CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There will be plenty of beauty to witness at the Clay Center for two days as a major competitive flower show returns to the area after two decades.
Appalachian Beauty, a Garden Club of America zone, Zone VII will be host to the MOTHERLAND Flower Show Monday and Tuesday at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
As part of Zone VII, a member of the Kanawha Garden Club Marjorie Cooke said the flower show is not only a competition to see which garden club members have the most creative floral pieces, but it’s a public display showcasing the beauty and science of nature.
Cooke said it also celebrates an essential part of the Mountain State’s heritage and culture.
She said this is the first time that the Kanawha Garden Club has hosted a Zone VII flower show in 20 years.
“We don’t do this very often, but when our zone puts on a flower show, it’s a spectacular event,” Cooke said.
Cooke said it will bring in competitors from the zone of the national Garden Club which includes the North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia region, along with the possibility to attract participants beyond this region as well.
They will present hundreds of flowers and floral arrangements, horticulture specimens, botanical art and photographs, and put them on display to be professionally judged.
Cooke said the talent being put into the show and across its four categories is incredible.
“It just showcases really extraordinary talent from folks who are hobbyists, whether they be photographers who take pictures of flowers or folks who put together unbelievable floral designs,” she said.
She said judges follow strict guidelines making up the different show classes and quality they are looking for.
Cooke said in addition to the flower show itself, a zone meeting accompanies it that will bring on three different guest speakers. The speakers will be the Superintendent of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Charles Sellars, Brandon Dennison with Economic Workforce Development at Marshall University, and Dr. Brent Bailey of the West Virginia Land Trust.
She said they will be speaking on the importance of preserving West Virginia’s natural beauty as the club’s mission is about more than just the flowers themselves.
“We do have an educational component and we have a conservation component so those things are important to us as well, but the flower show is mostly about education and beauty,” Cooke said.
Approximately 135 GCA members from across the region are expected to compete in the two-day flower show and the event expects to bring in around 150 guests. The Kanawha Garden Club is one of 18 individual garden clubs which comprise GCA Zone VII.
Cooke said the flower show moves around to various locations within the zone each year.
She said since the Kanawha Garden Club hasn’t hosted a show in the area in 20 years, they have really taken the time putting in the work and effort to make it as memorable as it can be, and encourages everyone to come out and see it.
“We have amazing co-chairs and they have been working on it for years and we’ve been raising money for years to put this on, so that’s one of the reasons we want the public to see it is because we’ve spent quite a bit of time and we’re thrilled it’s here,” Cooke said.
The show will begin Monday starting at 3:30 p.m. and will last until 5 p.m. It will pick back up on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public to attend.