“This is a passion. This is what we do,” said Marie Smith, incoming president of the Ann Arbor Garden Club, one of the charter clubs of the Michigan Garden Club Organization (MGCO). The club, now in existence for 81 years, was formed in 1930 by Mrs. Henry Earhart, Mr. Audrey Tealdi and Mrs. James Inglis, who became the club’s first president.

Smith was the chairman for the flower show “Books in Bloom” held on May 14th at the Ann Arbor District Library Pittsfield Branch. The event featured award-winning entries by the club and some of its classes. There were two divisions, horticulture (growing and maintaining a garden) and design. Horticulture was divided into three sections: bulbs and perennials, container plants, and the Alfa Colley Award Challenge.

The design section involved three classes, in which flowers and other plants were used in different ways. Class 1 used a 42 inch pedestal, and some drew inspiration from “Flower Fairies” by Cicely Mary Barker, with writings by Vita Sackville-West. Other design classes were staged on tables, and on decorative tray tables.

Smith was responsible for coordinating and organizing the flower show as well as staging and keeping an eye on the actual entries. The plants require copious amounts of attention, as they must be watered, fertilized, and encouraged to bloom. When inside, they even have to be turned so that sunlight is distributed equally.“This is a biggie. It takes a lot of our time and a lot of our energy. We’ve been working on this for months,” said Smith.

Still, the work is worth it. The flowers and plant arrangements are beautiful, and the Garden Club enjoys the “opportunity to show off and educate people,” said Smith. People of all ages moved through the room during the day, reading the exhibit cards and getting curious about the different plants. “They’ll go look for it. And maybe plant it in their garden,” said Smith. The club seeks to educate the public about gardening, as well as “[in the growing season] … to use what we grow and then preserve it,”

The Garden Club offers many activities and projects to get involved in. Among others, there are flower shows and garden study courses, classes in flower designs and projects aimed at civic beautification. “Joining is just a matter of saying, ‘you know, I want to join your group,’” Smith said. “You don’t have to be a ‘gardener’, if you want to be around people who talk about gardens and get dirt under their fingernails … anybody’s welcome.”

For more information, visit www.annarborgardenclub.org.