They are gorgeous Carrie! Beautiful. I bet you would have swept the competition!!
Our garden clubs are doing fairly well here, but the real interest is in community gardens. Community Gardens seem to be the new garden club in some urban areas.

That group of photos you posted could be next year's calendar!
Very lovely, you are talented and obviously have a way with growing healthy blooms.

Garden Clubs in my area do more community volunteering than actual meetings to discuss gardens and plants. That is, the one that I was invited to join at least. They "encourage" members to volunteer once or twice a month at local nursing homes to present how-to craft projects. Their membership is not very large but a nice mix of younger and older gardeners.

I love the colour schemes. Some of them look like Dutch still life paintings.

I think schoolhouse has a point about community gardens. Over here the younger interest is almost all in growing food as part of the movement towards greener living and healthier lifestyles. Sales of flower seeds have fallen sharply while vegetable seeds are flying off the shelves.

I give you a blue ribbon or first place. I am not qualified to judge by a set of standards, but they all please my eyes.

Beautiful arrangements, I agree with Flora some of them do look like dutch paintings.
When I joined our horticultural society back in the 70's I was one of the youngest members there, most of the members were 50ish and up. I'm guessing today our club has well over 100 members, the majority being younger then when I first joined. We have parlor shows with a decorative section, a section for cut flowers and shrubs and also a section for vegetables most months during the growing season.
Community gardens are starting up around here, you can call gleaners to come and pick anything you are not going use and put it to good use, food banks etc.
There's a big move on to be as self sufficient as you can and the 100 mile diet is gaining momentum.

Carrie - those are stunning!! Professional grade, to be sure. I`d love to see your gardens!! You have a tremendous number of flowers in bloom.

Nancy.

I thought all garden clubs were populated by people in their 70s and 80s. A bunch of knarly old folks who just refuse to go inside and watch TV until they die. I just joined the Iris Society because I'm going to be one of them very soon, and I prefer my old folks to have dirt under their fingernails and noses carved up from skin cancer removals. Makes me feel like I belong.
Renee

Wow Carrie..those arrangements are all so lovely. What a disappointment for you though to not be able to compete! You could come down here and enter our Philadelphia Flower show..The theme this year will be Springtime in Paris! I sure hope interest down here doesn't wane although I guess fashions even in gardening change over time.
Joann

I ADORE that frog vase! Your arrangements are so lovely, beyond professional looking. I am sorry to hear about the garden clubs waning interest. I am visiting the pittsburgh rose society meeting this week and am looking forward to seeing what its about.

Soooo pretty - flowers, arrangements, and containers are all wonderful! Sorry the show was cancelled, your arrangements are winners anyhow!

Your arrangements are beautiful..love all the roses, the soft shades, how all your colors blend. Definitely ribbon-winners.
As far as garden clubs go, it seems the younger "kids" in their 30's around here are into gardens and organics,just not into clubs. Busy with young families, no doubt. Maybe start your own local one via internet, facebook, etc.
which is what all my grown children seem to thrive upon.

Keep on gardening ! Lynn

Must say, those are gorgeous flower arrangements!

But, as one of those "younger" folks (turning 41 next week), I really haven't felt the urge to join a local garden club. I keep meaning to at least go on the annual garden walk, but it always ends up being the same day we do my son's birthday party. I know they have monthly meetings, but I really don't have time for another club, what with keeping up with all of my kids' activities and my own volunteer activities. And I have to admit, I'd rather garden than spend my time talking about gardening.

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful comments.

I am glad to hear many garden clubs are doing so well. It really doesn't matter if younger gardeners are getting out to clubs as long as they are gardening. I am from a rural community with a long history of agriculture and horticulture. And I was somewhat concerned that perhaps younger people in my area were not gardening, just landscaping.
I get the busy family thing, as a mom of three (ages 3,8&11). I taught myself to garden from the Internet. I didn't have gardeners in my family to learn from. Garden Web and this forum have been my garden club from the beginning. But something was missing, I was finding myself mispronouncing plant names a lot, because I had never heard them spoken. I'm so glad I joined my garden club it's made up of the kindness group of people anyone could ever ask for. With a wealth of knowledge in many different areas of gardening. I hope that I am able to be helpful to my club and any gardener who needs it.
Our area doesn't a community garden that I am aware of. But it sounds like a wonderful idea.

At the end of the day it's just a flower show, not the end of by any stretch. I still got to share my arrangements with all of you. And that's all I really wanted to do anyway, share what I love with people who love it too.

Renee - You make me laugh :O)

Joann- I would love to!!! That sounds so nice. Springtime in Paris, I love it!

Carrie