garden show dilemma.....

My garden club is having a little flower show next week. There are three areas....floral arrangement, photography, and horticulture. Each area has divisions and you choose what to submit among several 'classes' in each division.

Fower arranging. Leave me out. My idea of 'arranging' flowers is gathering a big bunch of posies and plopping them in a vase.

There are some people in the club who absolutely excel at this art....and I love seeing what they do. I always learn something. This year, this area is just for fun and will not be judged. I should have signed up, but I didn't.

Photography. I love photography and I love trying to make something fit a category. The club also has some amazing photographers (even a 'professional' among the mix), so seeing how others interpret the classes is enlightening and educational. I'm in awe over what some people can do with a cell phone, too!! since I can't use mine at all! My favorite flower photography is black and white....not a category. That's OK. I love to participate; I hate to compete. This area would have been much more fun if it wasn't being judged.

The real dilemma for me comes with the horticulture. Everyone is required to participate with three entries. I've been scoping out my yard.

My viburnum has never been prettier.

And then, it stormed yesterday and all the blooms fell to the ground. Drat.

This is a deutzia. This photo is from 6 years ago when a branch of it won 'Best in Show'! (I really felt like I had a green thumb that year....even though when I entered it, I didn't know what kind of a shrub it was! Still not sure if it's a shrub or a tree?!? Note to self: Look that up!!!!)

A lot can happen in six years. It got sick. Half of it died. We severely pruned it with hopes of saving it. Last year, not a bloom on it. This year what blooms it has look as if they are going to be white!?! What's with that?

Allium decided to send out a timely bloom. Actually the garden has three lovely purple balls....only three....and they certainly aren't the extra large balls you associate with allium. I really don't want to sacrifice one of them for this thing, but I might have to.

This is the third year for Clematis in the garden. Year one----nothing. Year two----nearly nothing. I was thrilled to see this pretty bloom the other day.

After all the rain, it's covered with blooms!! But how in the heck do you display a vine like this in a bottle?

Hello little strawberry flower. (The ant will have to go.) I don't think there is a category for food. Maybe I could slide it in blooming perennials. That would save 'allium' from the shears. Dilemma. Dilemma.

Irises and peonies are prolifically blooming all over town, but not in my yard. I barely have buds. Rosebuds. Yep. Flowers? No. How long does it take a rose to go from bud to beautiful? More than three days?

Sigh.

Stay tuned.

5 Comments

For someone who professes not to be a gardener you have some mighty fine blooms! And the photographs are glorious. Of course, you have better light than me. More sunshine. That must be it..

Posted by: rusty duck | 05/04/2018 at 04:07 PM

Those flowers are all beautiful. What a garden photographer you are. Keep us posted. I can see why you don't want to cut those blooms.

Posted by: Jane | 05/05/2018 at 07:02 PM

Be patient with the Clematis. They take a while to mature and get to be what we call a "Granny Clem" - the kind that cover the side of a house. Is the upside down bouquet your photo? Enter that!

Posted by: Mary Lou Egan | 05/06/2018 at 08:06 AM