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Time for a Garden Party

By May 15, 2023 No Comments

Time for a Garden Party

By Mary Rogers
Photography by Jill Johnson

Fort Worth Garden Club opens curtain on exclusive spring Floral Show inspired by the Big Apple

For decades, the venerated Fort Worth Garden Club, organized in 1926, has hosted a spring Flower Show. The club’s early events sometimes included fashion shows and art exhibits, and thousands of people attended.

But over time, the club shed those time-consuming public gatherings, opting instead for more intimate and manageable members-only shows.

In an unplanned moment, Rebecca Pope (left) and Suzanne Levy joined pianist Michael Reed to sing Anything Goes.

EuroCater staff passed an assortment of nibbles, including Parmesan-crusted meatballs, beef tenderloin bites, sausage and pepper sliders and tuna poke and vegetable salad in Chinese-food boxes with chopsticks. Cheesecake bites and cookies were also on the menu.

This year, FWGC president Teresa Hubbard and Flower Show co-chairs Michelle Marlow and Wendy Hunsaker pulled back the curtain on the club’s exclusive spring celebration. More than 300 members and a few guests attended the Flower Show’s evening preview, a progressive cocktail party that began in one Westside home and ended in the house next door.

This year’s theme was “Lady Liberty’s Garden Party,” and the Big Apple was the inspiration. The floral arrangements in the first house fit into categories such as Broadway, Sexy Flowers in the City, Fifth Avenue and The Plaza Hotel.

A wide auto court at the second house was dubbed “Central Park.” Partygoers sampled nibbles and refreshed their cocktails before heading inside to see the whimsical horticulture offerings displayed in categories such as Street Food, The Bronx Zoo, and Iconic Landmarks.

There are dozens of garden clubs across the Metroplex, but the Fort Worth Garden Club is perhaps the largest, with overall membership capped at 625 and active members capped at 550. Members represent many neighborhoods and several municipalities, from Aledo to Southlake and beyond. There is a waiting list for those who want to join, the club president says.

This wide auto court, dubbed “Central Park,” was where partygoers gathered to nibble on appetizers and refresh their cocktails while popular party band Trey & the Tritones played.

Christine Figley, left, owner of West Fork Landscaping, designed all the party decor, from the huge white paper flowers to the colorful tinsel hanging from the trees. Angela Wonderly is on the right.

The Fort Worth Garden Club’s mission has remained unchanged in its 97 years. It centers on cultivating knowledge of gardening, horticulture and design, advocating for environmental protection and supporting the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.