Palm Coast, FL – While it may have seemed this weekend that winter was still upon us, it didn’t deter those ready to dive into their spring landscaping projects from heading to the 9th Annual Spring Festival and Plant Sale, hosted by The Garden Club at Palm Coast on Saturday.
The festival’s expansive layout provided easily navigable booth space on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School where everything from garden art to propagated plants were available to shoppers.
Elayne Byrd, a member of the propagation guild for the past three years shares her love of plants and gardening as a member of the Friends of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park group, as well, and was more than happy to take shoppers on a walk and talk of the guild’s offerings.
“We all try to save up plants for this event every year and there’s over 25 or 30 of us in the propagation guild growing,” she shared, showing off air plants, herbs and a variety of succulents. “We’re always known for our bromeliads, but those are totally gone.”
The festival provided clubs like the Friends of Gamble Rogers State Park and the Flagler County Orchid Society opportunity to learn more about joining club meetings and onsite activities, while offering tips on caring for the delicate flowers or eradicating invasive species. Also offering tips, the garden club’s arranger’s guild shared their expertise through demos to a fascinated audience.
Port Orange crafters like Charles and Diana Moore used the festival as an avenue to display their handiwork – carved cedar tables and hand-painted custom tables, during the show.
“The tops are plain tile, and one day I’m out in my shop making a table. I made a table with one of the slates, she looked at it and said I’m going to put a painting on it,” he said. “We started and have been doing it ever since, 15-20 years.”
Draped Hypertufa artist Carol Brown, kept busy talking with attendees about her unique plant pots and the upcoming art show ‘Face of Ukraine’ to benefit World Central Kitchen at the Gallery of Local Art in Flagler Beach, set for April 23rd.
“When I was a kid I loved playing in the mud. Now people pay me for the mud I play in,” said Brown, who hoped to inspire other artists to join in the fundraiser and raise awareness of the upcoming benefit among festival traffic.
Closing out the show with the presentation of the club’s poster contest winner, Matanzas High School student Sophia Martinez was on hand to be recognized for her artistic skills and receive her prize – a $100 gift certificate and framed copy of her work.
“I kind of started out, I didn’t really know what to do. I was just thinking about flowers and then I put the flowers in the background and went and put more flowers around the words and put a whole bunch more flowers and really like how it came out, so I added color and everything,” she said excitedly.
Studying digital media, it was her first foray into an art contest, and she was surprised to learn her entry had been selected.
“I was so surprised. My teacher announced it to the class and I saw my name in first place, and I was like ‘what’!” she said.
Martinez’s parents commemorated the moment with photos and video.
“It was just such an honor and we’re so proud of her,” said mom Heather Martinez. “It’s just so exciting for her to be recognized.”
Festival chair Denise Garcia beamed as she posed with Martinez for the award, deeming the day a success.
“This was a beautiful year because the committee is so committed that everybody knows their jobs,” said Garcia. “We got here, the school was outstanding, the tables were set up, everything was ready for us, our students that do our posters have done a beautiful job and we’ve been busy all day long.”
See the full photo gallery on here.