Federated Garden Club Members Enter Juried Competition

From the CT Flower Show: Entries from members of more than 115 garden clubs in nearly 90 Connecticut towns and cities will be featured at the impressive juried competition that is part of the “36th annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show”. Starting next Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26, The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s “2017 Advanced Standard Flower Show” entries and prizes all will be on display at the Connecticut Convention Center on 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford.

“One of our show’s popular elements is The Federation Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s high quality competition,” explains Kristie Gonsalves, President of North East Expos which presents the annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show. “Attendees will marvel at the creativity of dozens of talented gardeners from across the state.” One of the largest and most prestigious flower events in all of New England, the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show previews spring with live landscapes, expert speakers, and offers many creative and practical ideas for house, apartment and condo dwellers alike. It also is a great place for shopping – for the garden, for the home, and for personal gifts that include jewelry, clothing and accessories.

“This year’s delightful ‘Woodland Enchantment’ theme will be evident in all of our Advanced Standard Flower Show’s entries,” says Cathy Ritch of Trumbull, The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s Flower Show Chair. The 12,000-sq.-ft. design, horticulture and photography competition will feature over 250 judged entries. “We hope that attendees enjoy viewing the exciting entries as much as our garden club members did creating and designing them.”

Entries will be entered from members of garden clubs in: Avon; Beacon Falls; Berlin; Bethany; Bethel; Branford; Bridgeport; Bridgewater; Bristol; Brookfield; Burlington; Canton; Cheshire; Chester; Clinton; Colchester; Danbury; Darien; Durham; East Haddam; East Hampton; East Hartford; East Haven; East Lyme; Easton; Enfield; Essex; Fairfield; Farmington; Glastonbury; Goshen; Greenwich; Groton; Guilford; Haddam; Hamden; Hartford; Harwinton; Ledyard; Litchfield; Lyme; Madison; Manchester; Middletown; Milford; Naugatuck; Newtown; New Britain; New Canaan; New Hartford; New Haven; New London; New Milford; North Haven; North Stonington; Norwalk; Old Lyme; Old Saybrook; Orange; Portland; Redding; Ridgefield; Roxbury; Shelton; Sherman; Simsbury; Southbury; Southington; Stamford; Stonington; Suffield; Thomaston; Tolland; Trumbull; Wallingford; Washington; Waterbury; Watertown; West Hartford; West Haven; Westbrook; Weston; Westport; Wethersfield ; Wilton; Woodbridge; Woodbury; and Woodstock.

In addition to the Advanced Standard Flower Show, 2017 highlights include:

- Over an acre of gardens in full bloom, created by professional landscape designers and nonprofit organizations, and include naturalistic, low maintenance, native, organic, herb and pollinator gardens. They include: Aqua Scapes of CT, LLC in Portland; the Archdiocese of Hartford; Ballek's Garden Center in East Haddam; Bosco's Garden Center in Simsbury; Bryce Studio in Providence, RI; College Cuts Landscaping in Tolland; Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association; the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association; the Connecticut Rose Society; Earth Tones Native Plant Nursery & Landscaping in Woodbury; Fairy Hop Gift Shop in South Windham; Gilbertie’s Wholesale Farm in Easton; Gresczyk Farms in New Hartford; Miskovsky Landscaping, Inc. in Falmouth, Mass.; the New England Carnivorous Plant Society; Prides Corner Farms, Inc. in Lebanon; Rising Sun Landscaping in Canton; Supreme Landscapes LLC in Bristol; and the University of Connecticut Horticulture Club. Also featured will be a Pollinator Garden designed by Nancy DuBrule-Clemente with flowers and plants “forced” by students at Gideon Welles School in Glastonbury.

• More than 300 booths of displays, activities and shopping: artisans and handcrafted gifts, fresh flowers, plants, garden ornaments, metalwork sculptures, herbs, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, soils, gardening books, floral and nature related arts & crafts; patio furniture and lawn and garden tools and equipment. Bring a 1/2 cup of soil to the UConn Co-op booth for free soil testing.
• Over 50 hours of education seminars and demonstrations by expert presenters - Entry is free with admission (see www.CTFlowerShow.com for full schedule)

2017 Show hours: Thursday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission includes entry to seminars: $18 Adults; $16 Seniors Age 62 and Over on Thursday/Friday only; $5 Children 5-12; Free under age 5. Admission payment by Cash Only.

Advance tickets are discounted by $2 and can be purchased no later than February 20 at the following Connecticut locations: The Garden Barn Nursery in Vernon; Garden Specialties in Mystic; Moscarillo’s Garden Shoppe in West Hartford; Natureworks in Northford; Stonehedge Garden Center in Newington; and Woodland Gardens in Manchester.

Show sponsors include B & P Turf Farm, Maple Meadow Farm, Bob Buettner Florist, The Garden Conservancy, WRCH Light 100.5, WFSB Channel 3, Bedard Enterprises, and North East Expos, Inc.

To join the email list and get more information about the 2017 Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, visit www.CTFlowerShow.com or download the MOBILE APP: CT Flower Show or call North East Expos, Inc. at 860-844-8461, Facebook, Twitter.

Image via Pixabay