A couple of weeks ago, I attended my first ever flower show. I had no idea what to expect, but a flower show at one of the notorious Newport Mansions? Sign me up!
The front courtyard was decorated in spectacular style with white and purple flowers and an abundance of greens.
The flower show, it turned out, had many different divisions, but as we waited for our entry time, we were able to explore the rose garden that gives the Rosecliff mansion its name.
The formal rose garden is entered through a pergola where pretty pale pink roses climb the columns.
The centerpiece of the garden is a Venus statue surrounded by hedged gardens of roses and bordered by trellisses.
The exterior of the mansion is rife with elaborate architectural details. The entry wing to the mansion features ornate ironwork with gold embellishment.
And the entrance was flanked with potted trees and flowers, for the show I presume.
Once inside, the foyer steps were lined with flowers and a staircase to the second level was roped off and decorated for a selfie station (which we did not use) featuring appropriately exuberant floral displays.
The architectural of this majestic home are always noteworthy, and I couldn’t resist a few shots of those; the painted and plaster-ornamented ballroom ceiling, formal taffeta draperies, a gilded and embellished piano in front of a fireplace big enough to stand in, and elaborate column capitals.
The interior main floor of the house was devoted to floral arrangements executed by various individuals and groups for judging. Each category of arrangements was inspired by a different fairy tale or story.
Jack and the beanstalk sponsor display at the center of the ballroom
The dining room was themed “at the fair” and contained arrangements inspired by fireworks and stuffed animal prizes, as well as a large center display that suggested an amusement ride.
Floral display inspired by an amusement park ride
The rear loggia of the house was lined with garden specimens along the edges for judging - from roses to hosta leaves, and orchids to miniatures.
The center of the loggia boasted assorted container arrangements and even a floral life-size carousel horse!
The view from the loggia is across the back lawn and fountain pool to the ocean and it had me imagining the fabulous parties one could (and did) host in such a place.
Stepping down from the loggia, the back lawn was a sea of vendor tents with everything from clothing, gifts, and homewares, to refreshments and lawn ornaments.
Some vendors were also sponsors and included entries in the table setting category. These were required to include useable table settings and a floral arrangement. The bistro table setting with an arrangement in a picnic hamper was one of the few I saw and was utterly charming.
Off to one side, there was a series of large outdoor planters as well as a whole set of fairy gardens created in provided shallow bowls on pedestals.
The most noteworthy planter arrangement sported a tall metal obelisk trellis and the center and a pair of cloches amid the plantings.
The fairy gardens were in categories of “Newport Mansion”, “Newport Cottage”, or “Newport Beach” and they were all quite creative.
Interspersed with the tents were landscape company displays, and sculptures by artist David Harber.
Torus sculpture reflects the surrounding all white border garden and gives the illusion of transparency to the large art piece.
It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful spot and seeing all the creativity on display provided an abundance of inspiration!
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