Today, I want to pull the curtain back on our 2026 Northwest Flower & Garden Show garden, the Preserver’s Jewel Box. You might already know the general concept, but today we’re going deeper. I want to talk about what this garden actually is, where the inspiration came from, and how the design evolved as we got closer to build week. We’ll dig into the parameters, the pivots, the key features, and yes, the plants.
The concept came from the way I’ve always thought about the preserves I put up from my garden. In winter, when nothing’s producing, those jars on the shelf, the jams, the pickled things, the preserved tomatoes, those are the jewels. The garden keeps giving back to you. That’s the whole heart of this garden.
In this episode, I cover:
- How the concept of a jewel box shaped the layout, the structure, and the story we’re trying to tell
- The inspiration behind our color palette, from picking up on the hues of preserved foods to the patina in the copper, and what that thread connects
- The key design features: the river of jars, the custom arbor, and the table (including the $16,000 one that didn’t make the cut)
- How much you can actually grow in a small footprint, and what it looks like to treat edible plants with the same intention and beauty we bring to ornamental gardening
- The hardscape materials running through this garden, the salvaged copper, the brick, and why I’m having a total moment with brick right now
Resources & Partners
- Raintree Nursery, specialty fruit trees and edible plants by mail order, including the papaya, blueberries, and many of the incredible plants in this garden. Use code RAINTREEXRELISH26 at checkout for 10% off your order: raintreenursery.com
- Rainy Day Bees, does hive housing in the greater Seattle region. We hosted four of their hives in this garden, which were custom-painted by Asha to match our garden. If you want honey, we recommend their creamed honey trio, it’s genuinely incredible.
Thanks to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show Sponsors:
Plant material:
Pots:
Construction:
- Arbor Construction: Modern Outdoor Oasis
- Construction / Tear down support: Green Horizon Landscape & Construction
Volunteers:
A huge thank you to our volunteers from Lake Washington Tech Horticulture Program.
Plants
For the full plant list from this garden, visit relish-gardens.com/plant
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Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.
Photo by: Craig Goodwin Photography
