#12 A Breath of Spring
Spring is here! Ah, the sights and smells of spring. Beautiful flowers, flowering trees, bubbling brooks, flowing fountains, fluttering butterflies and tables ready for your first cookouts.
The Hartford Flower and Garden Show
If you don’t believe us, head on down to the Connecticut Convention Center for the 38th annual Connecticut Flower and Garden Show. The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut sure know how to put on a party! And you have until five on Sunday to get there.
As we told you in our last post, the madman was getting his plants ready for the Standard Flower Show that’s a part of this whole affair. We packed up a variety of succulents and headed to Hartford. It seems drop-off day is always the coldest day of the month and the madman fears a bit of frostbite will mar his precious blooms. We took out two tubs in all.
Bringing in the Plants
Check-in began on Tuesday at Noon. The hardest part is getting past the people at the loading dock – space back here is at a premium and they don’t trust anybody to just unload and get out. At least this year they were all smiling.
The madman schlepped his tubs into the vast empty convention hall. There was no warmth, no spring cheer – just a cavernous emptiness waiting for transformation. In the middle of one side was a welcoming sight – the check-in table for horticultural entries. This is where he wanted to be.
No matter how stressed they are or how much work they have to do, members of the Federated Garden Clubs are always welcoming and full of smiles. That must come with working with these plants.
The madman’s plants passed inspection. Garden Club members took possession of them. “Don’t worry,” they said. “We’ll take good care of them.” The plants were whisked away to meet the judges.
The madman’s pacing started.
A Breath of Spring
Two days later, we returned. Instead of finding a vast empty cavern, we were greeted by the sights and smells of spring. We always marvel at how quickly this can happen. We also marvel at how much this show brightens our spirits.
This year we are splitting our time between wandering through the exhibits and answering gardening questions at the Maine Garden Products’ display. This is the first time we have ever worked a trade show and we were not sure how it would all turn out. But we are having a ball making new gardening friends and catching up with old gardening friends.
Midway through the first morning, fellow master gardener Ken Sherrick came running up to tell the madman that he had seen “a bunch of ribbons with your name on them.”
The Judges were Kind
A stroll over to the plant show later showed that Ken had been right. The judges had been kind to the madman’s plants. But the biggest honor was that the Euphorbia milii that he started a few years ago. She won him a blue ribbon plus the Elfin Award plus the Elizabeth Swain Award. Guess that plant will be awarded a spot of honor in the house.
How Did it Happen?
Over the years, the madman has accumulated a number of ribbons from displaying at this show. In order to enter plants in any flower show, your plants have to be in A-1 condition. The madman collects cacti and succulents. These plants are not native to the Northeast so he has had to cater to their needs.
After learning about a plant’s native climate, he knows what conditions he has to create. Some plants will tolerate a cool winter; others need warmth. Some do well in a sunny window, others are quite happy living under artificial light. Through trial and error the madman has found some plants will not survive the cooler winters in the greenhouse. Remember, he started collecting these plants because he thought they needed little or no care. Over the years he has learned that with proper care these strange looking plants develop into very attractive specimens. And, it looks like the judges agree with him.
Always on the Lookout for Something New
The madman loves getting ribbons, but more than that he enjoys looking at entries from other plant exhibitors. Every year he finds new varieties for his “gotta have” list. This year his top “gotta have” is a Bowiea volubilis, commonly known as climbing onion. I don’t think you eat it – you just look at it. Wonder how long it will be before we have one.
After a bit of time in the show area, we wandered over to the landscape displays. Here the madman snapped pictures of plants and ideas he would like to incorporate into our yard. I heard quite a few snaps, so I guess we’ll be busy come sprint.
Something for Everyone
Next we wandered up and down the rows of vendors. What an amazing mix of items for sale. If you are thinking of doing anything with your yard, garden, pond you should really be here.
Looking to plant a flower garden? A vegetable garden? An herb garden? A rose garden? A pollinator garden? You’ll find seeds, plants, ornaments, mulches, gloves, tools – or perhaps the landscaper who can do these things for you.
Maybe your yard lacks a needed fire pit, firepot, or water garden. Maybe what it really needs is a hot tub. Or a greenhouse. Or a shed. Or a wooden rocker. Or a contractor who can site and install these things, or anything else you dream up.
We should all consider ourselves stewards of the earth. So, when you head into the show make sure you also visit the displays on native plants, sustainable gardening, pollinators and biodiversity. You have until Sunday to decide that this is the year you will start turning your yard into the yard you always wanted. And, do stop by the Maine Garden Products booth – we’d love to chat.
Cocoa time!
