On a sunny but cool spring day, 60 members and visitors attended the Lakes Entrance Garden Club’s October meeting.
The show bench judge for the month was guest Dianna Wolter, who said it was a pleasure to judge such beautiful exhibits.
In the photography section, first place went to Janet Parker with a close-up of spring blossom, while Ann Barker came second with a photo of her extensive garden.
The arrangement depicting spring section was won by Ann Barker with a basket overflowing with spring beauties in shades of pink and white. Second place went to Shirley Bardwell for her arrangement in a white, boat-shaped vase featuring many mixed colours – including a pop of orange.
It’s amazing how lovely a container of bits and pieces can be. First place in this section went to Dearne Albert with feathers and seed pods – unusually, it even featured a pink cockatoo. Second place went to Shirley Bardwell for her entry, which included reed spikes, burgundy leaves and soft grey lamb’s ears. The judge’s comment read: “A lot of thought has gone into these entries.”
The potted plant section, which featured foliage only this month, was won by Shirley Bardwell with a striking burgundy and green bromeliad. Second place went to Dearne Albert with a lovely green nandina.
In the fruit section, Gerri Peters took first place with a plate of amazing mulberries – “so yum” – while Shirley Bardwell placed second with her lemons and some fragrant blossom.
October and November are bearded iris time, and the incredible range of colours explains why they’re often called the Rainbow Flower. In the one stem bearded iris section, first place went to Ann Barker for a lovely frilled iris in shades of cream with pale lemon edges. Janet Parker took second place with solid purple standards and cream falls edged in purple.
In the container mixed iris section, Ann Barker again claimed first with colours of apricot and purple, while Shirley Bardwell placed second with whites and burgundy — all so pretty.
With the Spring Racing Carnival in full swing, the show bench floral art section took on a Melbourne Cup theme. A particularly pretty entry from Shirley Bardwell featured beautiful yellow roses set off by maidenhair fern — perfect for a day at the races.
The best exhibit came from the beginner’s luck section — an unusual white bird of paradise flower spike from Janet Parker.
Instead of a guest speaker, members were treated to a hands-on activity, with tables filled with magnificent flowers ready to be made into lovely posies. It was a fun and social afternoon, and many beautiful creations were made. The club thanks all those who supplied flowers and helped with the setup.
The Annual Flower Display and Indoor Market, held over the Melbourne Cup weekend, was once again a great success. The Plant Sale was huge, with hundreds of member-propagated plants finding new homes. Plenty of gardening advice was also shared by the club’s enthusiastic members. Sincere thanks go to the stallholders and helpers over the weekend.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, November 17, at 1.30pm in the Mechanics Hall (near the library) on Mechanics Street, Lakes Entrance. Visitors are always welcome.
