Here is a little glimpse into the Flower Show. This was my first year attending (and participating in) the Show. The Flower Show is a National Garden Club Flower Show event that happens every two years and this year’s theme was “A Glimpse Back in Time“ Flower Shows From the Past. You will see the theme as you explore some of the photos I took.
Pioneers Among Palmettos
A few months ago Marion (fellow Seagrape member and my recruiter) encouraged me to enter the photography section under the Botanical Arts Division. I said “yes” before I even knew what I was signing up for. I have to admit, it ended up being quite an adventure!
You don’t just submit whatever you want. Each section is given a specific task and theme. The first section I signed up for was called “Pioneers Among Palmettos“. This required a single black and white image of palmettos and/or a Pioneer’s home. I chose the home Hallstrom House off old Dixie just south of Oslo. The Hallstom house began as a 40-acre pineapple plantation in 1909. They normally are open for tours but were closed due to COVID so I called ahead to receive permission to hop the fence and take photos.
2. Pelican Island
The next section was entitled “Pelican Island” and my mission was to capture a single image that suggested America’s first Wildlife Refuge. I went out there two separate times, including getting lost on some trails for a few miles in search for wildlife. Ironically, I never saw a pelican. I finally had a bunny pop out on the trail to eat some grass, which didn’t seem to mind modeling for me at all (as you can see in the photo my husband snapped of me).
The text you see layered over the image is actually the boardwalk where it displays the date Pelican Island was established. The boardwalk to the lookout, which is planked with boards representing all the national wildlife refuges that followed and the dates they were established, is one of the coolest areas on the island. We enjoyed exploring the island so much – and I had NO IDEA the first Wildlife Refuge was right here in Indian River County!
3. Florida Gold
Finally, the last adventure was collecting a series of 4 images related to Florida’s Citrus Industry for the “Florida Gold” section. This was the most fun to me. I explored canneries, local citrus markets and family owned orange groves. Schacht’s Groves was gracious enough to let me traipes around their properties and search for their Haitian pickers. I had a ball meeting them and marveled at the whole process.
It was so much fun participating in this event. I owe a big thank you to Marion who encouraged me to do it in the first place. I learned so much about Vero Beach, met so many nice people and pushed my own limits when it came to getting out of my comfort zone. This is a great example of one of the many benefits of being a member of the Garden Club.
I am sure I am not alone when it comes to people getting out of their comfort zones to participate in an event like this. You can see such amazing creativity in each exhibit. Here are a few photos I took of the indoor exhibits while I was there. There was a whole horticulture section of beautiful plants outside in a separate area in an enclosed tent. So inspiring!
Seagrape Circle 