A SHOPPER’S BUMPER CROP The Bangor Garden Show is more than buds and bulbs. It’s also a products paradise

I’m a garden show fanatic. There’s something about the smell of mulch, the sound of falling water, and the sight of greenery and flowers all around that really inspire me.

But I have a confession to make: I spend as much time shopping at the Bangor Garden Show as I do looking at the exhibits. I’ve had the chance to preview some of this year’s vendors, and while I don’t have space to rave about them all, I have to say, this weekend’s marketplace at the Bangor Civic Center holds inspiration of a different sort.

Take, for example, Antiquity Tile. Would I have considered a glazed tile fountain before? Maybe not, but the Hampden-based company creates work that’s so beautiful I’m tempted to block out a window so I can put a tile backsplash in my kitchen.

I’ve written about Terry Williamson’s jewelry before, but for those who don’t remember, his wire and semiprecious stone creations are gorgeous and affordable. I’m also tempted by the Peapods by Marcia Livada – big, round beads covered with ribbon and strung in a necklace. So cute. So stylish. I so want them.

Ditto for Ikebana Ware. Anyone who has seen me try to arrange flowers can tell you I’m no Martha, but even I can’t go wrong with the Japanese-inspired pieces created by Stockton Springs potter Mark Kuzio. They allow you to incorporate flowers into your table settings – for example, a serving platter with a flower frog in the middle. Even I could become the hostess with the mostest.

Another pair of potters to watch are Andrea and Joe Ford of Cabin Pottery. Their simple, elegant stoneware designs will delight animal lovers, nature lovers and people who just love beautiful things. And speaking of beautiful things, I had a reader write in about the lovely bag she got from Loon Mountain Leatherworks. She has been searching for the perfect purse for decades. This spring, Barbara Waits and Paul Sawyer made it for her.

I, on the other hand, have been searching for the perfect lip balm. It has to be in a tube, smell good but not cloying, and be neither sticky nor overly waxy. Thanks to Naturally Bee-Ewe-Tiful of Houlton, I found it. Sandra Hare-Estabrook’s natural, beeswax-based beauty products are to die for. I’m wild about her raspberry lip balm and the decadent chocolate body cream. Yum.

If you think that sounds sweet, check out Nelson’s Candies or Kinney’s Sugarhouse for maple products. Prefer something a little more spicy? W.O. Hesperus Co.’s hot sauces are enough to light your fire. Too hot to handle? The dip bowls from Westminster Whimsy will help you keep your cool. Or, pour a martini into one of the handpainted glasses from Glass Paradox.

Of course, this is the garden show, so there are plenty of items for green thumbs. Lily lovers can buy bulbs from Maplecrest Lilies, seeds from Blue Seal, and orchids and funky plants from Greencare, which are just the thing to keep gardeners occupied until it’s time to dig in outside.

Kids can dig into the offerings at the Maine Discovery Museum’s shop, and bird lovers will flock to the Fields Pond Audubon booth. Also for the birds – and the bees and the flowers and the trees – are the designs from Iron Art Forge. Gary “Griff” Griffith creates whimsical sculptures, birdhouses and stakes from hand-forged iron. And The Skunk Works makes magical sculptures and jewelry with copper and other metals.

For those of you who love everlastings and dried flowers, Janet Murakami creates works of art from preserved petals while Roberta Brown-Roberts of Sanford presses flowers to create glass sun catchers, jewelry and trivets.

With all these fabulous options, I’ll probably need a wheelbarrow to haul out my goodies at the end of the day – or a backhoe. Maybe the mulch guys can help.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.

Shop Notes

. Indulge in a day of beauty at Terra Cotta on High Street in Ellsworth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. The shop’s “Beauty In Bloom” event features designer Jill McGowan speaking on color and fashion trends; drawings for gift certificates to pamper yourself throughout the day; and 20 percent off storewide for the day.

. Love to read? Love a bargain even more? Check out the American Association of University Women’s annual book sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at the Church of Universal Fellowship in Orono. Books range in price from 50 cents to $2. Early birds can pay $10 to shop from 8 to 9 a.m. Otherwise admission is free. Proceeds benefit AAUW’s scholarship programs.

. We have two winners! Mary Britton of Monticello and Lisa Downs of Corinth each were chosen at random to receive a long-sleeve ShopGirl T-shirt. Congratulations and, as always, happy shopping!