Horticulture show at the fair

The Scioto County Fair Board and the area Garden Clubs have a strong tradition of great flower shows all week at the Scioto County Fair in August. It is no small effort to provide the many excellent cultivars for the Horticulture displays on Monday and Thursday of Fair Week. Growers must begin plants early and cultivate to obtain the beautiful specimens to be displayed. Since a horticultural show is a controlled environment, it is important that everyone have the specific specifications for the two shows August 6th and 9th.

The theme for the 2012 Scioto County Fair Flower show will be “This Glorious Earth”. Entry to the shows is open to everyone and will be judged for awards by approved judges from the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs. Each show will feature a design and a horticulture section. This year the first show will be scheduled for Monday, rather than Tuesday as in previous years. Any gardener wishing to participate in the horticulture show or needing additional information may contact Carolyn Wilcox a (740) 776-4453.

Specifications for both horticulture shows:

SECTION 1- CONTAINER GROWN PLANTS: Plants must be owned and grown by the exhibitor for at least two months. The exhibitor must furnish all plant names. No oil or polish is permitted on foliage. All plant materials must be clean and well groomed, with containers scrubbed clean and either watertight or placed in a saucer. Container-grown plants should be large enough to be good specimens of that variety, but not too large to be handled easily. CLASS: (1) CACTI. May be multiple stemmed, any variety, named, one plant, pot not to exceed 12” in diameter, plant not to exceed 24” in height. (2) SUCCULENTS. May be multiple stemmed any variety, named, one plant, pot not to exceed 12” in diameter, plant not to exceed 24” in height. (3) FOLIAGE PLANT. One plant per pot. Any variety other than fern or coleus, named, may be multiple stemmed, pot not to exceed 12” in diameter, plant not to exceed 24” in height.

(4) BLOOMING HOUSEPLANT. Any variety, not an annual, named, container not to exceed 12” in diameter, plant not to exceed 24” in height. (5) INVITATIONAL. Terrariums and Dish Gardens. Must pre-register.

SECTION II HORTICULTURE: (6) MINIATURE ROSE named, any variety, one bloom, disbudded, with foliage and thorns attached. (7) ROSE, HYBRID TEA, named, one bloom, disbudded, with foliage and thorns attached. (a) White, yellow, yellow blend, orange, orange blend. (b) Pink, pink blend, apricot blend, mauve, mauve blend. (c) Red, red blend, orange-red, russet. (8) SHRUB ROSE. One spray with foliage and thorns attached, not disbudded. (9) ROSE full blown bloom, named, one bloom, disbudded with foliage and thorns attached. (10) ROSE FLORIBUNDA, polyantha, grandiflora or Old English, named, one stem, not disbudded, with foliage and thorns attached. (11) ZINNIA Cactus flowered, named, disbudded, with foliage attached, one bloom. (12) ZINNIA Dahlia flowered, named disbudded, with foliage attached, one bloom. (13) ZINNIA Small flowered, disbudded, with foliage attached, 3 matched blooms. (14) MARIGOLD small-flowered, named disbudded, with foliage attached, 3 matched blooms. (15) MARIGOLD, large flowered, named, disbudded, with foliage attached, one bloom. (16) SUNFLOWER, one bloom, not to exceed 8” in diameter, disbudded, named, foliage attached. (17) COLEUS stem, any variety, named, one stem. (18) DAHLIA one bloom, any variety or type, named, disbudded with foliage attached. (19) GLADIOLUS, named, one spike, disbudded, solid color without markings. (20) GLADIOLUS named, one spike, disbudded, with markings. (21) HYDRANGEA, named, any variety, one bloom, foliage attached. (22) CELOSIA plumed, named, one stem may or may not be disbudded, foliage attached. (23) CELOSIA crested, named, one stem, foliage attached. (24) ZINNIA, Pop Art Red and Yellow. (New 2012 Plant) SPECIAL CLASS (25) CALADIUM, A collection of cut Caladium, named with 3 varieties, each in a separate container. Limited space, must pre-register. SPECIAL CLASS.

Section III Junior Horticulture: (26) Annual Flower. One bloom, any variety, named, not to exceed 8” in diameter, disbudded with foliage attached. (27). Perennial Flower, One bloom, any variety, named, not to exceed 8” in diameter, disbudded with foliage attached.

For all horticulture exhibiters: Horticulture classes for both Monday andThursday MUST BE STAGED BY 11:00 AM. NO EXHIBITS CAN BE PLACED AFTER 11:00 AM. Horticulture classes will be judged according to The Ohio Association of Garden Clubs, Inc. standard system of judging, one first, one second, one third. More than one honorable mention may be given for worthy entries. Judges’ decisions are final. Hint: Horticulture exhibitors should present plants free from all dirt and spray residue. A camelhair brush should be used to remove all dirt from the flower and stem. The container should be neat and clean. Anyone needing additional information should call Carolyn Wilcox at 740 776-4453.

Portsmouth Garden Club

The June meeting of the Portsmouth Garden Club was chaired by Alison Barrett and she received the business reports. Members received, with sadness the news of the death of long time member, Nick Gampp. They agreed to contact Shawnee University concerning a donation and planting of a memorial dogwood tree in his honor on the campus.

The club traveled to the Stockdale, Ohio area for the June meeting at the home of Kenny and Lanita Bapst. Bapst provided a country dinner and a tour of her beautiful gardens where she has designed Koi ponds, incorporating several waterfalls and many water related plantings. Members were delighted with this different type of gardening.

The club participated in the work completed at the Shawnee State Park flowerbeds and although it was agreed that only native plants would be used, Portsmouth Garden Club intends to study the procedure and propose a two stage installation in 2013, that will include a new design with higher quality and more established native plants, trees and shrubs, as well as the possibility of including art sculpture of some sort that would relate to Shawnee and the Native theme. A tentative plan will be presented to the club in July.

Barrett welcomed two guests, Barbara Rosenberg and Claudia Murdock. The club accepted a donation of blooming plants from Michal Duncan for the Greenlawn Cemetery urns. The Ohio Association of Garden Clubs award Portsmouth Garden Club superior ratings for their publicity and program books.

The Rose of Sharon was the topic for the May program presented by Pinkie Copen, and she arrived with plants for each of our gardens. Although named as a “rose”, this shrub-like flower is actually from the hibiscus family. The flowers on this woody plant are variable in color, white, pink, red, or purple. It leafs in late spring and blooms in the late summer, serving as a hummingbird feed station. It is native to India and is the national flower of Korea. It does bloom on new growth, so any pruning should be delayed until after the blooming season.

Alison Barrett conducted the May business meeting and greeted three guests, Melody Pontious, Claudia Murdock and Barbara Rosenberg. Melanie Karr reviewed the club trip to West Hills Greenhouse, Cincinnati. After checking out the greenhouses and lunch in Newport, members visited Krohn Conservatory for a butterfly exhibit.

The Scioto County Fair Flower Show for 2012 will be patterned after the 2011 World Flower Show, and Faye McGinnis, Master Designer provided a beautiful transparency design, in that genre for the club. A transparency design encourages the viewer to look through the design. McGinnis used a metal sculpture, Corylus contorta twigs, a Nova Zembia Rhododrendron and a large starfish in her design. She encouraged every member to participate in the

Fair Flower Show in August by offering a design workshop in her home. Fair participants must register by July 25.

McGinnis reviewed our horticulture display and offered advice to improve scores in shows. The specimen stem should be straight, strong and proportional to the bloom. A leaf is permissible on the stem, or sheath on an iris. Club horticulture blue ribbon winner was Anna Biggs with a Siberian Iris.

Green Triangle Garden Club

Green Triangle Garden Club met in June at the home of Marilyn Albrecht and awarded annual landscaping certificates to the following community landscape leaders: Residential Award to Marilyn Albrecht; Community Award to Washington House on 2nd Street; Commercial Award to Doyle Landscaping for the Rosemount Point Garden; and Anniversary Award to Sue Burke & Main Street for the Alexander Point Park area.

Anna Cardenas presented the June program on Creative Floral Design. Creative designs are not bound by rules, styles, or traditional patterns, but show restraint in the usage of plant materials. The design will feature these elements: good lines, forms with depth, unusual textures, bold or strong patterns, and impact color. Creativity involves inventive techniques in plant usage, interesting backgrounds, new color schemes and good utilization of space. New textures may feature glass, plastic, wire, metal, or rope.

The June design of the day was an underwater design and the blue ribbon was awarded to Sherrill Day. The best specimen award was presented for irises grown by Joyce Payton and Karen Evans.

The business meeting was conducted by President Day and she received the appropriate reports. The club will visit the 1810 House for the July meeting.

Double Delight Garden Club

Double Delight Garden Club met in June at the home of Gracie Bates for a tour of her eclectic garden. Bates combines trees, art, and garden figures with interesting containers filled with trailing vines and blooming flowers. She has designed clever nooks for seating arrangements, totally enclosed by greenery. Privacy is a main feature of this garden. There are mannequins, murals, and bowling balls, along with graveled pathways. Each plant is named and most have a story, which includes the name of the donor.

President Diane Triplett conducted the business meeting, receiving the reports and welcoming a guest from Lexington, KY. Faye McGinnis reviewed the artistic requirements for entering the Scioto County Fair Flower Show in August. Club members will meet at her home in July for further advice on entries.