<\/p>\n
The seedlings were thinned \u2013 12 inches apart \u2013 and covered with frost fabric for several weeks. The dill, cilantro and calendula grew next to the award-winning kale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the interaction of veggies, herbs and flowers,\u201d explained Karen Fuller. \u201cIt helps confuse the pests.\u201d<\/p>\n
A gardener from Dolores, Fuller received Best of Show at the Montezuma County Fair. Inside the horticulture exhibition hall, her Blue Ribbon display of curly kale spanned nearly two feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many great gardeners in Montezuma County, and I just happen to have the time to dig, prepare and present the entries for the show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The secrets to her success are rooted in proper soil preparation and general knowledge about the needs of each vegetable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps to take a lot of classes and ask a lot of questions, visit a lot of gardens, read a lot of books and articles and search the Internet for ideas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Gardening for 38 years, Fuller admitted mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Southwest climate is very challenging,\u201d said Fuller. \u201cThere are intense winds, poor soils and both early and late freezes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina Hogue, one of about 50 members of the Mesa Verde Garden Club, reiterated Fuller\u2019s sentiments while on duty last week. The club sponsors the show, which featured 29 amateurs ranging from 8 to 90 years old. Received on Wednesday, the exhibits were displayed through Saturday.<\/p>\n
Hogue shared a simple trick to help preserve delicate flowers for display: \u201cYou dip the stem in hot water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hogue said she was most impressed with the absence of bug-chewed leaves on the flowers and the maturity of the vegetables.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just amazing that gardeners can produce this much so early,\u201d Hogue said.<\/p>\n
Dayna Herrick, also of Dolores, was the top flower producer this year, earning Best of Show for a 2-foot tall Bells of Ireland. She started from seed in March, and then transplanted six plants to full sun in early June. The delicate fragrant flowers are spiny and relatively easy to grow, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo survived,\u201d Herrick said. \u201cMy husband whacked the other seedlings with a hoe thinking they were weeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herrick said she was most thrilled to win Best of Show this year in floral design. Themed \u201cPioneer Spirit, Herrick\u2019s design was titled \u201cBy Grandmother\u2019s Garden Gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
At about 6,500 feet above sea level, Fuller\u2019s garden is nearly 500 feet higher than Herrick\u2019s. Rain didn\u2019t play a factor on either garden.<\/p>\n
Due to the lack of precipitation, Fuller prefers drip irrigation, and Herrick uses a sprinkler. Both use organic soils, and attribute decades of knowledge to their achievements.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot depends on when the plants decide to bloom,\u201d said Herrick on her floral entries. \u201cIt\u2019s like blind luck. Mother Nature rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year is different,\u201d added Fuller. \u201cIn the past, we\u2019ve had everything from grasshoppers to hail storms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The youngest floral competitor was 8-year-old Maddyson Van Grandt, whose County Road 26 sunflower, as big as her head, received a Blue Ribbon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the smell of flowers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ninety-year-old Priscilla Kimble of Cortez earned an Award of Merit for her \u201cmagnificent\u201d steel-blue Echinips Ritro (globe thistle).<\/p>\n
The Mesa Verde Garden Club sponsors educational programs throughout the winter, hosts a Memorial Day plant sale and takes garden tours during the summer. Fuller, Hogue and Herrick encouraged interested gardeners to join.<\/p>\n
\u201cGardening is just plain fun,\u201d said Fuller.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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