Gardener's Hall of Fame - 01/16/01 08:55 PM
From Birds and Blooms, December/January 1998, p.62.
Athletes and rock musicians have halls of fame [and I might add, so do Michigan farmers], so John Hordines of East Branch, New York figures that gardeners deserve to have one, too.
So what did he do? He started the National Flower Hall of Fame!
“Why not recognize the 60 million flower growers in the U.S.?” John asks.
To jump-start the concept, he conducts a National Flower Contest open to amateur growers each year. Entrants can send photos of their backyard gardens to be judged in four categories – unlimited space, small areas (like patios and window boxes), flower crafts, and children’s flowers and gardens.
A panel of six gardeners judges the photos and announces winners in each category.
“All these years, gardeners haven’t received the recognition they deserve for making things look so pretty,” he says. “And I get a lot of satisfaction out of the project.”
The contest is easy to enter. Amateur gardeners can send up to 15 of their favorite garden photographs to be included in any of the four categories. (The photos cannot be returned.) There are no fees to enter, and prizes are seeds and gift certificates from seed companies.
From the winners, inductees are also selected for the National Flower Hall of Fame.
To enter the next National Flower Contest, start planning now. The deadline is Oct. 1, 1998. [As of the time this was originally written.] Send photos to National Flower Contest, c/o John Hordines, Harvard Farm, H.C. 62, Box 37, East Branch NY 13756.
Until John finds a town interested in housing the Hall of Fame, it’ll be based at his farm in the Catskills.
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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.
[This message has been edited by Cathy Sears (edited January 16, 2001).]