Past presidents of Suburban Garden Club prepare Club for upcoming flower show

“Horse and Garden”

The Flora and Fauna of Germantown, Tennessee

The Suburban Garden Club held its March meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden to accommodate the large number of designs and arrangements that were used as correct examples for the club’s flower show on Wednesday, April 26, 2017.  The show will be held at the Germantown Country Club from one to four in the afternoon.  It is free and open to the public. 

Barbara Armstrong, Nancy Klepper and Lucy Wilkinson created and provided the designs for the flower show demonstrations entitled “Alignment, Cadence, and Conformation.” Suburban members appreciated the clever terminology for the class as being perfect for an equestrian-themed flower show.

They instructed the members on the major Divisions of Design beginning with floor arrangements that must be at least five feet tall to hanging miniature designs that cannot be more than five inches high.  All designs must represent a designated equestrian theme such as: “A Call to the Hounds,” the Germantown Charity Horse Show, and “Tally Ho.”  This will also include interpretation of paintings, table artistry of entertaining, and represent winning Blue Ribbons and Silver Cups.  Members were also given handouts with exact instructions of design requirements and then a fun flyer created by P. Allen Smith GardenHome entitled “Filler, Thriller, and Spiller.”

There will be 40 designs and educational exhibits in all.    In addition to the arrangements, each of Suburban’s members is required to submit at least three samples of horticulture from her yard or long-owned potted indoor plants also for judging. New this year will be window boxes and fairy gardens.   A show this large requires 15 judges who are unknown to the members.  Many of the judges will come from out of town.  The theme will start at the drive entrance to the club and the show will fill two, large banquet-sized rooms with arrangements, designs, and over 300 horticulture exhibits. 

Suburban is a member of the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs.

BELOW: Lucy Wilkinson, Barbara Armstrong, and Nancy Klepper teaching their Flower Show Demonstrations. Lucy is a National Flower Show Judge and International Designer; Barbara is a National Garden Club Accredited Flower Show Judge and a part of the Germantown Presbyterian Church Flower Committee and Nancy is the president of Ikebana International Memphis and a Local Designer.