Flowers were blooming Friday at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau on South Main Street, where the Bulloch Council of Garden Clubs presented its biannual flower show, with more than 100 entries judged in two divisions: horticulture and design.

The event, hosted every other year, showcases a pleasing array of nature in every size, shape, color and fragrance. Members of Bulloch County garden clubs contributed most of the exhibits, but a division is also open for non-member entries.

“Previously, we’ve had close to 200 entries,” said Hilda Rushing, Oleander District Garden Club director. “The recent frost affected some of our exhibits.” 

Rushing and a visitor to the garden show conversed about an exquisite, crimson-colored bottlebrush bush bloom on exhibit, and both said the frost had killed the blooms on their own bottlebrush plants.

Carol Bergh used longleaf pine, palmetto palm and Virginia creeper in her overall prize-winning line design that took top prize in Class 1, 2 and 3.

The overall petite design was awarded to Lori Hurlebaus for her stretch design that won for Class 4, 5 and 6. Hurlebaus precariously placed boxwood, dried cotton bolls, curly willow, drift roses and dried water primrose pods in two miniature teacups to take the prize.

The Growers Choice Award for most outstanding piece of horticulture was given to Lynn Hubbard for her dusty pink bromeliad.

June Waters received the National Garden Club Arboreal Award for highest scoring points.

Gardener Hazel Minick received the distinction of receiving the most blue ribbons in the entire flower show, and the Brooklet Garden Club won the most blue ribbons in Divisions 1 and 2 combined.

Other blue ribbons in the design category include Nancy Trawick, Gail Ormsby, Harriet Smith and Esther Vickers.