Garden Festival Returns to Point Defiance Park

September 27 event features Ed Hume, free admission

The Fall Garden Festival at Point Defiance Park is a celebration of local, sustainable, earth-friendly gardening and creative ways to grow your own foods and flowers.

The festival will be held in and around the Point Defiance Pagoda from 10 am-5 pm on Saturday, September 27 and features garden tours, lectures, educational displays, a garden marketplace and kids’ activities.

Gardening superstar Ed Hume will make an appearance at 10 am. In “65 years of Gardening” Hume will recount his favorite gardening tips. Other presenters’ topics include bees, chickens, fruit growing and canning.

Bus tours of Tacoma's community gardens and the heritage garden at Fort Nisqually will be led by Harvest Pierce County. Five tours are planned to depart from the Point Defiance Pagoda. The schedule will be announced September 1.

“It’s been 6 years since the exquisite Point Defiance Flower & Garden Show graced the entrance to Point Defiance Park,” said Park Director Marina Becker, “like that show, the Fall Garden Festival also seeks to educate and inspire. It is a nod to the tradition of great floral displays in the park and a look ahead to the future of sustainable gardening.”

The 765-acre park is a popular destination for more than 3.1 million people each year. The scenic setting provides a uniquely ideal experience for novice and expert gardeners to gain inspiration and knowledge while enjoying a variety of workshops, displays and tours.

A committee of members from the past Flower & Garden Show, held 2005-2008, is presenting this new event in the smaller footprint of the Pagoda with the hope of building enthusiasm for the park and re-growing a regional garden festival. The event is presented in partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma and Harvest Pierce County-PCD Community Gardens.

While admission to the event is free, vendor and fundraising proceeds will be donated to the restoration of the Japanese Gardens around the newly renovated Pagoda at Point Defiance Park.

For more information visit MetroParksTacoma.org/FallGardenFest.

FALL GARDEN FESTIVAL INCLUDES:

Garden Tours
Harvest Pierce County will lead bus tours of Tacoma's community gardens and the heritage garden at Fort Nisqually. Five tours are planned. Schedule will be announced September 1. Busses will depart from the Point Defiance Pagoda.

Lecture Series
No registration necessary. Seating capacity is limited.

10 am Ed Hume’s favorite tips “65 Years of Gardening”. A book signing will follow.
11 am Chickens 101
12 pm Garden Washington with a Certified Professional Horticulturalist (CPH)
 1 pm Bee Keeping in an Urban Garden
 2 pm Fruit Tree Growing and Pruning
 3 pm Off Peak Growing Season
 4 pm Canning and Preserving

Garden Marketplace

Plants, garden art, tools and all the goods to make your garden grow!

Garden Organizations

Learn how to get involved or find resources for all of your garden adventures.

Food Vendors

Food and beverages available for purchase from local vendors and food trucks.