Our Garden Club of Philadelphia and Vicinity (OGC) hosted a fabulous standardized flower show at Cathedral Village on Oct. 27.

OGC is the oldest continuously active garden club of African-Americans in the USA. Established in Philadelphia in 1939, OGC has maintained an active and enthusiastic membership. A standardized flower show fulfills the rules and regulations of The Association of Gardeners. OGC is a member of The Pennsylvania State Federation of Garden Club and The National Council of State Garden Clubs.  

The mission of OGC is to encourage and nurture interest in all phases of gardening, promote better horticultural practices, civic beauty and the art of flower arranging to increase knowledge of the environment and conservation of natural resources.

This year’s flower show, chaired by Valerie Hutton, was titled “Rhythm.” Alumni member Pat Lewis did a fantastic job on the gorgeous decorations. The show included the following classes or sections with main themes such as “jazz brunch,” “party time,” “Mardi Gras,” “carnival breeze,” “poetry in motion,” “rhapsody,” “dancing with the stars” and “rhythm with strings.” The horticultural classes included flowering and non-flowering plants, hanging plants, landscaped miniature gardens, succulent gardens, terrariums, avocado plants from seeds and ginger plants from tubers.

For the first time ever, there was a Junior Flower Club section chaired by outstanding exhibitor Linda Mingo. Exhibitors ages ranged from a toddling four to   tween aged fourteen. Junior members exhibited exquisite dried, pressed flower pictures, houseplants and paper sculptures.

Member, Joanna Lewis, was the first African-American installed as the District 11 director of the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania. Many OGC members are frequent exhibitors in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Flower Show. The Philadelphia Flower Show is distinguished as world’s largest indoor flower show and includes Dr. Wilfreta Baugh, who had exhibited for 38 years and continues to so to this day, Lydia Allen-Berry, Lucille Dickenson, a world class exhibitor of miniature settings, Pauline Fonville, Joanna Jones, Allison Lewis, Pat Lewis, Linda Mingo, Henri Hymans, Gabrielle Smith and Cynthia Wright, a resident outstanding horticulturalist. Baugh was a prize-winning exhibitor in the World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) Flower Show, which held it’s first ever show in the United States of America.

Rhythm was well attended and enjoyed. Mingo won a blue ribbon for her large niche exhibit, that also won best in show and the designer’s choice award. Wright won a blue ribbon for her medium niche display and the tri-color award for this exhibit.

Lorraine Moore serves as an enthusiastic and innovative president. Other members are Thomasina Hack, Denise Henderson, Eleanor McDaniel, Janet Patrick, Lillian Ranson, Rosemary Valentine, Darece Williford, Lynnette Harrison and Dorothy Foster.

Congratulations to Our Garden Club of Philadelphia and Vicinity for helping to make our world a more beautiful world with fragrant, colorful flowers.

Have a fantastic week everyone.