Bangor Garden Show to bloom

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“Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year.”

Poet Robert Frost didn’t have the Bangor Garden Show in mind when he wrote those lines, but they serve to illustrate the importance of the show. Like robins and daffodils, the annual show heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring when the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center are transformed into a bower of bloom, complete with the heady scent of good garden dirt.

The 18th annual Bangor Garden Show will take place at these times:

. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, April 4.

. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 5.

. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 6.

Admission is $10, free to children under 12 accompanied by an adult. No admission will be charged after 6:30 p.m. Friday or Saturday. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Civic Center, Ticketmaster.com or Sprague’s Nursery.

Preview Night is set for 6-9 p.m. Thursday, April 3. It is the perfect time to view the show, said Preview Night chairwoman Nicole Stevens.

“It’s when the show is, literally, at its freshest,” she said. “Just hours before the doors open, the landscapers are finishing up their displays.”

Proceeds from the sale of Preview Night tickets support Keep Bangor Beautiful, a local nonprofit organization responsible for beautification efforts throughout the city. Tickets are $35 for one, $52.50 per couple, including food provided by the Lucerne Inn, Frank’s Bake Shop, Montes International Catering, Paddy Murphy’s, Sea Dog, Muddy Rudder, Opus Restaurant, Penobscot Valley Country Club, Penobscot Job Corps and McLaughlin’s Seafood. State Street Wine Cellar will donate imported cheese to the event.

Culinary program students from Penobscot Job Corps will be the servers at Preview Night. In addition to serving their own menu, the students will help circulate hors d’oeuvres throughout the auditorium and civic center.

“We’ve also added three bar stations, two down in the auditorium and one in the civic center,” Stevens said.

The musical stylings of Jerry Hughes will serenade guests as they meander through the landscape exhibits, while John Tercyak renders guitar classics in the civic center.

Preview Night door prizes include a diamond necklace donated by Quality Jewelers.

“We’re limited to the number of tickets we sell, and people need to pre-purchase their tickets,” Stevens said. “There will be no tickets sold at the door.”

Purchase tickets to Preview Night at the box office, 990-4444, online at Ticketmaster.com or at Sprague’s Nursery.

The theme of the Bangor Garden Show is “Your Back Yard: Where Imaginations Grow!” The event will feature landscape design exhibits, a vendor marketplace, educational displays, cafe court dining, a demonstration and lecture series, and the Standard Flower Show with the theme “The Sound of Music.”

Friday, April 4

. Tony Sohms, “Botanical Believe It or Not! Carnivorous Plants,” 9, 9:45 and 10:30 a.m.

. Afternoon Tea with the Societies, 2-4 p.m. Marylou Hoskins of the Orchid Society, Ken Liberty of the Maine Peony Society and Susan Shaw of the Daylily Society lead a panel discussion on favorite plants. Tea will be served.

. Jim Ecker, Maine Forestry Department, “What about Wildlife – in Your Backyard?,” 4:30-5:30 p.m.

. Roger Swain, “Pruning: All You Need to Know,” 6-7 p.m. Swain, the host of “Victory Garden,” will present a lecture about pruning.

Saturday, April 5

. Live Owls with Stan Richmond of Birdsacre, 9 a.m.-noon.

. Roger Swain, “Preparing Your Garden for Planting,” 1-2 p.m.

. Paul Tukey of People, Places & Plants magazine, “Your Children, Your Pets and Your Lawn,” 2:30-3:30 p.m.

. Fresh Flower Arranging with Sonia Cianchette, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Hands-on session with a take-home arrangement, $5.

Sunday, April 6

. Julie Beckford, “The Ecology of Gardening with Native Plants,” 11 a.m.

. Roger Swain, “The Truth About Pruning,” 1-2 p.m.

More information about the garden show is available at www.bangorgardenshow.com.