Full bloom garden city

Blooming marvelous: They don''t call it the Rose City for nothing.

By Jeremy Sollars

FREE Times Gardening Columnist BEATRICE HAWKINS captured the blooming wonderful scenes at the Warwick Horticultural Society’s Spring Flower Show last week, and shares her latest gardening musings with our readers …
THIS week has proved this title to be true, and judging by the 588 entries in all classes at the annual spring flower show organised by the Warwick Horticultural Society, it is also a city of gardeners.
Thank you to all those who participated, without you there would be no show, and congratulations to those that won prizes at what was one of the largest flower show held in Queensland.
St Mary’s Hall was filled with a fabulous array of flowers and vegetables and anyone that missed out should put it in the calendar as a must see for this time next year. Everything from beautiful flower arrangements, great vegetables, native flowers, exotic orchids and bromeliads, iris in many forms and just too many varieties of other flowers to mention, were on show. Special mention has to be made of the huge quantity, spectacular colour and quality, of roses that were exhibited. The perfume was beautiful.
Earlier in the week I was delighted to be able to see Annette Russell’s beautiful rose garden, situated, aptly, in Rose Street, Killarney. This is a new garden, only three years old, with an amazing 460 plus roses all named and dated. Annette is a devoted gardener, keen to share her years of knowledge and has her garden open to the public until the end of the month. If you get the opportunity, it should not be missed.
A flower that has caught my attention again recently is the beautiful deep blue spikes of echium. It seems to thrive in a wide variety of climates and blooms well adding height and definition to a landscape. I’ve seen it thriving deep in the south Island of New Zealand, here in Warwick and further north, from coast to inland. On researching it further, I found out why it is so hardy … it is a relative of the similarly coloured noxious weed … Patterson’s curse!!! In fact one of the growing notes I read included that they thrive in nutrition depleted sandy soil with little water!!
I do believe they have a place in a garden if you have the space and the dedication to contain them as they seed prolifically and could become a problem as has Patterson’s curse. It was introduced as a garden plant and remember, the definition of a weed is only a plant out of place!!
Floral window displays will be in windows over the rodeo weekend. Entries must be in by 5pm Thursday for judging Friday morning. Take time to look and appreciate people’s creativity – and see photos in next week’s Free Times.
The next item on the agenda for the Horticultural Society is a bus trip to Stanthorpe on Friday 18 November to take in the delights of the area and all are welcome to come along. Tickets are available as usual from Danny Lyons.
Spring Flower Show presentations
This is certainly not a complete list of winners but is a record of the trophies awarded.
Firstly as Warwick is the Rose City it is appropriate to list the Rose Classes
Rose Championship: J.T. Flitcroft Cup: Kieran and Laura Babbington
6 roses: Doug Berg Cup: Mal Hooke
Champion Rose classes 1 to 11; Les Gillam Memorial Trophy: Kieran and Laura Babbington
Reserve Champion rose from Classes 1 to 11: M. Bamberry Trophy: V. Bond
3 H.T. roses of distinct colours: E.G.Anderson Cup: Lynn Close
6 Fragrant roses: Melva Kadow Memorial Trophy: Annette Russell
Bowl of roses: E.V. Barnes Cup: Annette Russell
4 roses bud to full bloom: Dight Memorial Trophy: Mal Hooke
Champion roses from classes 12 to 20: Southee Memorial Trophy: Annette Russell
Reserve Champion: Lynn Close
Champion Novice Rose: Annette Russell
Reserve Champion Novice Rose: Annette Russell
Aggregate Points Novice Section: Annette Russell
Aggregate Points Classes 1 to 34: Warwick Show and Rodeo Society Cup: Annette Russell
Champion Individual Rose of Show: Halvor Guy Memorial Cup: Kieran and Laura Babbington
Miscellaneous Cut Flowers
Vase of Carnations: Horticultural Society Cup: C. & R. Shand
Container of mixed flowers: E.G. Anderson Cup: M. Bamberry
Vase of Sweet peas: Gehrman Cup: Lynn Close
Champion Flower classes 35 to 94: Ula A. Bell Memorial Cup: G. and N. Hoey
Reserve Champion Cut Flower: C. and R. Shand
Cut of Tree, Shrub and Australian Flora
Champion Southern Downs Garden Centre Trophy: Colleen O’Brien
Bill Greer Memorial: Colleen O’Brien
Reserve Champion: M. Bamberry
Aggregate Points classes 35 to 105: C. and R. Shand
Floral Art Classes
Champion Arrangement: Vi Singleton Cup: Margaret Armstrong
Reserve Champion: Wendy Anderson
Aggregate Points Classes 106 to 115: Beryl Ann Doyle Memorial Trophy: Margaret Armstrong
Junior Classes
Prep to Year 3: Champion: Billy Benz: Reserve Champion: Sophie Benz
Year 4 to Year 7: Champion: Annabel Cory: Reserve Champion: Annabel Cory
School Classes: Champion: Warwick East S.S. Kids Garden Club
Aggregate points classes 116 to 120: Norup Shield: Annabel Cory
Plants in Containers
Champion Plant: W.L. Greer Perpetual Trophy: d. Villard-Turton
Reserve Champion: G. and N. Hoey
Aggregate Points: G. and N. Hoey
Orchids
Champion Orchid: D. and L. Frank : Reserve Champion: Marion Reid
Aggregate Points: D. and L. Frank
Vegetables and Fruit
Over 6 Varieties of Vegetables: Warwick Daily News Cup: Andrew Wallace
Champion Vegetable: Horticultural Society: Warwick East SS Garden Club
Reserve Champion: Andrew Wallace
Aggregate Points: Jack Hall Memorial Trophy: Andrew Wallace