Flower show is 'A Tribute to the Red, White and Blue'

Joyce Merritt of the Hickory Valley Garden Club created this bird feeder and chrysanthemum design for the State Flower Show in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in April.
Joyce Merritt of the Hickory Valley Garden Club created this bird feeder and chrysanthemum design for the State Flower Show in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in April.
photo This red, white and blue design was creaated by Debbie Shaver of the Dayton Garden Club for the State Flower Show in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in April.

District III of the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs will host a Standard Flower Show this weekend at St. Augustine Catholic Church on Signal Mountain. The theme is "A Tribute to the Red, White and Blue," assuring a patriotic theme for the hundreds of horticulture and floral designs on display.

District III represents 15 garden clubs in Hamilton, Rhea, Bradley, Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties. According to publicity chairman Maggie Burns, member clubs of National Garden Clubs Inc. are required to hold or participate in a standard or small standard flower show every two years to educate the public about horticulture and flower designs. Garden clubs throughout the United States work with youth in schools and create community projects involving beautification, conservation and education, Burns says.

This weekend's show will consist of a Horticulture Division with more than 400 specimens of perennials, roses, bulbs, vines, herbs, shrubs, trees and container-grown plants. A Design Division will have at least 48 designs that display the theme interpretation, reveal the judges' comments and identify plant material. The third division will have a youth section, where young gardeners can exhibit horticulture and designs, and an educational section that shares information on planting a red, white and blue garden, birds of freedom and state parks.

The show will be judged by National Garden Club judges from Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. There will be several top awards for each division after each class receives individual awards. The opening of the flower show follows the judging, so winners will be known by the time visitors arrive.

Hours are 1-5 p.m. Friday, May 20, and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 21, at St. Augustine church, 1716 Anderson Pike. Admission is free.

The District III garden clubs sponsoring this show are Aldersgate, Crestwood, Dirt Dabbers, Garden Club of Signal Mountain, Hickory Valley, Magnolia, Murray Hills and Sunset Garden Clubs.

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