Did You Know Floral Competitions are a Real Thing?
Going for Blue is a collection of blogs curated to share my experiences with floral competitions. Winning first at a floral competition usually means getting a blue ribbon instead of first place gold as traditionally used in sports. This entry shares the story of how I found out about floral competitions.
A Winning Drive
I’m not a competitive person by nature. During my high school sports phase I learned that I’m much too laid back for the fierceness and winning drive needed on the court/field. All of that changed the first time I read a flower show award announcement email from the judging committee in March 2019.
In an instant, I finally understood why people spend an absurd amount of time, money, and effort to try and be the best at any given sport. It means so much to win (or lose) at something you’ve invested so much of your life into! My high school self would’ve never guessed that eleven years after I graduated I would finally get a competitive edge, for flowers of all things!
Yes, There are Floral Competitions
Some shows are even open to the public! All you have to do is submit a form and they’ll accept any florist on a first come, first serve basis. Most shows I’ve seen in Massachusetts are exclusively for National Garden Club members (which I think puts an unnecessary barrier in place for new people who want to compete).
I was lucky enough to discover the Boston Flower and Garden Show and found out there’s a competition section where you don’t need to be represented by a Garden Club to enter. I was able to submit a form to get the show schedule and see what I could sign up for. The schedule has:
Overall theme of the show
List of classes / divisions available to compete in and how many entries are available for each
Description of the classes to interpret in the form of a floral arrangement
Dimensions and paint color of the pedestal your arrangement would be displayed on
So, if you’re ever confident enough in your floral design skills, feel free to drop $450+ on flowers, time, and a perfectly constructed vessel to attempt and get a blue ribbon. If you want to compete more than once a year you’ll have to join a nationally recognized Garden Club (which means paying membership dues and achieving other requirements to be considered a full time member).
Are you ready for the long version?
MFA Art In Bloom (previous year)
After I graduated college in 2015 I briefly worked at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. While I spent time wandering around campus on my breaks I discovered the most wonderful event, the Art in Bloom Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts. It happens once a year right around Mother’s Day.
Florists are paired with a piece of the collection on display at the museum and will create a floral arrangement inspired by the artwork. The festival celebrates the beauty of art and how the “living art” of flowers can be inspired by artwork that was created in the past.
I spent a lot of my college days walking around museums and I was literally flabbergasted that I had never thought to create a floral arrangement inspired by a painting or sculpture. As an event based florist the concept of artful flowers blew my mind!
I never found a straight answer as to how each florist and artwork are paired up for the Art in Bloom Festival. That question may only be answered if I actually participate and, sadly, that seems highly unlikely for one reason only: I’m not represented by an official Garden Club.
Garden Clubs and Floral Competitions
During my initial binge of “Garden Club” research I stumbled across the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (MHS). Back then a big annual event for the MHS was hosting a flower and horticultural show during the Boston Flower and Garden Show at the Seaport World Trade Center. I found out what that really meant when I attended the show as a guest in March of 2018:
Flower means floral design with various types of flower arrangements depending on the class
Horticultural means grown in someone’s garden or house and harvested specifically to enter into the show
Show is another way of saying competition with a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention awards for each class / division
The Boston Flower and Garden Show
My first time attending the Boston Flower and Garden Show was magical beyond my wildest dreams. As soon as I entered the exhibit hall I knew I had to participate in the show the following year. Multiple landscaping companies built temporary installations throughout the Trade Center. They were complete with rows of real flowers planted in fresh mulch weaving between gorgeous stone pathways, bubbling fountains, and huge wooden pergolas paired with comfy chairs.
The Boston Ikebana School had two rooms of student work that were graceful and perfectly balanced. There were so many vendors selling everything from garden decor and seeds to solar panels and sun rooms for houses.
My ticket for the 2018 show was for a preview / charity event that kicked off the reveal of the exhibition hall the night before it opened to the public. This also meant the MHS entries were not going to be installed until the following morning when the show opened to the public.
Even though I was unable to see the entries for the 2018 show I was able to walk around the MHS staging area. I enjoyed looking at the empty pedestals and envisioning my work that would hopefully be under the lights the following year.
“Boston Flower and Garden Show (2018) was magical beyond my wildest dreams”
Taking a Leap of Faith
In December of 2018 I left my full time desk job to pursue a full time freelancing career while also making more time for my flower adventures. I was fortunate to have enough projects (freelance graphic design clients + wedding floral design contracts) coming up in the 2019 season that I felt confident to take the leap and try my hand at being my own boss. In hindsight, this was a key factor in how I ended up being able to compete in the 2019 season.
Toward the end of February 2019 I applied for my first two entries (for better or worse) and was sent a slew of documents to help me prepare for my first round of show installations.
Click here to see the 3rd place winning arrangement I made for the 2019 Boston Flower Show!
