Gardenscape, the Rochester Flower and Garden Show

Most people are surprised to hear I’ve never been to a flower and garden show. Well, to get to those shows, you have to travel and pay money, two things I never did much of before I became a blogger. And that’s just to get in. Once you’ve paid your admission, you’re not required to buy anything more, but, really, that’s the point. What finally got me to Gardenscape, Rochester’s (NY) flower and garden show, is the opportunity to meet up with my friend and fellow blogger Elizabeth Licata. (She writes at Gardening While Intoxicated and Garden Rant, and is the editor for Buffalo Spree.) After perusing the program, I realized Colleen Plimpton, author of Mentors in the Garden of Life, was also going to be in town, so we made it a threesome.

Rock the Garden

At Gardenscape there are two main areas. The dome area had the flower displays and the stage where Elizabeth spoke. The Exhibit Hall had the vendor booths, where they hope you will buy something, or at least, pick up a brochure to entice you to a future purchase. I’ll show you what caught my interest in both areas. The theme of this year’s Gardenscape was “Rock the Garden,” and exhibitors took that in two different directions: literal rock (stone) and rocking to the music.

What’s For Show?

This is from the exhibit that won Best of Show. The exhibits are intended to give you ideas for your own garden, but obviously there is an element of showmanship involved, too. I doubt anyone would feel comfortable sitting in these chairs, but they certainly are clever, and they tie in with the theme. And I didn’t notice until I inserted this photo into the post that the wine label matches the color of the wall. Nice touch. I love pale yellow and pink together, so the corylopsis paired with Angelique tulips especially appealed to me. I also liked the use of rough lumber for the lawn swing and other structures in this exhibit. I like the sound of water on stone, but it is very difficult to create an artificial stream and arrange the stones so they look truly natural. This fountain is satisfying precisely because it doesn’t pretend to be natural, but still replicates the essence of the natural, the sound of water on stone. Here’s another shot of the picnic table that was in the background of the fountain photo. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big picnic table. I wonder where they harvested the logs from and who sawed the logs into planks. I wonder what they are going to do with that table after the show is over, because I know a family with twelve children who could actually use it.

Here’s another piece of outdoor furniture I admired.

This is not a bench for down by the house. There is a place in the woods where the path divides, and I would put this bench there, so that out-of-shape visitors could catch their breath before continuing. The bears are not my favorite part. I think that a bench in the woods should still have some of its “treeness,” and this one does.

What’s For Sale?

Now we move on to the vendor booths.

This appealed to my sense of whimsy. I spoke to Kate, of Flowers by Kate, about how she made them. She buys the garden hose wholesale and cuts it to length, then attaches the couplings herself. It was a creative spin on the traditional wreath.

I have several pictures to show you from my favorite vendor booth, The Salvage Gallery. These were all sort of flowers, plus insects and small animals, made out of salvaged stainless steel or silver flatware and the occasional kitchen gadget.

Rochester is a two-and-a-half hour drive for me, so I don’t think I’ll make a habit of attending this show. But if I do go again, I’ll put more money in my wallet, because, after all, that’s the point.