Over the Garden Fence: Mansfield Men's Garden Club Fall Harvest Flower Show
As life would have it, the struggles to move away from so many commitments over the garden fence end up in losing battles. After a fun week at our county fair and a week at the Ohio State Fair, the hobby of arranging floral designs pulls me forward. A slight break to regroup will land me next at Lakeside where that unique community will celebrate 150 years and a gladiolus show.
But this day my reaching out is for the Mansfield Men's Garden Club and an ambitious undertaking with their Fall Harvest Flower Show. How did I get involved with this group of focused and energetic men? A longtime friend and fellow flower show judge, Pat Wells, stepped aside. Forever − nearly − she had written the artistic classes and helped with the show. My name came up. Hooked once more by the promise of fame (joking), my energy was sought to help with an overall theme and class titles for the artistic division − a task Pat had managed.
At the first meeting when four or five ideas were shared, the men embraced "A Garden Symphony." That is all it took to have me off and running. "Season Tickets," "Concert Hall," "Conductor," "Center Stage" and "Maestro" are just some of our titled classes. When I learned the show would be staged in the Charles King Ballroom, a suggestion to have a class for a table picture was made.
There would be space to set tables and play with all the components of a dinner table. Voila. We now have "Dinner Before the Symphony" − an exhibition table, type 1, which is to include a floral design along with table components. This does not include food but china, linens and creative placements of the items for dining.
Ambitious undertaking for a flower show
This is the most ambitious and comprehensive flower show schedule ever seen. You can enter any vegetable and directions are included for how many and stem lengths. That goes for fruit. Annual flowers and perennial flowers of all sorts with classes specifically for chrysanthemums, orchids and corms, bulbs or tubers.
Further, potted flowering and foliage plants are listed. Six classes of hanging baskets, vegetables in pots, and cut stems and pots of herbs are in the schedule.
The novice classes are just a listing of what has been shared above. This invites newer growers into the arena of showing. Junior classes for vegetables, fruit and flowers are also included for youngsters in sixth grade or under. An added artistic calls for a design incorporating Legos because of the current display throughout the Kingwood Center Gardens.
The schedule and all of the rules for this show being held at Kingwood Center can be found on the men's club website: mansfieldmensgardenclub.com.
The Mansfield Men's Garden Club has recognitions for the best of each class and sweepstakes for the divisions; this includes the youth. And if you just want to have fun, bring an odd or unusual plant or vegetable and enter it in Class 50. Or look through your gardens for a "bragging rights" item from the plant world — something unique or huge for Class 51.
Entries are to be placed between 7 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26. They remain in place until the next day, Aug. 27, when they can be removed after 5 p.m. We are hoping for many new participants in this flower show, both in the horticulture classes and the designing entries.
Come and see the first flower show ever to be staged in the ballroom at Kingwood from 2 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 26 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 27.
The 2023 Fall Harvest Show is dedicated to Pat Wells.
Mary Lee Minor is a member of the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club, an accredited master gardener, a flower show judge for the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs and a former sixth grade teacher.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Men's Garden Club to hold Fall Harvest Flower Show
