Can anything surpass the beauty of a vineyard? Perhaps if that vineyard is hosting a flower show featuring carefully crafted floral arrangements.
That was the case on Wednesday at Raphael Vineyards, which hosted the first joint Riverhead and Southold Garden Club Flower Show.
“It’s the first time any two garden clubs on Long Island have gotten together,” said Riverhead Chairperson Regina Rouge. “We invited them to come do a show with us, we thought it would be easier in theory.”
The theme for this year’s Flower Show was “Disney Floral Fantasies,” she said.
“Everything is Disney-related, but it doesn’t have to look like Disney, just its title and that it opens your imagination up for it,” Regina explained.
Four designs are submitted for each category, two from each club. Winners receive first, second and third place ribbons, with the last getting an honorable mention.
Some of the categories displayed included “Rags to Riches” in which designers dressed dolls in elaborate floral displays. This year’s winner was Sharra Nicholson of Riverhead with her “Mulan” display.
One of the more unusual categories was “A Ride on Space Mountain.” Winner Nancy Binger of Aquabogue incorporated toy train tracks into her display.
The “Lady and The Tramp’s Romantic Dinner” category challenged designers to re-create the film’s famous pasta dinner scene. Kathy Hartmann of Cutchogue won with her table setting of two pasta bowls, colorful tableclothes and simple flowers from her garden. “Everything is from my garden, I just wanted to do it from my garden, so I did,” said Hartmann.
“We decided to go in because they have a lot of people who are learning too and it’s good for both clubs, they get the experience,” Dora DiFrancesco, Chairperson of the Southold Garden Club said of the joint effort. “That’s why we don’t charge, because this is a community service to educate the public on what we do.”
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