Lake Shore Garden Club to hold biennial flower show

Jul. 22—The Lake Shore Garden Club has announced it will be holding its biennial 'A Gardener's Day Out' National Garden Club Small Standard Flower Show starting Aug 2.

The flower show, which will be held at The Albert W. Henn Mansion, 23131 Lake Shore Blvd., Euclid, will continue over two days, with the first day running from 1 to 5 p.m. with an additional round on Aug 3 from noon to 4 p.m.

Charlene Joyce, chairperson for the Pond and Garden Tour, said that she was excited to be part of a club which started 92 years ago. This year's event, according to Joyce, will have flowers grown by the members, which will be judged according to category.

"We are members of the National Garden Club Organization and put on a flower show every two years," Joyce stated. "You will view two rooms full of beautiful, award-winning plants and flowers grown by our members who are some of Euclid's best gardeners. Admission to the show is free"

Linda Holzheimer, a co-chair and longtime member of the Lake Shore Garden Club, said that awards will be given to selected displays which best match the categories they are in. Since the garden show is classified as a "small standard" show on the national level, it will have a category for horticulture, design, and education.

"Design, people use flowers in a creative design," Holzheimer said. "The second part is horticulture; they bring specimens in the garden which they have to grow for a certain amount of time."

Garden Club events, according to its national website, showcase designs around flowers and sometimes include functionality as part of a point system which displays are graded on.

According to Holzheimer, they can be judged either on a table setting, which has to have a certain number of serving plates and use flowers as an addition to the design, to floral patterns which are contained in smaller containers with design elements.

"Another class is a functional table for two, which is staged on a round table," Holzheimer said. "Class four is small designs and it's only eight by eight by eight, you can only do a small design. So, there are different things in the design division but in this show there are four classes."

While the Lake Shore Garden Club meets routinely, Holzheimer said it's dropped in popularity from when it was at its height in the 1940s and 1950s. The struggle, as with a lot of social clubs, is finding new members as people age out.

"It's an old club," Holzheimer said. "It was very popular in the early years... We don't do as many things anymore, in the city, we don't do as many things because most of our members are older and can't do it anymore.

"We had a garden at the Henn (Mansion in Sims Park) but because most of our members are in their 60s and older we couldn't keep up with it anymore. If people want to join, just come anytime. We have been getting new members lately, we have gotten quite a few. It's mostly word of mouth, through their friends."

More information on club times, future events, and more ways to get involved can be found at their groups Facebook page.

Originally Published: July 22, 2024 at 4:17 p.m.