West Coast Nurseries Come Together at Farwest

Allison Westbrook

The Farwest Show, put on by the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) this past August in Portland, featured almost 400 exhibitors and attendees from 45 states and 20 countries.

Allan Niemi, Director of Events for OAN, said that having such a broad audience was a great chance to really showcase the nurseries in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Attendees also had the choice of three different tours the day before the show, which visited businesses in the area.

Allan remarked on their New Varieties Showcase, which contained over 60 varieties. Attendees and judges voted on their favorites and awarded Best in Show to Hibiscus Summerific Cherry Choco Latte from Walters Gardens. Also, the show’s Growing Trends Showcase featured a tiny house surrounded by a garden full of vegetables, herbs and other plants.

Next year, Farwest will be bringing back their Equipment Day, where attendees can see heavy equipment in action before making the decision to buy. He also mentioned the pub crawl, where attendees take a streetcar through Portland to three different stops to sample beers. It helps create conversations in a casual environment and is really helpful to new attendees or those new to the industry. Next year’s show will be on August 21-23, 2019. GT