"Color Me Autumn" and the Making of a Flower Show

By Lynn Grillo | September 23, 2026 Full gallery of flower show photos coming soon!

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My first “oh, wow” came before I had even entered the main room.

The staging team had created an entrance hallway lined on both sides with some of the most gorgeous plants in the show. After walking through that welcoming corridor for only a few yards, visitors emerged into an eye-popping feast of flowers, designs, photographs, botanical arts and educational displays.

It was the first of many moments when I found myself amazed by what the members of the West Trenton Garden Club had accomplished.

Presented on September 18 and 19 at Ewing Covenant Presbyterian Church, “Color Me Autumn” was a National Garden Clubs Standard Flower Show, governed by detailed requirements covering everything from the classification of horticultural specimens to the dimensions of floral designs and the placement of entry cards.

Before participating, I understood very little about what it takes to produce such a show. I knew there would be flowers, judges and awards. I had not anticipated nearly two years of preparation, specialized knowledge, physical labor and careful coordination behind a two-day public event.

Helga Fontus oversaw that immense undertaking as show chair. Pat Bowker began writing the comprehensive schedule that served as its blueprint at least 20 months before the show. Finding a suitable venue took time, too. The show had originally been planned for September 2025.

Diane Sanchez and Lynn Aspinwall led the staging effort that produced my first “oh, wow,” transforming the space into an inviting progression of horticulture, floral design, education, youth and botanical arts exhibits. Around them, members handled entries, classification, placement, judging support, awards, hospitality, publicity, signage and dozens of other details. Anne Chmielewski and her daughter, Ingrid Fair, among others, took on the substantial job of placing every horticulture entry. Each responsibility depended upon someone else completing another task carefully and on time. I soon discovered that a flower show is an intricate chain of people doing their jobs—and helping one another when the unexpected happens.

West Trenton Garden Club has 69 members, approximately 60 of whom are active, and every active member participated in the show in some way. Some spent months growing and grooming plants. Others created floral designs, botanical crafts, photographs or educational exhibits. Still others received entries, checked classifications, guided visitors or worked behind the scenes.

Together, they produced 316 exhibits: 206 horticultural specimens, 32 floral designs, five educational exhibits (two judged and three nonjudged), 23 youth entries, six sponsored-group exhibits, 12 botanical artistic crafts and 32 photographs.

For many of us, this was our first experience participating in a formal flower show. We learned about entry cards, botanical names, conditioning plant material, class requirements and judging standards. We also learned about containers, transportation and just how many trips it can take to move everything into place.

The experienced exhibitors offered newcomers one particularly sensible piece of advice: start with one entry.

If only I had listened! In addition to working on publicity and signage, I entered numerous horticultural specimens, prepared a judged educational exhibit and submitted a photograph. There was a lot of preparation, a lot of hauling and, by the end, considerable fatigue. My own experience made me appreciate even more the members who had accepted major responsibilities and somehow remained organized, patient and helpful throughout the process.

My educational exhibit focused on Winter Sowing, a method I had practiced for several years and had previously presented to the club. Helga asked whether I would develop the topic for the flower show, so I created a display explaining how certain seeds can be started outdoors in covered containers during winter.

Visitors repeatedly told me the display was easy to follow and made them eager to try the technique themselves. Within three hours of the doors opening on Friday, all 40 printed handouts were gone. I returned Saturday with another 40 copies and a sign containing a QR code so visitors could download the handout as a PDF.

Jeff Tryon created the other judged educational exhibit, introducing visitors to spring ephemerals – the woodland plants that emerge and bloom during a brief period before the forest canopy fills in. The three nonjudged educational exhibits added more to explore, including Linda Reasoner’s display about Ewing’s historical Birmingham Park, and Iliana Okum's exhibit on roses. Both judged exhibits received high scores, and the educational section generated considerable interest. Visitors came ready to admire the displays and learn something they could use in their own gardens.

Beyond the educational section, visitors encountered an extraordinary range of creativity and horticultural skill. The 206 horticulture entries included 189 club members and 17 from nonmembers and show judges. Thirty-two floral designs interpreted seasonal themes ranging from harvest moons and pumpkin patches to Thanksgiving gatherings and teatime in an apple orchard. The dahlia display, coordinated and staged by Rick Lazarick, included entries from several exhibitors. Rick’s own dahlias earned 12 blue ribbons, including one that received an Award of Merit.

The botanical arts division featured autumn photography and imaginative creations made with plant material, including decorated hats, brooms and masks. Young exhibitors contributed floral designs and botanical creatures. Participation by Mercer County 4-H, the West Jersey Rose Society, Ewing Township Seniors and Girl Scout Troop 72048 helped make the show a community celebration spanning generations.

The room itself was ideal. It was bright, with high ceilings and enough space for the exhibits to be presented beautifully, yet compact enough for visitors to see everything comfortably. The tables, sections, decorations and signs formed a unified autumn setting that let the exhibits shine.

Visitors commented on how pleasant the show was to navigate. They did not have to “schlep for miles” to see everything, and no one was trying to sell them anything along the way. The show was free, welcoming and created simply for people to enjoy.

More than 300 people attended over the two days. Many came from Ewing and nearby communities, while others traveled from throughout New Jersey and from Pennsylvania communities including Yardley, New Hope, Coopersburg and Philadelphia. Friday brought an immediate burst of activity, followed by a steady stream of visitors throughout Saturday.

They lingered over unusual plants, studied the floral designs, asked questions at the educational exhibits and admired the work of the young participants. Twelve NGC-accredited flower show judges, a substantial number for a flower show, evaluated entries across the show. Honors recognized excellence in horticulture, design, education, youth exhibits, botanical crafts and photography.

The award ribbons were exciting, but they were only the visible conclusion of a much larger process. Every exhibit was the work of its creator. Behind every award was a network of members who had received, classified, placed and cared for that entry so it could be judged and enjoyed by the public.

By the time the show ended, I was tired, impressed, and more than a little amazed. I had watched individual contributions, some highly visible and others almost invisible, combined to create something no one member could have accomplished alone.

I also came away with enormous respect for the experienced members who understood the scale of the undertaking from the beginning and helped the newcomers find their way through it.

Their advice was sound: start with one entry. I may even follow it next time. Then again, after all that hauling, those pretty ribbons make a persuasive argument for entering more than one. 🌼