Yesterday we enjoyed the floral birdhouses and mini-vignettes that welcomed us to the Festival of Flowers in Mobile, Alabama. Today we are ready to enter the main tent!
As we walk in, we are met by a beautiful pool surrounded by spring plantings of tulips, hydrangeas, hyacinths, and delphinium. Fountains shoot up out of the pool in the background.
The corners of the pool are marked by four pergolas with swings hanging from them. Around the corner, the flowers stay the same, but their color palette changes. Boxwood makes up the back of the bed while Dusty Miller borders the front.
Over to the right is a stunning garden filled with delphinium and floxglove.
The next garden has a more tropical flavor.
The festival is held in a wide open, eight acre field behind Providence Hospital and each year I am amazed at how that space is transformed by participating nurseries and landscapers. The pictures below are a great example of the huge size and overwhelming quantity of plants they bring in to shape their garden presentations.
Hanging from the ceiling of the main tent were these fantastic lights. They look like giant lamp shades that were wrapped in pink and white tulle. Airy arrangements of greenery and pale pink flowers billowed out of each "lamp".
At the far end of the tent, a structure is added that ties in with the theme of the show. This year's theme was "Southern Roots" and the structure was the facade of a bay house, the style of architecture found along the Dog River and Mobile Bay.
In front of the bay house, free formed tree "tents" showcased one of the oldest components of the festival, Flowers of the World. Usually, this venue displays fresh cut flowers from exotic countries around the globe, but with this year's Southern Roots theme, many native flowers were included. Ron Barrett, who was in charge of this exhibit, said he "hopes the inclusion of some endearing southern roots - the naturally grown plants we live with every day - will rekindle a new appreciation for some of the old southern garden classics."
Surrounding the World of Flowers are the tablescapes. This venue is designed to show southern style entertaining.
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| Garden Party |
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| Dinner on the Delta |
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| Friday Night Lights |
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| Southern Supper Club |
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| Lower Alabama Seafood Boil |
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| The Camellia Ball |
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| Brunch After the Hunt |
Well, mercy, that's enough for today! We've made our way through about half of the show. Tomorrow we'll see birdbath designs and famous southern literature brought to life with flowers. Until then....
Love ya'll, Shelli
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