Farwest Show for Retailers

Discover What’s Next for Your Garden Center

Join us August 26–28 in Portland for the Farwest Show, where retail nurseries and garden centers come to find fresh ideas, discover the newest plant varieties coming to market, and connect with the people growing our industry.

With 300+ exhibitors, thousands of industry peers, and one of the strongest gatherings of buyers in the industry, Farwest is the place to gather inspiration for the seasons ahead.

REGISTER TODAY!

AUGUST 26-28, 2026

SHOW HOURS

Wednesday: 12 p.m.–5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

SEMINAR HOURS

Wednesday: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m.

LOCATION

Oregon Convention Center
777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97232
Get directions

TOURS

Tuesday, August 25, 2026
8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Education Designed for Garden Centers

Discover What’s Next for Your Garden Center

Farwest features a retail education track built specifically for garden centers and plant retailers.

Sessions explore topics like:

  • Creating eye-catching merchandising displays
  • Improving the customer experience in-store
  • Marketing strategies that drive traffic
  • Creative, high-profit workshops that turn your garden center into a destination experience
  • Plant trends and varieties with staying power so you can stock what customers will be asking for next
  • Retail purchasing strategies and supply chain insights to help you source the right plants and products
  • Hiring, training, and retaining great employees in a changing workforce

Ready to Join Us?

The Farwest Show brings together plants, ideas, and connections that help garden centers stay ahead of trends and grow their businesses.

Register today and start planning your Farwest experience.

REGISTER TODAY!

Explore the Retail Seminar Lineup:

Events

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Events Views Navigation

Today

  • Purchasing 101: Horticultural Professionals Discuss Purchasing

    Room B110

    Panel: Representatives from Growscape, Monrovia Nursery Company, Smith Gardens, Al’s Garden & Home, Anderson Pots, and OBC Northwest Inc.

    Panel discussion on basic purchasing and receiving processes and best practices from three growers and two manufacturers/distributors. Principles and processes that ensure efficient operations by securing the right product, right customer, right quantity, right condition, right place, right time, a

  • How We Relate to Plants Today — and Why We Buy Them

    Room B116

    Speaker: Erica Grivas, garden journalist/speaker

    Plants are more than decorations, they function as companions, wellness tools, and lifestyle statements. This session looks at how today’s buyers relate to plants, from food growers and pollinator supporters to low-maintenance gardeners and self-described “plant parents.”

  • How Diseases Hitch a Ride: When Insects Act as Plant Pathogen Vectors

    Room B113

    Speaker: Sierra Laverty, assistant professor and horticulture educator, University of Idaho Extension

    Some of the most common greenhouse, nursery, and landscape pests are also harbingers of plant diseases. Certain insect pests act as pathogen vectors, spreading fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases from plant to plant like wildfire through a growing operation or landscape.

  • Purchasing 102: A Deeper Dive

    Room B110

    Panel: Representatives from Growscape, Monrovia Nursery Company, Smith Gardens, Al’s Garden & Home, Anderson Pots, OBC Northwest Inc., Simplot Turf & Horticulture.

    A deeper discussion of today’s supply chain and how it’s affected by issues like tariffs, price, environmental legislation, and long lead times.

  • Listen Up! Garden Podcasts are in Your Customers’ Ears

    Room B116

    Speaker: Kathy Jentz, author, podcaster, Washington (DC) Gardener Magazine editor, GardenDC Podcast

    Garden podcasts are wired directly into your customers’ brains. Their hosts are telling them what to grow and purchase on this unique medium. You need to get hooked on them to reach this growing audience and spread plant knowledge.

  • Charlie Hall, Professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M

    KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Charlie Hall, Ph.D.

    Featured
    Room C124

    Overcoming Decision Paralysis in the Midst of Uncertainty WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 11 a.m. in Room C124 FREE to all registered Farwest Participants. Charlie Hall, Ph.D.

  • Hands-On: New Ways to Host High-Profit Creative Workshops at Garden Centers

    Room B110

    Speaker: Katie Elzer-Peters, CEO, The Garden of Words LLC

    Attendees will learn about the rise of maker spaces at retail and how a garden center can hop on board this emerging, profitable trend driven by the age 25–45 demographic. They will learn how to teach two types of garden-adjacent creative art projects that use the same low-cost

  • Beyond the Hype: Targeting Trends that Matter

    Room B116

    Speaker: Erica Grivas, award-winning garden journalist

    Garden trends don’t move in a straight line. Why do some fade quickly while others persist? In this session, a national garden journalist presents a curated roundup of garden trends showing signals of staying power, drawn from reporting and industry observation.

  • Chaos to Clarity: Building an AI Stack for Growers and the Green Industry

    Room B116

    Speaker: Chris Sabbarese, co-founder, Infusion Management Services

    Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how businesses operate, but many organizations struggle to move from curiosity to practical implementation. This session provides a clear framework for understanding and building an AI technology stack that supports marketing,

  • The Retail Playbook: Strengthen Sales Without ‘Selling’

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    In this extended session for retailers, you'll learn to build a practical retail playbook to help your team confidently guide customers to increased ticket volumes without making customers feel sold to. Explore how customers shop, decide, and engage with your team. Learn how to use

  • Mastering Career Development Planning Part 1: The Foundations of a Career Advancement

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    Employees don’t just want a job — they want a clear pathway for growth. A career advancement plan gives them a documented roadmap for developing skills, earning new responsibilities, and achieving meaningful progress in their careers. When implemented well, it creates consistency

  • Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD): What Growers Need to Know

    Room B113

    Speaker: Luisa Santamaria, Ph.D., professor, Oregon State University

    Vascular streak dieback (VSD) is an emerging disease affecting woody ornamentals in several regions of the United States and has raised concern for nursery production systems. Increased awareness is essential for early detection and prevention in the Pacific Northwest.

  • Consumers and Environmental Health: How Growers Can Respond to Changing Market Demand

    Room B119

    Speaker: Marie Chieppo, CFS Regenerative Design Studios LLC

    Climate change and rising environmental awareness are reshaping how plants and horticultural products are selected, specified, and purchased. Designers, municipalities, and consumers are prioritizing climate-resilient, ecologically functional plant material while also examining

  • Mastering Career Development Planning Part 2: Designing Clear Roles, Skills, and Pathways

    Room B110

    Speaker: Neal Glatt, founder and CEO, Neal Glatt Sales & Strategy

    Employees don’t just want a job — they want a clear pathway for growth. A career advancement plan gives them a documented roadmap for developing skills, earning new responsibilities, and achieving meaningful progress in their careers. When implemented well, it creates consistency

  • Annual Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Training for Handlers: (Spanish session)

    Room B113

    Speaker: Vanessa Vassilaros, outreach specialist, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Note: This session will be presented entirely in Spanish. English translation will not be available. Attendants will receive their annual training on pesticide safety according to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS).

  • How to Upsell Existing Customers with Engaging Email

    Room B110

    Speaker: Katie Elzer-Peters, CEO, The Garden of Words LLC

    In this session, attendees will learn how to engage their existing customers to sell more services, higher tiers of service and raise average order value. During the session they’ll also learn and take home templates for batching their email campaigns

  • There is No Such Thing as Dwarf: Compact Plants for the Landscape

    Room B116

    Speaker: Bryce Lane, distinguished professor alumnus, North Carolina State University

    Home landscapes are shrinking, the average residential property size is now less than a quarter of an acre. More and more people are living in the city and have less and less space for plants. This has resulted in an increasing demand for dwarf/compact, self-contained plants. In this talk

  • Deep Dive into Displays for the Retail Garden Center

    Room B110

    Speakers: David Williams and Erik Dietl-Friedli, partners, Garden Center Consultants LLC

    An inspiring and highly visual presentation showcasing innovative display strategies that drive customer engagement and increase sales.  Learn how to design intentional merchandising experiences that convert browsers into buyers.

  • Future of Plastic and Bioplastic Horticulture Containers

    Room B110

    Speakers: Tom Marting, director of sustainable solutions, and Grace Hungerford, sustainability analyst, Growscape

    This session explores rising consumer demand for more sustainable packaging materials, with a particular focus on bioplastics. We will examine the current landscape of bioplastic technologies available in the market today, including their regulatory pressures, performance, benefits,

  • How to Recruit, Train and Retain Talent in the Post-Baby-Boomer Era

    Room B110

    Speaker: Erick Harris, nursery sales director, Breezy Hill Nursery

    Companies all over the world have to contend with the fact that Baby Boomers are about to sail off into the sunset. By 2030, all of the Boomers, the second biggest generation ever, will be 65 or older. Because our industry is such a special place to work, we probably have more