Marie Stiefel, Chris Runge and Nancy Richardson. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

Attendees of the 22nd annual GardenFest: Nature’s Finest Marketplace festival experienced every type of weather necessary to make gardens grow, with sunny and glorious conditions on Saturday followed by off and on rain on Sunday. Both days still bloomed with potential, offering a full range of items – everything anyone could want to tend to those gardens.

Members of the Garden Club of Indian River County host the annual weekend gardening extravaganza, which draws thousands of visitors from around the state to Riverside Park to bask in the glow of all-things garden related. The event, co-chaired for the past 22 years by Barbara Russell and Karen Vatland, is billed as one of the largest free, family friendly garden shows in Florida.

More than 85 carefully selected vendors, including 18 new ones this year, proffered a wide variety of plants, flowers, orchids, trees, pottery, furniture, landscape lighting and garden art. Attendees weaved their way along the tree-lined paths, stopping only to take a break for lunch or purchase raffle tickets for an incredible selection of items donated by local businesses and artists.

Many brought along their own wagons and carts, but volunteers from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County had wagons at the ready for anyone who purchased more than they could carry.

The event supports the efforts of the club to provide scholarships, and also enables members to continue civic beautification projects, such as helping with gardening and landscape projects at local charities, schools, churches and county buildings. The club is also known for its coveted Christmas ornaments, each one highlighting the uniqueness of Indian River County.

Various Garden Club circles meet at different days and times each week. For more information, visit GardenClubofIRC.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis