What's your favorite garden/horticultural exhibit at the State Fair? I like wandering through the halls of horticulture to see the exhibits. It's part 4-H flashback and part respite from fried food and scorching heat.

The scattered gardens at the fair are little mini oases, and can provide relief in more ways than one. On this past very hot Monday when more than the flowers were wilting at the fair, I saw a gaggle of young girls run up to someone watering one of the gardens asking if he would please splash them to cool them down. Sometimes the best things at the fair are free (although the onion rings are pretty high up there.)

Look for Green Girls handing out freebies (this year's lip balm flavor) at the Star Tribune booth (on Carnes by the ramp to the Grandstand) starting at 3 this afternoon.

My personal floral fair favorite: The plate-sized dahlias. What's your favorite hort haunt at the fair?

Photo by Heather Charles