Fair flowers

BAZETTA - Away from the hustle and bustle of the midway is the sweetest smelling and quietest barn at the Trumbull County Fair.

It houses the Trumbull County Garden Forum flower show, where visitors can find petunias, daisies, dahlias, roses, herbs and other varieties of plants on display.

This year's theme is Garden Wedding, with artistic interpretation displays and barn corner displays centered around wedding themes.

"We've been part of the fair forever and a day," Garden Forum president Rita Baugher of Southington said.

The show features artistic and horticulture categories, with judging done by representatives of the Garden Club of Ohio. The artistic category is judged on how a theme is interpreted with a floral arrangement, and is open only to garden club members, Baugher said.

This year's artistic entries competed in 10 classes with the garden wedding theme, including: sweet petite flower girl (5-inch mini); blushing bride (fresh flowers with tones of pink); ruffled mother of the bride (showing texture); proud father of the bride (black and white arrangement); always a bridesmaid (one flower fresh foliage); tall dark handsome best man (dark colors, dried); the nervous groom (fresh/dried, showing motion); ring bearer; maid of honor (fresh, featuring one figurine); and invited guest (mass arrangement, fresh/dried).

Maxine Disko of Niles, flower show chair, said she comes up with the themes each year. The booklets that accompany the fair flower show are printed in January, so she has to start thinking about the next year's theme almost as soon as the fair ends.

"The themes just come to me. Last year, it was water gardens. One year, we did garden doors," Disko said.

The horticulture entries are open to the public and Baugher said there were many new entrants this year.

"The women in these clubs take this competition very seriously. I think gardening will become more in demand in the next several years because of the economy. People will want to learn how to grow their own food," Baugher said.

She said she has both a vegetable and flower garden at home.

"I have to eat and take care of my family. But then I have my pretties," Baugher said of her flowers.

Other flower show categories are the unusual container category and the barn corners category. The latter involves creating a 5-foot display with some live plant material centered around the Garden Wedding theme. Baugher said it used to be called barn corners because there were four participating clubs and there was a display in each corner of the barn.

However, there are now seven participating clubs with an additional entry by students in the horticulture/floral design program at Trumbull Career and Technical Center. Fair-goers cast ballots for their favorite display and the one with the most votes earns that garden club bragging rights, Baugher said.

The seven garden clubs that make up the Trumbull County Garden Forum include Four Seasons Garden Club, Friendly Garden Club, Good Earth Garden Club, Howland Garden Club, Lordstown Garden Guild, Trumbull County Herb Society, and Warren Township Garden Club.

mkosinski@tribtoday.com