The finish of a year is always a look at the success or lack thereof. Charleston’s Magnolia Garden Club can accurately say this year has been a triumph in awards and the charities we support as well as the flower show that just happened.
Our new officers were installed: Celia Williamson, president; Gay-lynn Haynes, vice president; Joy Montgomery, secretary; Marline Carpenter, treasurer; and Allison Ashmore, corresponding secretary.
The last meeting of the year was hosted by Carol Bullard at her beautiful farmhouse style home recently added onto and refurbished with an outstanding kitchen and side porch with lattice work roof.
Everyone brought food and it was particularly scrumptious with salads like three bean and layered. Some delicious casseroles that showcase our club members’ culinary skills were demolished spoonful by spoonful. Not to mention an eight-layer coconut cake, pecan pie squares and lemon squares.
Betty Ellis from Kilmichael shared her information about arboretums and where our club can benefit the community with creating a certified arboretum. A certified arboretum has at least 30 trees of different types and all are labeled. How about that for starters? Nevertheless, our group will begin to work toward that goal in the coming months and the coming years’ goal. Betty is the past president of Winona Garden Club and GCM Arboreta chairman.
To conclude our growing year and the goals we had set for this year’s flower show, blue ribbons were in abundance. The show was held at First Presbyterian of Charleston, and the work days in front of the date, April 25, held an ant bed of activity.
The members all worked together to set up displays but also to arrange cuttings from their gardens in the horticulture division. The show had a theme called “Tea Time,” where herbal, Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Constant Comment teas figured largely in the designs and arrangements of stunning displays of flowers and botanical offerings.
Listed below are the blue ribbon winners for this year’s flower show and a sampling of the designs that won.
Carol Bullard won Section A Dressed to a Tea cut flower from perennial; Section F Fancy a cup? Flowering container Grown Plant; Section G Strong and Sassy Foliage container grown plant; Section H Tempest in a Teapot Cut decorative foliage, Section I storm in a teacup dwarf/miniature /naturally small growth foliage or flowering specimen; Section K My cup of Tea Dwarf/miniature//naturally small growth container grown plant; Section L All the Tea in China Collections, minimum of 5 different specimens; Division I Top Exhibitor Award - Award of Horticultural Excellence, Class 4 Constant Comment transparency design; Division II top Exhibitor Award, Award of Design Excellence, Exhibiting Horticulture; Division III Top Exhibitor Award, and Emily Etheridge Horticulture Award, awarded to the highest scoring horticulture exhibit of a native plant.
Morgan Graff won Section B Full & Leafy Cut specimen from foliage perennial.
Carrie Rice won Section C The Spice of Life Cut flower from bulbous plant (Iris).
Joy Montgomery won Section D My favorite Flower Cut branch from a flowering branch or tree, Section J Spill the Tea Dwarf/miniature/naturally small growth arboreal specimen.
Sassy Mauldin won Section E What do the leaves say? Cut branch from a foliage shrub or tree.
Flora Vance won Class 1 English Breakfast Tea functional tray design.
Celia Williamson won Class 2 Let’s have a Tea Party functional table design, Section A Top Exhibitor Award Table artistry award.
D’Ann Carr won Arizona Green Tea exhibition table design.
Marline Carpenter won Class 5 Orange Spice creative design.
Jeannie Hobson won Class 6 Celestial Nights reflective design.
Allison Ashmore won Class 1 Lady Grey decorated vintage lady’s hat, Division IV Top Exhibitor Award Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts Award.
Joy Montgomery won Class 2 Sleepy Time Tea decorated teacup
Celia Willamson won Class 3 Herbal tea decorated teapot.
Annette Montgomery won Mary Harpole Design Award Awarded to the exhibitor whose design best depicts the show’s theme.
