Garden show draws small crowd

Saturday's Second Annual Garden and Flower Show wasn't quite the blooming success organizers had expected, but they aren't ready pull up their roots just yet.

"We think the weather has a lot to do with it," said Peggy Hill, a volunteer at the senior center and the coordinator of the show. Hill said at this time of the year, tomatoes and fruits aren't ripe yet and flowers haven't bloomed.

The second annual show sponsored by the Carson City Senior Citizens' Center Garden Club only attracted a few entries. Last year's show attracted about 45 entries.

Because there were so few entries this year and last year's show in September was too late in the season, Hill said the group may organize their next garden show for August.

Irene Underwood, also a senior center volunteer, entered a flower arrangement placed in a decomposed tree stump.

She also used some unconventional flowers in her arrangement.

"Most of them just grow wild. They're just weeds," she said.

Underwood also entered an arrangement of aloe and lobelia growing out of a cow skull.

Gilbert Martini of Carson City, who has been gardening for 60 years, entered vegetables grown in his garden.

Martini also said the show was organized too early this year.

"You can't plant them until the end of May because of the frost," he said.

Winners for 2001 are:

Underwood won the floral arrangement division and took best of show for her decomposed stump, Hill said.

Martini won the vegetable and horticulture division.