Northeast Gardening: NE Flower Show Time!!!, 1 by gardenmart

gardenmart wrote:
Dear Jax,
They put the square gardens over by the performance stage near Amateur Horticulture. These have always been a garden club thing. {We TOLD them people would notice they weren't over by Juniors and the North door!} Structures {windows and plant rooms done by amateurs} are almost always done by a group. It is a huge committment of resources and plant material to do this. They usually require someone in the group have access to major greenhouse space somewhere. They register for this over the late summer and early fall and they work on it right up until the show date. This year, one plant room was done by the Begonia society, one bay window by the Primrose Society, new this year, one Bay window by the cactus and succulent society and another new one was the Carnivourous Plant society bay window. the rest of the structures were done by Garden clubs, except the window box ones which are usually individuals. The one that had the show hosta in it was done by a friend of mine. An individual could do a room or a window but it would be a huge amount of work for one person. and they commit to doing the structure. Which means the group puts it up even if an individual can't follow through on the committment. Though they are groups or clubs, they are still amateurs.
In the way distant past, these societies would have their own booths at the show. Now, they utilize the structure system to showcase their favorites. The cactus window has plants that the owner has exhibited individually in the past. He has forgotten more about cacti and succulents than I will ever know! Some of his plants are old friends.
I am glad you were so successful shopping! Garden gate keeps sending me issues in the mail hoping I will buy a subscription. The last three pertained to gardening subjects I am totally interested in and I haven't had to buy it yet! One was a huge article on Hosta. They have to stop sending the whole magazine! I love the pictures they have in it.
I thought the show was a little too green {given the theme} this year. Not as many blooming plants, though there were a couple of tree peonies in bloom on tuesday that might be found in the trunk of my car come closing day, if the owners were looking for them!! I loved the moose!
Martha