Since 1890 — for 135 years — the Miami Horticulture Show has acted as a hub for plant lovers to come together to view the finest a rural Manitoba harvest can offer.
Miami Horticultural Club President Lynn Sprott said the first iteration of the show was held by a local resident referred to as “Mrs. Campbell.”
“[She] had a little table set up on her lawn and the ladies of the community came and brought their house plants and a few cut flowers, and that was the first [one],” she said. “It's amazing.”
Growing a tradition
Today, the horticultural show, which has developed into a place to display (and view) a wide variety of plants and other items to be judged for competition, has expanded by leaps and bounds.
Sprott said that while in the early days with Mrs. Campbell, there may have been five different types of plants in the event, today, there are over six hundred categories.
“We have the big community hall set up [with] lots of tables,” she said. “We have arrangements. We have cut flowers. We have house plants. We have vegetables. We have fruit.”
Sprott added that the show also features garden embellishments made through the Miami Arts Association, like stepping stones, wind chimes, pottery, and macramé.
Enjoying and learning together
Miami’s notable horticultural attraction is organized by the Miami Horticultural Club, which Sprott said has the objective of “beautifying” the community and helping residents with their yards.
“We have presentations throughout the year bringing in, say, a bug specialist or weed specialist or a nursery,” she said. “Things to promote our area and to learn.”
Learning is also a feature of the Miami Horticulture Show on August 21st.
Sprott said that the judges who view entries often leave tips and advice on the back of entry cards, so she encourages everyone — even if one’s growing did not go quite to plan — to submit their garden’s bounty to the show.
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There will also be a chance for budding gardeners to build their knowledge with special junior categories.
According to Sprott, these categories will feature members of Miami’s Junior Gardening Club, which has 17 members ranging from as young as four to nine years old.
Sprott added that while some of the categories are reserved for the junior gardening club, the show “welcomes any children or young people that want to exhibit” in other categories.
The prizes to be won
With competition comes prizes, and the Miami Horticulture Show is no exception.
There will be first, second, and third place awards, courtesy of community sponsors.
“These are people who have had flowers, have worked with the horticultural club, or ... are the businesses in town,” said Sprott. “They will give us a certain amount, and we'll split it up between the classes.”
Sprott said that certified judges from Winnipeg will choose the winning submissions in the sanctioned show.
The program, which includes guest speakers, award announcements, and a raffle draw for attendees, will begin at 7 p.m.
Open to everyone
Everyone, gardener or not, is invited to see what the Miami Horticulture Show has to offer. Public viewing begins at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Miami Community Centre.
“When you come to visit or look around at the show, you can stop and sit down, have a cup of tea or iced tea, have a cookie or a square and visit with your friends and neighbours,” said Sprott.
“The more people we can get out to look at it, the happier we are.”
The Miami Horticultural Show is still accepting submissions. To enter a display in the show, contact the Miami Horticulture Committee. The deadline for setting up a submission is 8:45 a.m. on show day.
With files from Ty Hildebrand