Showcase the best and the brightest from your very own yard at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Foundation’s Home and Garden Symposium Flower Show on Wednesday, May 8.
The flower show features nine categories celebrating the beauty of nature – specimen plants and houseplants; bulbs and rhizomes; roses; herbs and other edibles; annuals and perennials; shrubs and trees; vines, groundcovers and perennial grasses; informal mixed-cut arrangements; and vegetable plants grown from seed in 2019.
Gardeners of all levels are invited and encouraged to participate. Any item out of your yard – from magnolia leaves and blooms to herbs and mixed arrangements – that has been in your possession for at least six weeks is eligible for entry.
Entry drop-off is 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the atrium of OCtech’s Math and Science Center. Complete flower show rules are available online at octech.edu. Click on the “Home and Garden Symposium” photo on the homepage for details.
In order to give your specimens the best presentation possible, cut flowers the night before the show and place them in water. Master Gardeners will be on hand to help categorize and label your plants.
Display tables and risers will be the same as in years past, allowing ample space for each entry. Coke bottles for individual stems and quart-sized mason jars for mixed arrangements will be available, as well. Potted plants should be clean and free of insects or disease.
First-, second- and third-place ribbons will be awarded in each category, and there will be an overall award for Best in Show. The Best in Show winner will receive two tickets to the 2020 Home and Garden Symposium. Winners will be announced during the speakers’ presentations in Roquemore Auditorium.
This year’s speakers are world-renowned horticulturalist Tony Avent and acclaimed “Potluck” founder and host and cookbook author Ali Rosen. Avent will share his favorite spring perennials, and Rosen will prepare recipes from her cookbook and talk about the joy of potlucks.
Guests will have the opportunity to explore the flower show and purchase plants following the presentations. Copies of Rosen’s book – “Bring It! Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining” – will be available for purchase during a book signing after the program. The day also features a silent auction and brunch catered by Buckridge Plantation.
Tickets to the Home and Garden Symposium are $50 per person. Funds raised assist in providing scholarships for deserving OCtech students and special projects at the college. This year’s signature sponsor is Super-Sod.
For more information or tickets, call the foundation office at 803-535-1246, email blanchardmr@octech.edu or visit www.octech.edu.
