Upstate New York’s premier garden and flower show will mark its 32nd year when the annual Capital District Garden & Flower Show returns to the McDonough Sports Complex at Hudson Valley Community College, Friday March 22 through Sunday, March 24, 2019.
Renowned for its full-scale landscape exhibits and creatively designed gardens, the Capital District Garden & Flower Show brings together local landscape professionals to transform the arena into a backyard environment complete with trees, perennials, spring bulbs, annuals, ponds, waterfalls, stone walls, an outdoor kitchen and patio, garden sculptures and lawns. The exhibits require months of planning and precise timing to force early blooms on thousands of flowers with breathtaking results.
“For 32 years, the Capital District Garden & Flower Show has marked the annual arrival of spring to upstate New York. We are excited to once again showcase an array of picturesque blooming exhibits,” said Pennie Gonzalez, event manager for the Capital District Garden & Flower Show. “We encourage anyone wanting a little taste of spring to join us for this year’s event. We want to inspire people to get outside, enjoy nature and imagine the possibilities for their own gardens.”
The centerpiece of the Capital District Garden & Flower Show is the annual Floral Design Competition, which features approximately over 80 amazing and amusing exhibits presented by area professional floral designers, garden club members, and amateurs. First place winner in thirteen categories is selected by an expert panel of judges. Ribbons are awarded for Best of Show, Most Creative, Gold, Silver, and Bronze achievements. Show attendees can vote for their favorite floral design through 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Capital District Garden & Flower Show guests will have the opportunity to attend a variety of demonstrations, lectures, and presentations from local and regional experts, including Fred Breglia of Landis Arboretum; Peter Bowden of Hewitt’s Garden Center; and educators and master gardeners from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Seminars are free with paid admission. A complete list of over 60 hours seminars, lectures, and demonstrations held during the three-day show is available online at www.gardenandflowershow.com.
Additional highlights of the 2019 Capital District Garden & Flower Show include:
• Over 16,000 square feet of fully blooming gardens
• A garden marketplace featuring over 160 outdoor living, farm-to-table and garden themed retail exhibits, tools, books, patio furniture, and many unique garden and craft items
• More perennial, flower, succulent, plant, seed and bulb vendors than ever before
• Vintage-themed sand sculpture by artist Phil Singer, which will be created in real time at the venue throughout the weekend
• Wine tastings from twelve New York State wineries
• A children’s playland, presented by Backyard Sheds and Gazebos
• Soil testing by Cornell Cooperative Extension for a minimum donation
• Concessions from Prime Catering
The 2019 Capital District Garden and Flower Show will be held Friday, March 22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets to the Capital District Garden & Flower Show are $14 at the door; children 12 and under are free with paid adult. Discount advance tickets are available online for $12. A two-day admission pass is $22. Friday, March 22 is MVP Health Care Senior Day with $11 tickets for individuals age 62 and older. Limit one discount per admission. Parking is free.
Partial proceeds from the Capital District Garden & Flower Show benefit Wildwood, which is celebrating 52 years of serving individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities, complex learning disabilities, and autism.
For more information about the Capital District Garden & Flower Show, visit www.gardenandflowershow.com or follow the show on Facebook.
