By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia
When University of Georgia Horticulture Club members learned the
theme, “Laughter in the Garden,” for this year’s Southeastern
Flower Show in Atlanta, they saw stars. Specifically, they saw
rock stars, movie stars, even the stars of “The Grinch Who Stole
Christmas.”
Taking a hard look at a weeping mulberry, club president Michelle
Moore saw Bo Derek. In the bushy branches of a Japanese
Cryptomeria, junior Bonnie Bartles saw, plain as day, reggae
singer Bob Marley. Club members found the spirit of Cousin It, of
“The Adams Family,” in the drooping branches of a golden
threadleaf false cypress.
“We wanted to do something funny and decided to give the plants
‘hairstyles,’” Moore said.
The club pruned some plants to a particular “hairstyle.” But they
left others pretty much as they were at the garden center, said
UGA horticulturist David Berle, an advisor to the club.
The largest event of its kind in the region, the Southeastern
Flower Show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta is
considered one of the top three flower shows in the country. Each
year, organizers select a theme participants use to inspire their
garden booths.
The UGA Horticulture Club was one of 1,500 organizations that
designed a competitive garden for the 2003 show.
The club’s exhibit, “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow,” won two awards:
The Chairman’s Award for a distinctive, outstanding exhibit, and
the Magnolia Garden Club Scholarship, for the educational
institution’s exhibit that best exemplifies excellence in
environmental education. The latter came with $500.
“We’re so pleased that the UGA Horticulture Club participated in
the 2003 Southeastern Flower Show,” said Charlotte Day, the 2003
chairman. “Their garden is spectacular and certainly worthy of
the honors they have received.”
“A lot of people made huge, intricate booths,” said Moore, a
junior from McDonough. “Ours is not quite as elaborate, but a lot
of people have been stopping by to say they like it.”
Indeed, Moore pointed out that the garden was created using
relatively common plants in an uncommon way. “Our design would be
more easily reproduced in someone’s yard, which is what we
wanted,” she said.
After several weeks of shopping at different greenhouses and
growers, the club whittled their plant selections down to ones
that looked most like the personalities they represented.
“We’re students, so we ran around doing this in between classes
and on weekends,” Moore said. “Many of these folks (who designed
booths for the show) are professionals. Still, ours is cute and
pretty funny.”
“The concept was to get people to look at plants in a different
way, using humor,” Berle said.
And judging from the people who stop by to size up the “stars” —
others include winter jasmine as Goldie Hawn, a Japanese holly as
Bart Simpson and a leatherleaf sedge as Cindy Loo Who — the
concept is working.
The Southeastern Flower Show will be at the Georgia World
Congress Center until Feb. 9. Tickets, directions and other
information are on-line at www.flowershow.org. Or call the show’s
ticket hotline at (404) 888-5511.
