NURTURE 2020

January 22, 2021

A GCA Virtual Flower Show

The purpose of a Garden Club of America flower show is three-fold: to set standards of artistic and horticultural excellence, to broaden knowledge of horticulture, flower arrangement, conservation, and other related areas, and to share the beauty of a show with fellow club members and the public. Unfortunately, restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the GCA clubs could not hold events in person.

While on a socially-distanced hike, a group of Albemarle Garden Club members discussed all that they missed about garden club events, flower shows in particular. Thus, the idea of a virtual flower show began to take shape. 

Click to view the Nurture Flower Show

The idea for the show focused on the fact that the world had changed - many garden club members were at home taking care of families, gardens, and neighbors, but not always connecting with garden club friends. On that hike, the one word that kept buzzing around was NURTURE. With so much nurturing on the home front, the idea was to reflect that energy into a flower show, while also reconnecting with both garden club friends and the public. 

Executing a successful virtual flower show required new thinking. The process of staging the first ever GCA virtual flower show was also educational. The adaptability of GCA club members was evident as was their eagerness to exhibit and create in new and unconventional ways. NURTURE proved that a virtual show can be staged with a minimal carbon footprint and that entering can provide more accessibility to entrants, especially first-time exhibitors. In fact, NURTURE included a remarkable number of novice entries.  

Educational components can be found throughout the show. From the challenge of creating floral designs without oasis, to the healing properties of plants, to an appreciation of a cultural landscape, to seeing botanical elements in their natural state, educational opportunities abounded. 

So enjoy the show and let the beauty and creativity of the entries NURTURE your soul. 

 

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