn couple it is indeed real.

And a gardener’s ultimate challenge.

Combining unique ideas and complicated design, Nataliya and Robert Worthington will be busy creating an exclusive garden display for the prestigious Northwest Flower & Garden Show at the Seattle Convention Center.

The Worthingtons – who operate the Auburn-based NW Landscape By Design, LCC – plan to create an 18-foot-wide by 25-foot-long “fata morgana” or mirage display for the Feb. 18-22 show.

According to the show’s manager, Cyle Eldred, the Worthingtons’ small family-owned operation is the first Auburn business to present its ideas and creations in a display at the internationally-renowned show, one of the largest in the country.

“We’re excited to be able to do this,” said Robert, 41, a Certified Landscape Technician, Designer and Professional. “We want Auburn to be seen.”

Added Nataliya: “It’s an honor and a responsibility.”

The Worthingtons’ creation will be one of 26 display gardens – the focal point of each show over a five-day period. Gardens will range in size from 100 to 1,800 square feet and include three urban designs ideal for a terrace, deck or patio.

Each winter, the show invites attendees to begin preparations for spring gardening with its magnificent, full-sized gardens created by a select group of nurseries and landscape designers from around the Pacific Northwest.

This year, featured gardens will offer ideas for a greener future amid themes including “Nature’s Classroom,” “Collaborating with Nature” and “Reclaim, Recreate, Rejuvenate.”

“In an area of the country that is famous for the green movement and their concern for the environment, sustainability is a natural theme for our show,” said Duane Kelly, the event’s founder and chairman of Salmon Bay Events, the Seattle-based company that produces the show. “One of our goals as a community event is to help preserve the beauty and vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest. With that in-mind, we hope to attract a new generation of eco-savvy gardeners and provide them with the tools and techniques to create sustainable gardens.”

For the Worthingtons, it will be a demanding task.

“We will be creating a unique garden display, bringing new textures and materials to the Northwest,” said Nataliya, 34, a native of Russia who met her husband while attending college stateside and decided to combine their talents and open a business. “Our company is working very hard to become the best garden display.”

Much to plan

The job requires considerable research, preparation and time.

Staff will help the couple create the display, with contributing designs from Lake Washington Technical College students.

Upon completion, the garden will feature a 9-foot-by-9-foot patio made of flagstone, topped by a gazebo, and furnished with durable, acrylic furniture. The display also will include a 2-by-8 obelisk.

The display garden will combine many different species of trees – from Eucalyptus gunni to European larch – and plants – from Euphorbia to Heuchera. It also will accommodate such perennials as the New Zealand Flax, and flaunt Asiatic lilies.

The garden will feature many accessories, from glass objects such as spheres to pebbles, to provide a light, airy, shimmering effect.

The Worthingtons hope visitors will breath, see and listen to their gleaming garden – and see the reflection of modern life, where everything flows, and is light, airy and movable.

“The challenge is to get all the materials and put it all together in a short amount of time,” Nataliya said.

The display meshes some of Nataliya’s ideas with Robert’s designs. They collaborated on the display, and they like what they have.

“I create whatever she has into reality,” said Robert, who grew up in Seattle, earned his degree in landscape management, opened a business and been a part of Auburn since 2003.

“I like working with my hands, working with plants and working with new ideas,” he said.

NW Landscape By Design, which serves King and Pierce counties, specializes in landscape design, installation and maintenance in residential and commercial fields.

The company also has teamed up with the Seattle Children’s Hospital. A percentage from each commercial or residential landscape design and/or installation goes to needy children and families at the hospital.

Nataliya, who holds a masters degree in English, was a teacher and interpreter in Russia before moving to the U.S. She grew up in a culture rich in plants and flowers, was moved by European impressionism, and dabbled in photography.

Her burning desire to create has found a place in Robert’s life and in landscaping.

“This is exciting,” Robert said of being chosen for the upcoming show. “It is a challenge, an exciting project.”

====

Prestigious show on deck

• Event: Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Regarded as one of the “Top 2” garden shows in the country, the event provides current and aspiring gardeners with six acres of useful ideas, information and materials

• Dates: Feb. 18-22

• Venue: Washington State Convention Center, 7th and Pike, Seattle

• Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday.

• Theme: ‘Sustainable Spaces. Beautiful Places’

• Program: The show will focus on gardening that benefits the environment. Among the attractions will be 26 full-scale display gardens, featuring sustainable lifestyle elements such as native plants and organic vegetable gardens; seminars that focus on low-water garden designs and creative recycling; as well as products and services including eco-friendly gardening tools and organic lawn care products.’

• Tickets, information: www.gardenshow.com

• To donate or sponsor the display: www.welove2landscape.com

Auburn Reporter Editor Mark Klaas can be reached at mklaas@reporternewspapers.com or 253-833-0218, ext. 5050.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. So keep your comments:

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.