TAMPA BAY, Fla — After COVID brought it to a halt, the annual Tampa Garden Club is back.
This year's theme at the flower show focused on sports in Tampa Bay, but a lot of the messaging was on Ukraine.
“I see that quite a few have brought in designs that represents care and the heartfelt concern for the people in Ukraine. So we have blue and yellow designs here and other designs that represent peace," Kitty Wallace, the District 8 Director of the Tampa Garden club, said.
“I just knew it had to be about Ukraine and finding peace," local floral designer, Valerie Greene, added.
Greene is new to the craft.
“I’m a little nervous because this is my first bouquet," Greene added.
But, she said, she's excited to share something positive, after struggling to cope with what's happening in Ukraine.
“It’s tough... Many of us know people in Ukraine, our neighbors, or we might know people who are still actually over there," Greene said.
So, with a peace lily at the top of the bouquet, waiting to blossom, Greene said she hopes her floral design gives people something to think about.
“If our hearts and minds are on peace in Ukraine, then we can find a way to represent through our work, whether it’s through flowers or what we’re doing throughout our day," Greene added.
