Went to two Flower shows over the weekend, and left feeling inspired.
At the NZ Flower and Garden show Buffie again won medals for her creative upcycle display - with a theme of native birds and pohutakawa flowers made from scraps and cast offs, while her food basket for Ranui Community Garden was fantastically lush. Henderson Garden Clubs and Te Atatu Floral Circle combined theirs into a kiwiana/asian inspired courtyard setting, with backdrop of palms, anthuriums, ferns, birdbath and paua shells. Others in the community garden exhibit were Yates, NZ Butterfly and Moth trust, West Lynn Gardens, Ark in the Park, New Zealand Gardens Trust, The Auckland Bonsai Society, and the Bromeliad Society.
Suitably attired in my floral ensemble I entered a dazzling pavilion of flowers, many florists were making floral handbags and shoes arrangements, decorative umbrellas and candelabras. I really wished I could have chatted with the florists at work but they all had signs on their stands saying 'please don't talk to the florists' and so I just had to admire their handiwork in respectful silence.
Garden highlights were the Fairy Forest garden in which you peaked into a magical enchanted fairy forest, an bee pollinator garden that included beehives planted up with bee friendly flowers, a garden that had a hanging bed and pool (obviously for wealthy leisure lifestylers), a beach front bach garden created by school children. One that wowed everyone was a Japanese style garden that had a shinto style bell, maple trees, and stepping stones all lushly planted up that people could wander through.
Of course I was cajoled into buying things by the persistent retail traders. So I admit to buying as well as lunch, 'genie' salt and oil scrub and jars of herbs and spice rub mix. And purple iris rhizome. I can't resist purple irises. Something about them...
So with all my money gone, I headed home, but I think the best thing about the show was talking to and meeting other enthusiastic gardeners. And some even wanted to join our club!
The Sweet Pea Festival, was actually packed when I visited, with all the blooms on display, not just sweet peas but other flowers in all their glory. I dragged mum along, and she grumbled that it was all old ladies (herself, not included?) but I wasn't really looking at the old ladies I was looking at the flowers. Some really exquisite ones in all colours. I suppose it was a bit like Miss Universe beauty pageant for flowers. I'd been reading about one of our former Miss Universe Lorraine Downes, she had written a memoir about what it was like representing New Zealand and then winning the honor of being chosen as the most beautiful woman in the Universe, well for 1983... it sure makes for an interesting life. If nothing is required of you except to smile and look pretty, and that brings joy to people, well thats a good thing isn't it? But even she said this got old after a while! I wonder if my flowers will one day win awards, but isn't it enough that I think they are already beautiful in their own way anyway.
