2007 Vermont Flower Show Celebrates
"Walk on the Wild Side" with Wilderness Landscapes
Essex Junction, VT - The 13th Annual Vermont Flower Show will celebrate the Vermont wilderness landscape when it brings an early taste of spring to the Champlain Valley Exposition on March 9-11.
This year's theme, "Walk on the Wild Side," will literally come to life under the direction of Rebecca Lindenmeyr of Linden Landscaping & Design, Inc., this year's show designer.
"A flower show by definition is a fanciful creation, born out of a passionate desire to see the cogs of the wheel of life turn once again, to launch us out our winter paralysis and bring us signs of a hopeful spring," Linenmeyr said.
"I thought that a walk through the 'Wilderness of Vermont' would be the most practical source of inspiration for visitors to the show. This interpretation also reflected my belief that a flower show is also a perfect venue for education, and an opportunity for us to learn about the natural world that surrounds us."
"Along the path that winds through the display, visitors will meet various interpreters from VAPH and non-profit environmental organizations who will be describing some of the challenges we face and how as a gardener in Vermont you can be empowered to take an active role in the stewardship of our Vermont communities and wilderness," she added. Lindenmeyr plans to give guided tours daily during the show to explain the plantings and design.
The annual show, in its second year at the Robert E. Miller Expo Centre at the Exposition, is expected to attract between 6,000 - 8,000 people over the three-day run. Last year, 7,100 It is open Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March10 from 9 am - 6 pm; and Sunday March 11 from 9 am - 4 pm. Daily admission is $10 for adults, $7 seniors, $2 for kids (3-12.) A three-day adult pass is available for $25.
The Vermont Flower Show, named a Top 10 Vermont Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, is presented by the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists (VAPH), a non-profit statewide organization, dedicated to educating and increasing awareness of the growing industry of horticulture. The VAPH Board and Flower Show Committee work thousands of hours in creating a vibrant and colorful community-wide event that educates, entertains, and inspires.
Highlights of the 2007 Vermont Flower Show will include:
§ 100 exhibitors and non-profit displays, featuring the newest gardening products and services.
§ Lavish landscape displays overflowing with the sights and smells of spring, featuring garden designs and farm and animals from Vermont.
§ Keynote Presentation with Bill Cullina, the Nursery Director of NE Wildflower Society.
§ Gardening Seminars, Hands-on Demonstrations, Performances, Children's Activities, Train Exhibit, Floral Competition, Live Auction and more!
For more information call 802-518-6484 or visit the website at www.vermontflowershow.com.
The Vermont Flower Show by the Numbers
The VAPH has sponsored some type of flower show for more than 30 years. Some 7,100 people attended the Flower Show in 2006, a 6% increase over prior year. It takes more than 2,000 hours of volunteer time to design and build the garden show layout. Thousands of dollars of in-kind products and support help make the show happen.
Here are some statistics on what goes into that effort:
" 4,664 forced spring bulbs
" 200 square feet of sod
" 120 yards of mulch
" 8 tons of sand
" 7 yards of compost
" 820 square feet (about 6 tons!) of bricks
" 4 ton of cobbles
" 4 pallets of peat
" More than 600 deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, including 30 forced lilacs shrubs and 22 forced crabapple trees
" 15 ton of wallstone
" 415 perennials
FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS:
Vermont Flower Show, March 9,10,11, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction. Indoor Garden displays, central garden, water features, blooming flowers, flowering shrubs and trees, educational seminars, how-to workshops, garden railway display, kids entertainment, 90 gardening vendors and exhibitors. Keynote speaker Bill Cullina from N.E. Wildflower Society on Sunday. Presented by the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists. Hours: Friday and Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm. Admission, Adults $10, Seniors $7, Children (3-12) $2. For more information: 1-888-518-6484, www.vermontflowershow.com.