Stick a green thumb into zinnia growing contest
The Port St. Joe Garden Club is sponsoring a Flower Power zinnia growing contest and invites the public to enter.
Zinnias are the ideal landscape plant for beginner gardeners. The large seeds are easy to handle and it is gratifying that a very large percentage of them sprout quickly. If planted soon, the first vibrant blooms should be unfolding in two months, just in time to be entered into the contest.
Seeds may be obtained for free from the Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library in Port St. Joe or the Charles Whitfield Public Library in Wewahitchka. Up to five packets of flower or vegetable seeds are available by simply showing your library card. Gulf County residents who don’t have a card yet may simply ask a librarian for assistance.
Contestants may also purchase zinnia seeds independently for this contest. There will be prizes for the overall best bloom, the biggest bloom, and the bloom with the most unusual color. Bouquets of zinnias will also be judged.
Awards will be bestowed to entrants in three age categories: under 12; 12 to 21 years old; and over 21. Judging will take place on May 30 at 4 p.m. ET at the Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Public Library, at 110 Library Lane.
The seed library is a collaborative effort involving the Port St. Joe Garden Club, Gulf County Master Gardeners, and the library staff. The objective of the program is to encourage library patrons to enjoy the fruits of their healthy crops and revel in the beauty of the dazzling flowers they sow. Of course, gardeners who frequent the library for free seeds are rewarded by the cultural and intellectual benefits of that visit too.
For more information about the Port St. Joe Garden Club, visit its Facebook page. The Garden Center is a lovely venue for showers, receptions, and family reunions. Contact rental coordinator Lanann Tuttle at 404-932-0604 for details.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.