Flower Shows And Garden Tours
For over thirty years Bedford Garden Club held plant and flower shows, the first, in 1929. Another mention of a show is in 1938, when Garden Club Members exhibited at the Bedford Grange Fair, held at the Town Hall. These shows had many categories centered around a theme such as: Outdoor Living, American Heritage, Fashions In Flowers, The Rainbow, or Waltz Of The Flowers, where song titles were used for each arrangement classification.
In June of 1941, flower arrangements were exhibited on Miss Sabiston’s porch. (Former neighbors of this Harriman Avenue home remember people coming from all over the county to view the beautiful gardens here.) Six classes were offered for competition. Mrs. Telzrow ( of Bedford) and Mrs. Hendershott of Brecksville judged the arrangements. Points of perfection were: Quality, Suitability of container, Color Harmony, Originality, Proportion and Balance, and Design. . . . . . . . . Respectfully submitted, Marion Wyckoff.” In the 40’s, vegetables were the highlight of the shows.
Later locations for exhibitions were wherever a large space became available, such as the YMCA on Tarbell, the Methodist Church, Ellenwood School. Nine hundred tickets were sold for the 1956 Flower Show, cosponsored by the Kiwanis and the Bedford Garden Club. Seventy floral arrangements and 400 specimens were on display. In 1958, the show continued to be well attended. This success motivated the move to Taylor’s department store at Southgate, then the brand new shopping center in Maple Heights. Mr. Brenner, Manager of Taylor’s said, “the show was a credit to the store.” He asked to have the flower show next year, promising additional space.
A new trophy was donated by Mr. D.P. Handyside in September, 1959, as a perpetual trophy in memory of his wife, Edna. It is presumed that it was returned to be given to the next year’s winner. (The location of the trophy at this writing has not been found!)
No expense was spared to market these shows. In May, 1955, members voted to purchase orchids to be distributed to the first 500 ladies attending the September show. In 1956, one thousand were ordered. This was discontinued when it became cost prohibitive.
One of the last really big flower shows was in 1964, held in the present City Hall in Council Chambers. Mrs. Beverly Neligh served as president that year. One more small flower exhibit, held at the Library on Center Road, September 1974, was the last held. Bedford Friends of the Library made and served refreshments. The Library patrons (visitors) voted on the flowers, fruits, and vegetables that were shown. This show was not professionally set up and judged, however, a lot of fun for members.
Garden of the Week Bedford Times Register, July 29, 2000
Making good use of a small space, Dave and Lisa Sweeney on Tarbell Avenue have filled their rock garden with dianthus, lobelia, rosyglow barberry and hostas, just to name a few.
Recognizing the curb appeal of this Garden of the Week, Bedford Garden Club salutes the family and their contribution to beautifying the neighborhood.
Are you a novice gardener or one with the wisdom of many years experience? In either case, you are invited to share your knowledge or learn new information with fellow gardeners on the third Thursday of the month at Bedford City Hall.
The Garden-Of-The-Week program introduced in 2000, is another way members and local residents can show-off unusual plant specimens, or unique garden designs. The intention of the program is to showcase and give recognition to gardeners in the area. Dot Schwende and Vicki McSherry did the photography the first year. Since 2001, Paul Reynolds with wife Sandy photograph and write the descriptions for the newspaper. Beautifying the community benefits all residents. No prizes are awarded.
Garden tours, a favorite activity, began as visits, formal and informal, to members’ gardens. Mrs. Wyckoff, club secretary, writes of a garden tour with a charming sense of humor. An addendum to the minutes of October 1942, reads: “In reporting the Tour thru Hagerty’s Jungle, the Secretary neglected to mention the Guide who was responsible for this very pleasant expedition. The Secretary now reports: The Guide was a tall, well proportioned and tanned gentleman. He was intimately familiar with every inch of trail in his own jungle; having transformed it, with timeless indifference, from clay and more clay, cinders and general neighborhood debris to a region of spectacular display. He has also advanced the progress of many amateur explorers in miniature jungles of their own and has helped eliminate the hazards of savage insects and plant diseases. He is a deft guide and a conscientious worker. He is a member of the Bedford Garden Tribes and is known, generally, as Lloyd Hagerty.”
August, 1958, found members visiting the gardens of Mr. and Mrs. R. Sedlon, on Broadway Avenue (Hezekiah Dunham house) at 2 p.m.; Mr. & Mrs. F. H. Dalrymple on North Street at 3 p.m.; Mr. & Mrs. E. Woznicki on Leyton Avenue at 3:30 p.m., and Mr. & Mrs. N. Kozopas on Eldred Avenue at 4 p.m. No time for lingering here!
Later in 1976, the Bicentennial House & Garden Tour raised funds to donate to the development of Archibald Willard Park adjacent to Ellen-wood Center. In 2002, the idea has taken on a new twist. Celebrating the 75th Anniversary, a Garden & Artists Tour opened the perennial gardens of Frank Kubat, Jean and Harry Jorgensen, Jane & Joseph Backo, Lee & Don Flagg, Viola & Dan Saunders, JoAnna Telzrow, Barbara & Chuck Palumbo, Don Littlefield and Mike King, and the Glendale School garden for public viewing. Artists Tom Ramsay, Ernie & Sally Horvath, Cathy Mazur, Rick Backo, Deborah Mikulski and Pete Dickson exhibited their work in clay sculpture, woodcarving, pottery and watercolor painting at selected sites.
Although the day was filled with liquid sunshine, it was a very enjoyable event. “The gardens were so beautiful. . . .the hostesses were so friendly. . . .I learned a lot. . . .I now have ideas for my own garden. . . .it was such a pleasant day,” were just a few of the comments reported to the planning committee.
Mary Lou Collins enjoys the fragrances of Zephrine Drouhine, a rose variety dating back to 1868, found in the Jorgensen’s gardens during the Garden & Art Tour.
Tours to public gardens took place outside the township as well. In 1941, tickets to the Cleveland Garden Center Flower Show (now known as the Cleveland Botanical Gardens) were offered to members for 40 cents. Today the bargain price of advance sale tickets is $10, ($18 at the door!). King-wood Center, the estate of Charles Kelly King in Mansfield, appears to be the most visited place as related in early documents. (Vi Saunders remembers picnic hampers packed full of food and being allowed to spread blankets on the grounds of the Center for an afternoon repast.)
Members recall a visit to Garden-view in Strongsville, with its unusual plantings and peacocks roaming about; or, Falconskeape, “a paradise of every known lilac,” in Medina. Rain did not dampen the enjoyment of this trip. Rather, it seemed to bring out the fragrances, delighting all at-tending. (We were so fortunate to have travel chairman, Mary Adam arrange this trip for us. Shortly after our trip, this incredible garden was sold to the Ross Family to become a private estate and closed to the public.)
Mary Lou Collins enjoys the fragrances of Zephrine Drouhine, a rose variety dating back to 1868, found in the Jorgensen’s gardens during the Garden & Artist Tour.
Both Lois Alexander and Mary Adam remember a beautiful day in May seeing the spectacular daffodils at Lake View Cemetery, followed by a very pleasant lunch at the University Inn. Other trips including a tour of a glass works, and an interesting trip to Cleveland’s Detroit High Level Bridge and Cleveland’s subway system add to their memories. Alice Weisenbach recalls joint trips with the Valley View Garden Club to places such as Oglebay Park in West Virginia.
Other memorable trips were to the rose collection at Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown; a Fall tour to Paschke’s Mum Farm in Presque Isle, New York; Schoepfle Gardens in Lorain, with a stop for lunch at the Huron Yacht Club; and Schedel Arboretum, southeast of Toledo.