Registration Open for Atlanta Botanical Garden's February Flower Show

It may be months away, but it's time to plant the seed for participating in next year's inaugural Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show presented February 23 - 25.

Exhibitor registration for juried competitions in Floral Design, Horticulture and Photography opens November 1, and exhibitors are encouraged to brush up on their skills by enrolling in classes offered this fall at the Garden. Entries will be required to reflect the show theme Ingenue: A Toast to Georgia's Film Industry.

In addition to the competitions, the show will feature the breathtaking beauty and fragrance of thousands of plants throughout the Garden's exhibit halls.

"We are so excited to present this new event showcasing the finest displays imaginable in floral design, horticulture and photography as well as professional landscape design," said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden's President & CEO. "The Garden is the perfect setting for a flower show because our facilities and gardens will serve as a beautiful backdrop for these entries while providing the show with a permanent home."

Flower shows are a seasonal draw in many large cities throughout the United States, and Atlanta enjoyed such an event for 25 years, staged at various venues around the city, including the Garden. The first Atlanta Flower Show opened in 1988 and ran through 1993 before evolving into the Southeastern Flower Show from 1994 through 2013. From 2008 - 2013, the event was presented by the Southeastern Horticultural Society, which held its last show at Cobb Galleria Centre.

The Garden was a beneficiary of the earliest shows as well as a longtime exhibitor. Also, many of the Garden's founding volunteers were active in the event, which for years was run by its own nonprofit organization.

Since the Southeastern Flower Show ended, Garden staff often have been asked to help resurrect a flower show. "We decided it was time," Matheson said, "because it's so important to continue to offer competitive shows where the art and science of horticulture and floriculture can be presented and celebrated."

Honorary chair for the show, which benefits the Garden's International Plant Exploration Program, is Pat Hartrampf, founding chairman and past president of the Atlanta Flower Show.

Guest speakers include internationally renowned floral designer Bruno Duarte and Georgia garden, floral and interior designer James Farmer.

Flower show competition is open to the public in all categories except Landscape Design, and division classes will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration and class information is available at atlantabg.org.

The mission of the Atlanta Botanical Garden is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment. The Garden is located at 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE in Midtown, between 14th Street and Monroe Drive. The Garden is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sunday. Admission is $21.95 adults, $15.95 children 3-12, free to children under 3 and Garden members. For more information visit atlantabg.org or phone 404-876-5859.