STATE'S LARGEST FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW OPENS THURSDAY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993                   TAG: 9302150314
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: E-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
STATE'S LARGEST FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW OPENS THURSDAY
Spring will blossom early once again this year when the Maymont Flower and Garden Show, the largest flower and garden show in Virginia, unfolds its blooms at the Richmond Convention Centre Thursday through Sunday.
The show draws a wide range of visitors from across the state. Last year, an attendance of 26,000 set a record.
There will be 21 landscape exhibits and 125 flower- and garden-related vendor booths. The juried art show presented in conjunction with the Flower and Garden Show also has grown to include the works of 59 artists selected out of hundreds of entrants.
Exhibitors spend days creating their masterpieces for the show and compete for the coveted "Best in Show" and "People's Choice" awards. To accommodate the standing room only crowds that attended the 1992 seminars and education exhibits, the show will expand this year into the adjoining Richmond Marriott Hotel.
Jim Wilson, the "Southern Gardener" and co-host of the popular PBS series the "Victory Garden," headlines the slate of seminar speakers for the second year. He will speak on various topics Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs will feature floral arrangements, and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden will display miniature gardens in the Marriott addition.
The Maymont Flower and Garden Show benefits the Maymont Foundation, which operates and maintains Maymont, the 100-acre museum and park complex in the heart of Richmond. Admission to Maymont, open year-round, is free to the public. The 1993 Maymont Flower and Garden Show is presented in celebration of Maymont's centennial.
Show times are: Thursday (special preshow gala), 7-10 p.m. Advance registration is required by calling (804) 358-7166. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for adult, $2 for children 2 to 12, and children under 2 are free.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB