'Preview of Spring 2015' Is Coming to Greenwich

From the Green Fingers Garden Club.

Those looking for a refreshing respite from our grey New England winter need go no farther than “Hanami,” the Green Fingers Garden Club Preview of Spring 2015, Co-Chaired by Sarah Morena and Patty Brooks Walker.

Presented every three years, Preview of Spring attracts visitors from across the country and will take place on February 27-28, 2015, at Christ Church Greenwich, 254 East Putnam Avenue. Preview of Spring 2015 will feature an exquisite showcase of floral and horticultural design, photography, botanical arts, and educational exhibits. As one of eight Major Garden Club of America flower shows, and the only one in the Northeast, “Hanami“ has attracted the highest caliber of exhibitors and judges from across the country.

The title “Hanami” is inspired by the traditional Japanese celebration of cherry blossoms and spring, and the show will highlight the transient beauty of nature and its diverse expression in the natural world. Themes related to elements of Japanese aesthetics and culture promise a show with an emphasis on exquisite design, tranquility, and nature’s ethereal beauty.

A variety of exhibitions will appeal to nearly every interest. Floral Design classes will include exquisite creations inspired by themes such as Clouds of Pink, Noh, and Samurai. The horticultural division will showcase an extensive array of grown plants, including flowering branches, miniature Japanese gardens, and the sublime elegance of various orchid species. Lovers of fine art photography will be treated to six categories of works, including Silk, Bonsai, and Zen Garden. The photography will address specific artistic criteria such as line, form, light, and pattern, while evoking the particular theme of its class.

For the first time, Preview of Spring 2015 will include botanical paintings on paper. This new class, “The Artistry of Asymmetry ” will feature botanical art for a Japanese tea house and is for exhibition-only. It has attracted the most talented botanical painters from across the U.S, a group whose artistry requires a marriage of scientific botanical accuracy and artistic sensibility. The Botanical Arts will also feature botanical jewelry and fans, inspired by Japanese aesthetic concepts of Shibui and Miyabi, and delicately embellished with dried plant materials.

In keeping with the club’s mission, club members will present their own conservation and education exhibits. A Moment in Time: Seeds of Survival, will highlight the importance of propagating heirloom seeds as a means of maintaining genetic biodiversity and our plant and cultural heritage. The Japanese garden is a place of meditation that balances the elements of nature with time and space to tell a metaphorical story. The education exhibit, Zen and the Art of a Japanese Garden, will illustrate the principles that contribute to the creation and better appreciation of the Japanese garden.

Raffle tickets available at the show offer several enticing prizes, including a stay at the Weekapaug Inn in R.I., a Relais &Chateau beach resort. A lovely boutique will sell an assortment of plants and small gifts for shoppers.

As always, Preview of Spring is a gift from Green Fingers to the town of Greenwich. In addition to its excellence as a showcase and exhibition, the show is the major fundraiser of the club. Proceeds are used to further Green Finger’s long-term support of community civic projects and institutions.

Since its founding in 1935, Green Fingers has a long history of fulfilling its mission of civic improvement and community service. The many club projects have included the planting of trees on Greenwich Avenue, Butterfly Gardens at the Audubon center and Armstrong Court, the recent refurbishment of the ferryboat landing downtown, and the refurbishment of several playgrounds across town. Proceeds generated from Preview of Spring 2015 will be used to fund the Gateway Restoration Project, in which Green Fingers will partner with Greenwich Point Conservancy on the beautiful naturalist landscaping of the 1887 Old Barn renovation at the entrance to Greenwich Point.

To learn more about Preview of Spring 2015, visit www.GreenfingersGardenClub.org