MYRTLE POINT — Dahlias, lilies and gladioluses, oh my!

With flower-loving eyes pinging back and forth from one variety to the next, it was easy to imagine how it felt to walk into an old English garden. Though in Myrtle Point this week, it was much hotter and humid.

Hundreds of flowers and other plants are on display at this year’s Coos County Fair in the brown building next to the Natural Resources tent.

It was no easy task to help entrants sign up in several categories. Four groups of about six volunteers each rushed to categorize and place Coos County residents’ entries in the correct areas.

“I had a group of six” just to get all the roses in on time, said volunteer Connie Gorsch of Coos Bay.

Flowers are not only categorized by species but also by entrant’s age. Children as young as 5 years old submitted blooms to compete in the rose category.

Judging took place Monday, but volunteers were kept busy having to water the flowers twice a day, especially early in the week in sweltering temperatures. The live plants get an additional misting. But for those stem flowers, there’s a trick to keeping them looking fresh-cut.

“Once judged, entrants can take out the old one and replace it with a fresh live one of the same variety” said volunteer Glenda Senf of Myrtle Point.

Walking between rows of brilliant-colored flowers, some in teapots others in old coffee cans, a wall of dahlias took center stage. Judges noted that the “largest most perfect dahlia” honor belonged to a yellow dahlia the size of a dinner plate. It was huge. Robyn Greenland of Myrtle Point grew it.

The rose room, a favorite for many visitors, “Smelled like Grandma’s backyard on a hot summer day,” a passerby commented. By Tuesday most of the fragrant blooms had started to wilt, but they still were putting out a most wonderful aroma.

“I will have a lot of potpourri by the end of this,” said Gorsch.