Bats made of magnolia pods and stair-stepped black gourds were among the entries in “Halloween’s Coming,” a standard flower show presented by the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs Inc. District III. The show took place Oct. 24 in East Ridge.

“It’s fun to do, and it’s a great satisfaction when it turns out successfully,” said Elsie Yates, a member of the Magnolia Garden Club in Cleveland and secretary for District III. She won first place for her “Flying Bats” flower arrangement in Class 5: A Hanging Design.

Seven clubs representing more than 100 garden club members participated, said Maggi Burns, general chairman.

More than 300 horticulture entries and 40 flower designs competed in adult categories.

Five educational booths, a Hamilton County Master Gardeners booth and youth flower and horticulture divisions also were presented.

Representatives from National Garden Clubs Inc. judged the show.

“Flower shows teach members how to present in a show but also how to decorate a table in their own homes,” said Valerie Tipps, past president of Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club and judges chairman for the show.

But garden clubs these days focus on more than table settings and beautiful plant specimens, members said.

“We do this, but we do a lot of other stuff. It’s not just about growing a flower. Some in our garden club don’t even grow things; they’re into wildlife or conservation,” said Debbie Shaver, a Dayton Garden Club member and District III director.

Pat Ortega, an East Ridge resident, member of Crestwood Garden Club and a Hamilton County Master Gardener, said her club focuses on basics.

“We’re not a white-glove garden club,” Mrs. Ortega said. “We get out and dig.”

Mrs. Shaver won the Best of Show Award of Design Excellence.

Her “A Design,” entered in the Op-Art category, featured three stacked black-painted dipper gourds dotted with pyracantha berries. A silver and black spiral poster swirled in the background.

The design took months to compose, she said. A member of the Tennessee Volunteer Gourd Society, she chose dipper gourds from her garden, playing to her gardening and craft skills.

Mrs. Shaver also won the Award of Horticultural Excellence for her camellia japonica hybrid, Candle Glow, and the Educational Award for her “Creepie Crawlings” gourd craft display.

Judges focused on how well designs met the National Garden Clubs Inc. handbook criteria and illustrated the theme, Mrs. Tipps said. Judges tend to favor entries showing mastery of design techniques, such as balance and contrast.

In horticulture, entries were rated on how well they show themselves to the viewer, whether they’re blemish-free, and partly on whether they may be easy or difficult to grow, she added.

Jackie Westfield, secretary of the Aldersgate Garden Club in Cleveland, said she enjoyed winning a second place in horticulture for her spade-leaf philodendron. She also picked up valuable tips in design.

“I enjoy seeing the different interpretations of the (category) themes and seeing all the pretty plants,” Mrs. Westfield said. “I get good tips and ideas.”