The 20th annual Newport Flower Show plans a variety of special events, guest speakers, floral designs, horticulture exhibits, garden displays and shopping opportunities for June 19, 20 and 21, 2015, at Rosecliff. Theme for this year’s show is the American Beauty Rose (pictured), which was developed at Rosecliff (one of the Newport mansions).

Note: don’t drive to Rosecliff. Free parking and shuttle bus service to The Newport Flower Show is available from the Newport Grand parking lot, 150 Admiral Kalbfus Road, Newport, Rhode Island.

The show will feature three special guest speakers: floral designer Jane Godshalk; Peter Hatch, professional gardener and former Director of Gardens and Grounds at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello; and garden designer P. Allen Smith.

Godshalk, who is also an educator at Longwood Gardens (Winterthur), will discuss her new book, Flower Arranging Secrets: Natural Designs for Everyday Living.

Hatch, who is also the author of four books on the gardens of Monticello, will speak about the plantation’s 1,000-foot-long, terraced vegetable garden and its legacy in his lecture titled “Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello”.

Smith will share gardening tips in his lecture “Ten for Ten: Timeless Tips That Will WOW Your Garden and Your Neighbors”.

To celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, a limited edition, hand-painted commemorative silk scarf will be available.

The Opening Night Party from 6 to 9 p.m. June 19 includes a cocktail buffet, a seaside supper, live music and dancing. Tickets are $170.

The show will continue through the weekend with garden exhibits, horticultural entries, floral designs, photography, and children’s programs, all staged throughout the reception rooms of Rosecliff, its oceanfront terrace and lawn. A Founders’ Conservatory will be located on the terrace of Rosecliff, filled with special plants and honoring the founders of the first Newport Flower Show in 1996.

The front lawn of Rosecliff will be filled with garden displays and a Gardeners’ Marketplace. On the back lawn, Oceanside Boutiques will feature garden and lifestyle-related products and services.

The Newport Flower Show will be open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. June 19, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both June 20 and 21. Tickets sold at the door will be $25 on Friday, $23 on Saturday or Sunday.

The Authors’ Afternoon Tea reception will take place on the back lawn of Rosecliff at 3 p.m. June 19. Tickets are $60. The Sunday Champagne Brunch, $75, begins at 11 a.m. June 21.

Jane Godshalk and Peter Hatch will headline lecture luncheons on June 19 and 20, respectively. Tickets for each luncheon and lecture are $100 per person. Lecture-only tickets are available for $50. Tickets for P. Allen Smith’s June 20 afternoon lecture are available for $40. Free lectures and demonstrations by plant experts, flower designers and gardeners will also be presented throughout the weekend.

All proceeds from the Newport Flower Show benefit the ongoing landscape restoration efforts of The Preservation Society of Newport County, a private non-profit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes and decorative arts. Its 11 historic properties -— seven of them National Historic Landmarks -— span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

Andrea Carneiro

Communications Manager

The Preservation Society of Newport County

424 Bellevue Avenue

Newport, RI 02840

(401) 847-1000 ext. 131

www.NewportMansions.org