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Ohio gardeners convene, compete in Boardman
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
More than 175 attended the Garden Club of Ohio’s convention Tuesday in Boardman. Sheila Bowman stands next to the overall winner, submitted by the Center of Industry and Labor.
By Kristine Gill
BOARDMAN
Carol Johnson is what she calls a fair-weather gardener. She won’t garden when it’s too cold or too wet.
“My yard is terrible,” said the Cincinnati resident. “My yard is for the birds.”
But like many of the state’s 4,300 Garden Club of Ohio members, she made the drive for the annual convention hosted in the Youngstown district this year. More than 175 attended this year’s flower show and awards Tuesday at the Holiday Inn South in Boardman.
Johnson’s submission in the horticulture division of the competition garnered third place in the Bountiful Boughs class.
She submitted a sprig of Ribes Ordoratum, a shrub sometimes confused with forsythia for its yellow flowers. “It was always in my back yard growing up,” she said.
The bush has a distinct bloom and scent, which is why Johnson and her mother call it “spice bush.”
Boardman resident Millie Campean was this year’s flower show chairwoman. She said the Youngstown district last hosted the annual convention in 2003.
There are two general categories in the show. The first is design and involves the use of fresh plant materials to create a piece of art.
“You look for balance,” Campean said. “It has to conform, and let your eye flow.”
The second category, horticulture, focuses on the growing of different plants. Judging is tough in that competition.
“They look for perfection,” Campean said. “You can’t have wrinkled leaves, the petals have to be going in the right direction.”
Balance, rhythm, contrast and dominance are important in design submissions, said Shirley Basista, the State Awards chairwoman from Brecksville in the Cleveland district.
Basista said winners from the state level of competition will compete in a regional competition in October and the national competition in May.
“It’s just a big deal,” Basista said of Tuesday’s event. “It’s the biggest attended event we have.”
Among the top winners at Tuesday’s show was Dot Blum of Galion.
Her design won first place in Section A Museums Class 1. She painted cardboard and Styrofoam a bronze color and used copper wiring and contrived flowers to add detail and interest. Contrived flowers are made from the petals and materials of other flowers.
Blum said she was surprised to win but acknowledged her ironic last name may have played a role.