Published: April 25, 2008 01:13 pm            

Irises take center stage at Free Flower Exhibition

EDMOND — If you love iris flowers then Sadie Hild is the person you need to know.

“I’ve been a member of the Edmond Iris and Garden Society since 1973 or 1974,” Hild said. “I joined when I was 19 after my husband and I moved to Edmond.”

This year she is the chairwoman for the Edmond Iris and Garden Society’s Free Flower Exhibition will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Edmond Library.

In addition to arrangements made of irises, in every form, shape and color, door prizes will be offered throughout the exhibition, many of them made by Hild.

Hild has a passion for flowers and gardening that began when she was 8 years old, and her mother gave her a packet of flower seeds, Love in a Mist, to plant.

“My brother and I had to share a packet because we didn’t have enough money for each of us to have one of our own,” Hild said.

From that packet grew a love for the outdoors, gardening and creating beauty from nature.

Hild’s backyard boasts a pond, which she says she is “still tweaking.” Her yard also has a dove pen with Eurasian-colored doves.

She has seating for 25 to 30 people in her backyard, some of it benches she built from used fence wood. Many of the benches she has made were sold to help defray the expenses for purchasing flowers, she said. “I recycle almost everything,” Hild said. “People give me bricks and rocks and empty pots.”

Hild said her creative spark began when she was 5 or 6 years old, and she started drawing pictures. Art became a passion for her.

“I’ve made and sold hundreds of things,” Hild said. “I had a craft booth at one time. My things sold so fast it became hard work keeping it stocked.”

Although friends have encouraged her to do a cottage industry, she said she isn’t much of a boss person.

In addition to her passion for flowers, this talented lady is something of a Jack-of-all trades. She is a bookkeeper by profession and has kept books for the former John A. Brown’s department store as well as for The Edmond Sun. She also worked for a moving company packing fine crystal and china.

“I was a cake decorator for a long time for Safeway and Homeland,” Hild said, “and when I was 16 I stayed out of school for a year because my father was a contractor, and he needed help. There are four or five houses in Texas I put almost every nail in.”

Edmond residents are invited to come to the free exhibition Saturday and meet Hild and other members of the club. Sign the guestbook to register for door prizes including bird houses, feeders, welcome signs and perennials donated by club members.

“I dug up some sweet violas and hostas for door prizes,” Hild said.

Most of the exhibits will be arrangements or single stems brought by the club members. “Anyone who wants to display may do so, though,” Hild said.

Dues for the club are $5 a year, which include a newsletter and meetings that are held in the members’ homes. A sign up sheet will be available during the exhibit for interested members.

“One of our members moved away recently, and she said this club is like a family. She had never meet anyone nicer,” Hild said. “We welcome one and all.”

        

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