Remember Jackie Gleason? “And away we go!” April 25 is the Charleston Magnolia Garden Club Show in our sweet town of Charleston at the First Presbyterian Church.
Starting at 1 and lasting until 4 in the afternoon, a visitor will be able to enjoy the world of tea in as many forms as possible. An example of one design will include a breakfast tray fit for a queen! One could possibly dream that you have stepped into a museum of abstract art with live flowers spilling out of vases that defy interpretation.
So everyone should plan a long lunch on Tuesday, April 25, since it starts at 1, or ask off early to drift through the exhibits and gasp at the charm of the numerous designs.
At this month’s meeting, we were pleased to hear and see Jennifer Flautt and Sandra McCaulla demonstrate 11 flower show designs. These two distinguished ladies have many awards and have been schooled in the art of flowers and the entries that showcase them. They told us some ideas that were practical and frugal, yet create a worthy flower show presentation. We were told that regular discount stores like Dollar Tree “is our friend.”
Also, one can find online dried flowers that will adorn hats or tea cups or tea pots for our show. Each presenter said that Gorilla Glue sticks are the better glue stick and offered other useful ideas for our entries. We were discouraged from using clear vases since it is difficult to mask imperfections in stems of the flowers.
These design specialists even suggested turning objects upside down, thus giving a fresh view to something as common as a painted stick in our design. Jennifer showed abstract designs that used items one might find in a hardware store for pennies, since some designs require reflective surfaces. In addition to using definition defying designs of vases the members might use, Jennifer painted PVC pipes and glued them together with others on a square of plywood to create a container with a variety of uses for shrewd displays of blooms. Sandra McCaulla was introduced by Flora Vance.
The meeting always includes a spread for the members, and this luncheon was decorated for the Easter Sunday later that week.
Our club goes to great lengths and mass amounts of time to prepare for this event. We relish the designs and the competition. We plan a meal for the judges with the help of Clyde Callihan’s experience as a caterer along with Celia Williamson’s knowledge of that area. The horticulture division is a delight, with club members showing off items from their gardens and yards like Carrie Rice’s irises, so a visitor will want to look for those entries.
