Growing Seasons Greetings, "The Magic Of The Nutcracker"

By Dylan Roche
For two days in November, the rooms of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church were filled with holiday charm, beauty, and whimsy for “The Magic of the Nutcracker: A Standard Flower Show,” presented by the District II of the Federated Garden Club of Maryland. The halls brimmed with incredible plants, decorations, and endless creativity available for the public to freely come and admire.

Show Chairman Doris White explains the Federated Garden Club follows the guidelines set forth by the National Garden Club, so every flower show has a theme. “The Magic of the Nutcracker” was chosen as the show’s theme because it was a holiday theme, but not necessarily a Christmas theme, yet.
“This theme is meant to put people in the mood for the season,” said White, adding. “Since the flower show took place before Thanksgiving, it’s a subtle holiday theme.”
Each flower show has entries under specific categories, such as horticulture and décor, and even a youth division, which showcased the work of several local children, who decorated pine cones to have a holiday theme. There were many creative and well-done projects among the youth division, and in first place there were pine cones artistically made into a turkey, sugar plum fairies, a nativity, and even a snow ball fight! From room to room there were entries in greens, floral arrangements, cacti, and festive holiday table settings.
White tells how one of the benefits of the flower show is that it not only showcases the hard work of garden club members, but it also educates the public on the club. As with any event, however, the show can produce challenges. One of which involved coming up with well-thought staging to make it easy for viewers to navigate, but also allow each work to be seen from every angle. “The Magic of the Nutcracker” was definitely successful in this endeavor; each category flowed beautifully into the others, producing more wonders as a person went through. Another challenge would be getting people to sign up to volunteer to work the event.
District II is one of five district divisions in The Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland. There are approximately 4,000 members in over 100 clubs throughout the five divisions, and each club has shows. The show provides a pamphlet outlining the rules and guidelines of each category, so the public has a better appreciation of what is expected from the participants.
The flower show was successful in not only its educational endeavors, but also in its goal of spreading a little “subtle” holiday cheer, and setting the mood for the season. For those interested in learning more about the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, or to follow any upcoming events, be sure to check out their website at www.fgcofmd.org.