GARDEN SHOW MARKS THIRTY YEARS AT HVCC Annual floral showcase returns next weekend
TROY, N.Y. >> Upstate New York’s premier garden and flower show will mark its 30th anniversary when the annual Capital District Garden & Flower Show returns to the 60,000-square-foot McDonough Sports Complex at Hudson Valley Community College from Friday through Sunday, March 26.
This year’s theme is “Diamonds and Pearls.”
Renowned for its full-scale landscape exhibits and creatively designed gardens, the show brings together local gardening and landscaping professionals to transform the arena into a backyard environment complete with shrubs, trees, flowers, ponds, waterfalls, retaining walls, sidewalks and lawns. The exhibits require months of planning and precise timing to force early blooms on thousands of flowers.
“For 30 years, the Capital District Garden & Flower Show has marked the annual arrival of spring to upstate New York,” said Pennie Gonzalez, event manager for the show. “We are excited to once again showcase an array of picturesque blooming exhibits as we celebrate a milestone year for the show.”
The centerpiece of the show is its annual Floral Design Competition, which features around 100 exhibits presented by area professional floral designers, garden club members and amateurs. First-, second- and thirdplace winners in 12 categories are selected by an expert panel of judges, with ribbons awarded for Best of Show, Creativity and People’s Choice. Show attendees can vote for their favorite floral design through 1 p.m. March 26.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a variety of floral and cooking demonstrations, lectures and presentations from local and regional experts, including expert gardener and acclaimed author Kerry Mendez. Other speakers include Fred Breglia of Landis Arboretum, Peter Bowden of Hewitt’s Garden Center and educators and master gardeners from Cornell Cooperative Extension. A complete list of seminars, lectures and demonstrations held during the threeday show is available online at www.gardenandflowershow.com.
Additional highlights of the show include:
• More 16,000 square feet of fully blooming gardens
• A garden marketplace featuring more than 160 outdoor-living-,
farm-to-table- and gardenthemed retail exhibits offering fresh flowers, tools, books, patio furniture and other unique garden and craft items
• A Pirates and Pearlsthemed sand sculpture by artist Phil Singer that will be created in real time at the arena throughout the weekend
• Wine tastings featuring 10 New York state wineries • A children’s playland • Soil testing by Cornell Cooperative Extension
• A Garden Café from Mazzone Hospitality
Floral enthusiasts can get early access to the show during the Health & Happiness Garden Party from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 23. In addition to being the first to see the finished gardens, attendees will enjoy hors d’oeuvres by Mazzone Hospitality and a silent auction. Tickets to the party are $60, with all proceeds to benefit the Double H Ranch. Tickets are available online at www.doublehranch.org.
Tickets to the show are $14 at the door, free for children ages 12 and under with a paying adult. Advance tickets are available online for $12, with two-day admission passes available for $20. Friday is MVP Health Care Senior Day, with $11 tickets for attendees ages 62 and older. Parking is free. Partial proceeds from the show benefit Wildwood Programs, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of serving individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities, complex learning disabilities and autism.