Everything will be coming up roses and irises and spirea and gazanias in Natchez this weekend.

Both the Natchez Garden Club and Pilgrimage Garden Club will hold their annual flower shows Saturday.

This year’s theme for the PGC show is &uot;Around the World with Flowers.&uot; Janet Dillard, flower show co-chairman, said arrangment categories will include &uot;Tea Time in England,&uot; &uot;Down Mexico Way,&uot; &uot;My U.S.A.&uot; and &uot;Polynesian Paradise.&uot;

A separate horticulture division will showcase specimens grown locally, many of which with origins in faraway lands. And an educational exhibit will feature the local Stewarts Orchids.

Dillard said the show is sure to entertain anyone, from those well-versed in flora to anyone who appreciates a beautiful flower. And as a fourth-generation garden club member, Dillard said the flower show always holds a special meaning. Her great-grandmother was a charter member of the Pilgrimage Garden Club.

&uot;It’s great,&uot; Dillard said. &uot;I love being part of the garden club and participating in all the activities.&uot;

The PGC show will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Natchez Community Center on Franklin Street.

And from 2 to 5 p.m. at Elms Court, the home of club president Anne MacNeil, the NGC flower show will pay tribute to the region’s songbirds.

NGC flower show chairman Mo Saunders also emphasized that both shows are open to the public, and she encourages anyone with an interest in flowers to attend. Saunder said this is the first time in several years the show has been held at a private home, and Elms Court will provide the perfect backdrop for the display.

Saunders said she personally enjoys seeing how people express their individuality and creativity in floral arrangement.

Even the NGC Junior Gardners, who can be as young as five, show incredible talent with their arrangments which will also be on display at the show.

&uot;It’s really interesting to see what these young girls can do, they’re really creative,&uot; Saunders said.

And as a florist by profession, Saunders admits she just loves the flowers.

&uot;Just the beauty of them, I don’t know how else to explain it,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s something that goes on from generation to generation. They are a continuous thing of God.&uot;