OGDENSBURG — The beauty of flowers has long been the subject of poetry, and the Ogdensburg Garden Club's standard flower show seeks to combine the two on Friday and Saturday.
The show, which takes place every three years, has been designated a Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY) event to celebrate the club's 85th anniversary. The event, which is free and open to the public, is described as a "poetic garden walk" that pairs club members' floral creations with botanically themed poetry.
"It's just amazing what wonderful, talented, creative people we have in our club," said Ogdensburg Garden Club President Kathleen R. Wade. "I think people will be very surprised at the quality and the caliber of the designs they do."
The show, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Dobisky Visitors Center in Ogdensburg, is titled "Celebrate, Celebrate — From Small Beginnings to Full Bloom." Nine judges from the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Inc., to which the club belongs, will adjudicate the competition.
To create the "poetic garden walk" experience, quotes from poets as diverse as John Keats, Walt Whitman and William Wordsworth will be displayed alongside ornate flower creations in the visitors center. The quotes also provide the inspiration for each division's and class's entries, which must be made of fresh, not artificial, plant material and conform to a number of rules.
"I hope there are a few things the public gets out of the show," Mrs. Wade said. "Number one is just to enjoy the beauty of the way the flowers are arranged. Another thing that's very important is the awareness of the garden club and what projects we do to beautify the city of Ogdensburg."
Among the Ogdensburg Garden Club's civic beautification and public education projects are the maintenance of seven large gardens and many hanging baskets throughout the city, the sponsorship of the Ogdensburg Youth Garden Club, the presentation of Maple Leaf Awards to community members and a "Garden Therapy" outreach program at St. Joseph's Home. The club, which also celebrated its 85th anniversary with a float at the International Seaway Festival parade and a summer picnic, is a member of the Central Atlantic Region of National Garden Clubs Inc.
Mrs. Wade anticipates that each of the club's 43 members will participate in the show, whether through entering their flower designs, decorating the visitors center or helping with cleanup. The show is one of the largest of its kind in the north country and will be dedicated this year in memory of Frances Ann Kelly Pagano, a club member for 52 years.
"I'm just proud to be president of such a wonderful group; our members put untold hours and effort into the projects we do," said Mrs. Wade. "I can honestly say that every time we work in the gardens, every time I get together with this group of ladies, I learn something new about gardening, about design, about the beauty of flowers."
Most of the divisions in the weekend standard flower show are open only to club members, but members of the public may take part in the horticulture division of the show. The division accepts entries of flowers such as snapdragons, sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias and gladiolas as well as deciduous specimens and vegetables such as onions and eggplants.
"The horticulture is always amazing — it's a wonderful event," said Mrs. Wade, who added that the club is seeking new members. "We'd love to encourage more people to join the club."
