It has not been the best spring for prize vegetables, so it was the floral art that impressed at the Spring Flower Show in Raglan on Saturday.
Run by the Raglan Horticultural Society, the competition attracted good entries and a steady flow of viewers at the Union Church Hall on Saturday.
There were five main sections in the one-day show, including cut flowers and floral art, but it was the 56 entries in the four children’s sections that impressed society president Barbara O’Doherty.
“The children came up trumps this time,” Barbara said. “They outdid the adults in effort, I think.”
Will Hunter won the sand saucer section, his sister Rosa won the wild flower jam jar arrangement, Ocean Burke won the miniature garden and Shanti McCoy-Heaton won the aqua jar section.
The vegetables entered in this year’s three vegetable categories, however, were “not wonderful” due to the weather.
“The broccoli had peaked too soon – we’d eaten it! It’s just the luck of the draw with the weather,” Barbara said.
The competition was hot in the multi-media section, which attracted 19 different entries. The winner was Tracy Brechelt with her Transplant creation, which involved red dye drips reflecting on arun lilies.
“It was fascinating to see how people interpreted it,” Barbara said of the popular multi-media category.
The society wanted to thank all those who entered, came to view the entries or helped organise the event – including local auctioneer Julie Hanna, who made small wreaths to give to every child who entered, and made an owl from flowers that was later auctioned for $25.
The Raglan Horticultural Society, which currently has about 45 members, was 113 years old and was thought to be the longest running society in Raglan.
The Spring Flower Show was brought back last year, after an interval of about 25 years, as the society thought it was be “a nice thing for the town to have”, Barbara said.
Rachel Benn
