The City of Coronado and the Coronado Floral Association will present the 91st annual Coronado Flower Show on Saturday, April 16, 2016 and Sunday, April 17, 2016 at Spreckels Park. “When in Drought . . . Conserve, Cultivate, Create” is the theme of this year’s event, which is considered a standard flower show according to the flower show guidelines set by the National Gardens Club. Since the show started, there was only one year that the flower show was not held.
Carvill Veech, a lifelong resident of Coronado, and the publicist for this year’s flower show, has a long history of being involved in the Coronado Flower Show. In 1953, eight year old Veech won a prize for her entry, three roses in a glass bottle, which she entered in the youth division. She still remembers with great detail how proud she was to win Best Child’s Arrangement. She served as president of the Coronado Floral Association from 2004-2005, and is the chair of Division 1 – Horticulture. Veech is also an active participant in the flower show, where she will have an entry of her own.
Veech showed off her gorgeous garden that adorns her Spanish style home as she explained what to expect from this year’s highly anticipated floral event. She praised this year’s Coronado Flower Show co-chairs Laura Crenshaw and Diana Drummey for their dedication to making this year’s event the best one yet, and complimented the Coronado Floral Association’s President Rob Crenshaw and Vice President Carolyn Crane.
This year’s flower show starts off with Coronado home front judging on April 4th, 5th, and 6th. Judges will walk throughout Coronado determining which houses have the most beautiful and well-maintained landscaping and flowers. Veech emphasizes that homes aren’t judged against one another, but that each house is judged on its own merit. This year marks the first time that people can participate in the process by voting online for a People’s Choice Award winner. To vote for your favorite home front online go to http://coronadoflowershow.com/home-fronts/vote/ before noon on April 9th.
There will be four divisions that will be judged at the flower show, and within each division the general rules are very specific. Anyone, whether a resident of Coronado or not, is allowed to enter the flower show provided that he or she conforms to the standards and objectives set by the National Garden Clubs. One such rule example includes that in the horticulture division no fresh flowers may be sprayed or dyed.
Division I – Horticulture is broken into eleven sections, including roses, container-grown plants, cut flowers from annuals, cut flowers from perennials, cut flowers from corms, bulbs, and tubers, herbs, arboreals, bonsai and hon non bo, orchids, container-grown succulents, and container-grown cactaceae.
Participants in the horticulture division will be awarded thirty-three awards ranging from Best Coronado Grown Rose to Best Orchid to Best in Cactaceae.
Division II – Design is broken into five sections, including miniature and small designs, floral designs, picture boxes, and two different sections of table designs (Pollinators and Above the Water Table).
Participants in the design division will be awarded seven awards, which include Best Use of Fresh Flowers, Best Large Picture Box, and Most Popular Table Design. Veech gave me a preview of the picture box she is already preparing for the flower show, explaining to me how essential it is to have a clear visual of the size box she will be working with when she sets up her entry at the flower show.
Division III – Special Exhibits is broken into three sections, including educational exhibits, youth, and men’s creations. The theme of the youth section is The Secret Garden, and children will be grouped into three age groups. Preschool and kindergarten children will be in the pre-junior class. Children in grades first through fifth will be in the junior class, and students in grades sixth through eighth will be in the intermediate class.
There is an award for the Most Popular in Men’s Creation, and there will be seven awards presented to those who are participating in the youth section, including Best Picture Plate, Best Zoo’s Who, Best Miniature Arrangement, Best in Horticulture, Best Growing Plant Entry, Best Flower Arrangement, and People’s Choice Award.
Division IV – Community Landscapes is broken into seven sections, including home fronts, condo and apartment fronts, commercial fronts, church grounds, school gardens, municipal grounds, and hotel and motel fronts.
There are more than nine awards that will be presented in this division, including the new People’s Choice Award and the coveted Best Home Front. Whose yard will garner that distinction this year?
In addition to awards being distributed within each division, National Awards of Excellence will also be given to fifteen exhibits. National Awards of Excellence include the Award of Horticultural Excellence and the Award of Design Excellence.
The flower show, which is open to the public, costs just $5 per ticket, and children under the age of twelve will be given free admission as will members of the Coronado Floral Association. Pets will not be permitted.
Friday, April 15th beginning at sunset A Bug’s Life, the featured movie, will be shown for children on the gazebo. Parents will be able to enjoy the beer and wine garden on Friday evening from 4-8 pm. The plant sale takes place from 9am-12 pm.
Saturday, April 16th the flower show is open from 1-5 pm with live entertainment on the bandstand by Coronado Big Band (1:00-3:00 pm) and the Retro Rocketts (3:30-5 pm). Spirits may be purchased at the beer and wine garden from 1-8 pm. That evening the Spring Fling will be held from 6:30-9:30 pm. The plant sale takes place from 12-3 pm.
The Spring Fling party in the park will be held amid the blooms and exhibits for an additional fee. Guests can tour the exhibits during the party while enjoying a scrumptious feast, lively libations, entertainment, and a chance to win lots of great prizes. (For additional information on how to purchase tickets, see additional information at the bottom)
Sunday, April 17th the flower show is open from 10 am to 4 pm with live entertainment by Jumpstart with the Luv Nutz (10-11:30 am), Coronado Concert Band (12-1:30 pm), and Coronado Island Jazz Band (2-3 pm). Adult beverages may be purchased at the beer and wine garden from 10 am to 4 pm. The plant sale takes place from 10 am to 3 pm, and there will be a cut flowers and rose sale at 4 pm.
In addition to the many exhibits under the white tents at the flower show, there will be a marketplace and food pavilion open during the show. The event is kid-friendly, and since there will be youth exhibitors participating, children are encouraged to support their friends and classmates.
If you’re interested in submitting an entry, but you are on the fence about it, Veech encourages participation from as many people as possible. If you have some beautiful flowers in your yard that you want to submit, but you don’t have a clear glass vase, there are vases available at the flower show to exhibit your yard’s pride and joy.
The Coronado Flower Show is looking for creative minds for the Men’s Creations section of Division III – Special Exhibits. This non-competitive exhibit, which is judged by popular vote only, is a chance for people to highlight their humor with political satire, showcase their military pride, display their affection for man’s best friend, or demonstrate their love of their favorite club or organization. To participate in this exhibit, there needs to be some sort of plant material, which could even include a vegetable such as a potato. The theme of this year’s Men’s Creations is El Niño, and registrants need to include a title for their novelty arrangements, which can consist of fresh or dried flowers, fruits, or vegetables. While humor is indeed encouraged, registrants are reminded to use good taste as well as to ensure that entries are appropriate, exhibiting no personal or vindictive attacks on community members.
In the words of Walter Hagen, “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” Go visit the 91st Coronado Flower Show, and enjoy the bounty of your neighbors’ care and dedication to making the Crown City a fragrant gem.
Additional Information:
The Spring Fling party in the park tickets can be purchased online here.
The complete Flower Show booklet, schedule, rules, categories and exhibit information can be found here.
If anyone has a question regarding the upcoming flower show, the show’s chairpersons may be contacted by clicking here.
