Well maybe enough to buy lunch if we don't eat too fancy....
Last week I received an Email from the President of the York Garden Club (the club I belong to)
She was asking people to please bring plants and participate in the York County Fair's Flower Show
So Ric and I dug out 13 of our plants I spent Wednesday cleaning them all up and making them look as nice as I could and we hauled them down to enter them in the fair on Thursday.
We have often talked about competing in a local Flower Show but never have so this is our first. I must say that we really did have a great time doing this even if we hadn't won anything it would have been a hoot. There were a few discussions on which plants to take or not. Ric was still talking to me when we left to take the plants down to the fair. The excitement of comparing our plants to the others on display before the Judging and the interesting outcomes between our ideas of what the Judges might like and what they did like.
Now before I tell you about the pile of ribbons we have won and the pile of $1bills that will come with the ribbons.
I have to say that there really wasn't a lot of competition. Oh there were some really lovely and beautiful plants, planters and cut flowers. Just not a whole lot of them. 4 of the 5 begonias in the one category were Ric's and mine so the fact that we got a few ribbons in that class wasn't a complete surprise. The begonia that took 1ST place (not one of ours) was spectacular
So here is the list of what we won and some pics from the show.

Way to go...how exciting!! More pics please!!

Holly, that's wonderful news! Where do I find the list and more pics?

Congrats!

Looking forward to seeing more pics!

Foliage Potted House Plants Division
Begonias with or without flower (Not Cane or Rex)
I took 2nd 3rd and an Honorable Mention
You can see the winning 1st place not only bigger and nicer than ours but just breaking out in bloom
Our 2nd place right behind it a Jabberwocky Begonia. Winning $3
Our 3rd place lettuce leaf begonia was what I (and a friend that shows often) thought might be the best of our Begonias Winning $2
This little cutie I didn't expect 2 get anything and didn't even what to take because it is pretty much one sided. It was one of those that Ric insisted on and it got an Honorable Mention.
The Beefsteak I think Ric's favorite didn't place at all.

Collection of cacti & succulents
Single pot, nicest specimen, Cacti
There were 8 entries in this category
We took 3rd in this one with our Ox Tongue another $2
I have always been told that containers should be nondescript so as not taking away from the plant but this show did take into consideration containers in some categories.
Oh the last pic is of the Beefsteak Begonia that didn't place at all.

True Ferns
Any true fern 6" diameter pot or larger ( not Asparagus, Boston or Rabbit's Foot)
There were 4 ferns in this category... 2 of them were ours.
Another surprise for me I thought that the small but very nice Fluffy Ruffle would have been more likely to place higher than the Kangaroo Fern.
I brought the Kangaroo because it is a bit different certainly didn't expect it to place at all just brought it thinking it would bring some interest.
But as it turned out the Kangaroo took 3rd and the Fluffy didn't get anything. Cha-Ching another $2
The large 1st place winner at the top of the steps, our second place Kangaroo right in front of it, our non-winner fluffy ruff just to the left of the True Ferns sign and the 2nd place winner in front and to the left of the fluffy.

True Fern
Rabbit's Foot Fern Hanging Basket
Another big surprise I took 3rd in this one.
I only took it because it is a kokedama — Japanese moss ball and I thought it would be interesting for people to see.
It is a small fern still and not very symmetrical. I have it hanging from fishing line so it looks like it is floating in the air.
There were only 2 plants in this category the other a large and beautiful plant. They took 1st no second was given we got 3rd I was very surprised. My greatest hope would have been and Honorable Mention. They were generous.
You can see it hanging against the back wall just below the beautiful 1st place winner.

Other Houseplants
Philodendron 6" pot or larger
The Prince of Orange another 2nd out of 2 plants
I don't have a pic of the 1st place you can just see the variegated leaves at the edge of the pic. It was very impressive.



Floral Design
Living Wreaths
My Air Plant Living wreath another 2nd out of 2
and another entry just taken for the interest. Really judged on Floral Design and the whole wreath is just about the same color of green all over.
Too bad that it has finished blooming that would have really looked good. This one got me "BIG" $$$ 8 of them.

Whew, you two are rolling in dough! Nice snaps.

Floral Design
Fairy Gardens
There were 4 entries in this category and a huge surprise to me that we took 3rd place and another $6. My planter which is concrete not hypertufa weights a ton and Ric insisted we were taking it. It is a beautiful planter with lovely plants Dwarf Holly, Dwarf Astilbe, Sweet Woodruff, Golden Creeping Jenny, Creeping Sedum Dragon's Blood and a few very small columbine. But it is a landscape not a Fairy Garden and I didn't think it was worth taking as I didn't expect them to even judge it.
But you just never know what Judges think. In this category they didn't give a 1st place at all. Just a 2nd and 3rd. Here are the 4 entries.
The first pic is mine and the last is the 2nd place winner.

Cut Specimen Flowers
Elephant Ears 1 stem
So I have saved the best for last.
Right before we left I told Ric to go out and pick the nicest / best leaf (not necessarily the biggest leaf) from the Portadora Alocasia and I went out and cut the nicest Blue Hawaii (colocasia esculenta). I wasn't sure when we got there if they would like or judge what we brought. There were 8 other EE leaves in completion and they were all the basic "big" green leaves. Ours were so very different so I figured they would like them or say nope not what we are judging. Well out of the 10 entries we took 1st place with the Portadora and 2nd place with the Blue Hawaii.

So if I figured this up right out of our 13 plants entered we ended up with 1-1st place, 4-2nd places, 5-3rd places and the "BIG" $$$$ Total $31 bucks.
I will gladly admit that some of the 2nd and 3rd places were really last place but that is just fine with us we had a great time doing this. Hopefully this will encourage a few of you to look at your local fairs and flower shows and give it a try.

What beautiful healthy plants, Holly! Sounds like a lot of fun! The fairy gardens are adorable. Glad you guys had fun--and sounds like you can treat yourselves to a dinner somewhere with the winnings.

Yes I was still speaking to her by the time we arrived, but I made up my mind that next year she can select her plants and I will select MY plants.