Diane Blazek is the executive director of All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau, two national organizations focused on encouraging gardening. She will be the main speaker at the annual Johnson County Garden Celebration on May 6 at the Johnson County fairgrounds.
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The creativity in new flowers, vegetables, herbs and more is like watching an artist at work.
Every year, plant breeders and developers send their newest creations to All-America Selections, an organization tasked with testing, growing and judging new varieties of seed.
They come in fantastical colors, with brilliant blooms and full leaves. The vegetables, fruits and herbs offer fresh flavors and tastes never encountered before.
“It’s quite a privelege. We’re in a unique position,” said Diane Blazek, executive director of All-America Selections. “We really do get to see some of the really cool new stuff before it’s introduced. A lot of times we get asked, ‘What are the trends you’re seeing among the breeding?’ That’s always fun to identify.”
Blazek brings her unique perspective on gardening and the emergence of new varities to the Johnson County Garden Celebration on May 6 at the Johnson County fairgrounds. As the key speaker at the yearly event, she will take people through the process used by All-America Selections to pick the best new perennial and annual plants.
Those new plants bring stunning color and shapes to gardens, allowing homeowners to give their growing spaces a fresh, exciting look.
Other presentations by Blazek include the practical, economical and innovative ways to use fresh fruits and vegetables in the garden, and why gardening is so good for your mind, body and spirit.
“The theme is ‘Happiness begins in the garden,’ and we’re hoping to inspire people to get out and do more gardening,” said Gary Kiesel, president of the Johnson County Garden Club. “(Diane) will be doing lots of presentations that feature the perennials, annuals and vegetables for 2023, to hopefully give people some inspiration to put in a particular plant or flower.”
This will be the 18th Garden Celebration, an annual event of the Johnson County Garden Club in coordination with Purdue Extension Johnson County. More than 45 vendors will be set up selling all kinds of different items related to the outdoors.
Seed packets and tree saplings will be given away while supplies last, and breakfast and lunch by MOBOWL will be available for purchase at the Garden Cafe.
“It’s a good chance for us to welcome a new growing season. We’ve all spent a long winter here, and we’re wanting to get out and play in the dirt, see something green and see something colorful,” Kiesel said.
Blazek will be at the center of it all. The Chicago-area resident has been gardening for most of her life. Growing up in rural Missouri, she didn’t have much of a choice.
“It was forced on me when I was a kid,” she said with a laugh. “I grew up on a farm, and not only were we farmers, but my mom had a huge vegetable garden that my mom tended to and we canned and preserved.”
The first memory she has of choosing her own plants for the garden came after the family built a raised bed around their back porch. She picked colorful rose moss — better known as portulaca — on one side, and cut flowers on the other.
Her background served her well as an adult.
“When I got married and we bought our first house, it became a way to make our yard look better. We had trees and we had grass, but other than that, it had nothing. So I planted flowers and ground covers so there was some color in the yard,” she said.
Blazek’s love of gardening came together with her career in the 1990s. She was working in advertising and landed a job focused on horticulture with Ball Publishing, where she worked for 15 years. A brief detour into running her own public relations firm led her into leadership roles with All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau, a nonprofit providing reliable, accurate gardening information on flowers and vegetables grown from seed.
“I quickly realized I’d be happier doing P.R. type work if it was in the industry I loved, and that’s when I found about the executive director position for both All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau,” she said.
The presentations Blazek has planned for the Johnson County Garden Celebration pulls together aspects of her entire story to help other gardeners.
She’ll discuss how All-America Selections choose its winner and how to implement them into their gardens. For edible winners chosen this year, she plans to share recipes and ways to best use them.
“We’re going to open the doors, and see behind the doors of All-America Selections,” she said. “I think people will get some insight into why they should pay attention to new varieties.
The final presentation focuses on the wellness aspects of gardening — how getting out in the garden enhances life.
“There are so many benefits. I keep thinking, could we solve the world’s problems if everyone was gardening?” she said jokingly.
IF YOU GO
Johnson County Garden Celebration
What: A gathering covering all of your gardening needs, featuring more than 40 garden-related vendors and educational seminars. A festive courtyard, live music and food to purchase from Geri Girl Bakery will also be available.
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 6
Where: Johnson County fairgrounds, Scott Hall and Herring Hall, 250 Fairground St., Franklin
What: Seminars by Diane Blazek, executive director of All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau
10 to 10:30 a.m.: Learn how perennial and annual plants are chosen as All-American Selections winners and how you can use those to create your garden’s “wow” factor.
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.: From farm to table, fresh fruits and vegetables highlight how gardening is practical, economical and innovative. Blazek will also share some of her recipes.
11:30 a.m. to noon: Finish with a feel-good message about how gardening is good for the mind, body, and soul. From seed to maturity, gardens enhance life.
Free giveaways include seed packets and tree seedlings while supplies last
Admission: $2 at the door; cash only
