Dueling Garden Shows

Someone is really messing up the scheduling here. Normally at least a week or two separates the two big Portland garden shows, the Portland Home & Garden Show at the Expo Center and the Yard, Garden & Patio Show at the Convention Center. But now they're both slated for the same weekend! I can barely handle the smaller of the two shows, the one at the Convention Center, without getting overwhelmed in just a couple of hours. And it's within walking distance of my house. How are we supposed to make room for both? Especially now that I found out that taking Max to the Expo Center is so easy, it totally blows my whole rant about driving all the way out to North Portland. Yeesh!

So I guess I'm going to have to sit down and map out a plan of attack. Luckily the Expo show runs for five days (Wed.-Sun.) and the other one is three days (Fri.-Sun.). Maybe I should call Donny Rumsfeld for strategic advice...he probably has nothing better to do. Then again, he wasn't too good with the whole Baghdad post-war thing.

Oh, and don't forget that if you see a plant or container that you simple can't live without, ask the people at the booth if it's for sale. Lots of vendors sell out their show inventory for peanuts compared to the price you'd pay at a garden store, and you can go in the last day and pick them up.

Details: Portland Home & Garden Show, Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Dr. Wed.-Sun., Feb. 21-25. $10 adults (coupon on the website for $3 off admission). Phone 503-246-8291.

Yard, Garden and Patio Show, Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Fri.-Sun., Feb. 23-25. $11 adults (coupon on the website for $2 off admission). Phone 503-682-5089 or 800-342-6401.