Garden Week

Kicked off with a group bus trip by Windermere Garden Club to Art in Bloom at the Orlando Museum of Art. An annual fundraiser, local floral designers interpreted pieces of art in flowers. Some seemed to take it literally, others more relaxed. Lovely day, lunch (chicken salad either on mixed greens or a croissant), then bus trip home. Of course a bag of snacks on the bus to tide us over.

Then 2 days of Spring Fever in the Garden, Bloom and Grow Garden Society’s major fundraiser: $140k this year. I got up at 4:00 AM Saturday to be at my zone leader post by 5:30. This year, an easy zone with only 6 vendors, 1 of which didn’t show and 1 was 8 Waves, an after school group that only had a tent and 2 tables for their information. Co-zone leader Lavina and I were done by 8:30, which meant we could scout the show before the crowds. We headed to Andy’s space where she bought a duck (old outboard motor cover) and a rooster (garden rakes). I loved his owl with feathers made of table knives, but in honor of our recent trip to the moon, I had to have what I am calling Artemis, a trail of huge Allen keys headed by a old glass insulator. Perfect, and I thought inexpensive at $200. Yeah, yard art. I hope Grant joins me in that feeling. I also bought a white stopper (Eugenia axillaris), rattlesnake master (Eryngium  yuccifolium), and the native blue mistflower (Conocilium coelestinum) from Native Butterfly Flowers Nursery.

Sunday, I returned for a shift as observer in the entertainment area, which meant Grant and I sat in the shade and listened to music by Sound Traveler, a duo playing oldies. We’d stopped by the volunteer lunch for chicken, chips and sodas. Grant bought 1.5# of pulled pork from the Methodist church’s BBQ. 

At the end, I made sure my zone was all clear of vendors, helped load Artemis in the truck (my usual parking karma was working, and I gotten a space in the lot next to Andy’s) and picked up the sky blue cloud vine (Jaquemontia pentathos) I ordered from NBFN. All we had left to do was drink a Pollinator Power lager at Crooked Can.

Next up, the Federation of Florida Garden Clubs’ state convention on Wednesday and Thursday. I had hoped to enter my maidenhair fern and lady of the night orchid in the state flower show, but they both took a hit during the freeze. (I’m pretty sure the orchid is dead.) Plus side was I skipped driving to Kissimmee on Monday to take them to the convention. 

What a powerhouse for good are garden club people. We support education, planting gardens, research, including coral reefs. We send children to camp and teenagers to college. We support one another in times of triumph and when we are grieving. I am so proud to be a gardener and to belong to garden clubs.

I was also pleased with myself for enjoying making some floral designs structures, then leaving them with the instructor to reuse with another class. I don’t do floral designs and don’t need to bring home stuff to sit in my garage, then be thrown away. Well done me.

I did bring home the actual design I made for a centerpiece for the final dinner. However, on the 8th day of my garden week, I attended the B&G meeting and brought it for a raffle prize. The woman who won it was happy. Not as happy as I.

I also kept the little pine straw basket I made in a workshop led by Zyda Mae, a basket weaver from Myrtle Beacch. I think it turned out well, and I learned that pine needle weaving is dang hard on my hands. 

Amid all this gardening, Spaulding texted us via WhatsApp that Molly had their baby Saturday, 4/11. All were well. Sunday we learned Hazel Maeve Basham weighed in at 7#, 1 oz with 18.5” length. They sent a sweet video of Teddy patting Hazel while she slept in a bassinet. Happy, happy.