With the extreme weather, gardeners may feel discouraged about their gardens and what they can grow successfully under these conditions.
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The horticultural pavilion at the upcoming 2020 Maitland Show will provide an ideal opportunity for gardeners to observe plants, vegetables and flowers that are growing in the average local garden.
Entries and displays will include vegetables, flowers, pot plants, fruits and floral art.
The 159th Maitland Show will be held from Friday, February 14, to Sunday, February 16. The pavilion will be open for public viewing following the judging on Friday from 9am.
The theme for the 159th Show is Everything Needs Water.
Floral art entries are designed and put together as interpretations of given topics. Note the staging area restrictions for each grade. Entries close on Thursday, February 13, at 8pm.
Topics for A Grade this year include: Everything Needs Water, using collage back panel; Weave a Magic Web; Fun with Recycling and Foliage is Fabulous. There is also a section for wired flower work - Coronet for a Flower Girl. A Grade staging is limited to 43cm deep and 56cm long.
B Grade topics are: Everything Needs Water, using dried materials; With a Stylish Twist; Old Garden Tool with Natives and Green and Gold Foliage. The wired topic is Spray for a Gift. B Grade entries are restricted to staging 43cm deep and 50cm long.
For Grade C entrants, the topics are; Éverything Needs Water, using Driftwood and Stones; The Beauty of Flowers; A Novel Container of Flowers and Welcome to our House.
Children and young adults can also compete in the floral art sections.
Novice (under 18) have the themes: Everything Needs Water using animals and birds; Beauty with a Fan and Around and About.
Children in infants and primary classes might like to complete one or more of these topics: Everything Needs Water - a plate garden; Australian Animal made from Plant Material and Flowers with a Small Toy, large and small vegetables, and a plant growing in a pot may also be entered.
RELATED CONTENT: The 2020 Maitland Show is on February 14, 15, and 16
Flowers and greenery used should be of good quality.
In addition to visiting the show to see the entries, local gardeners are encouraged to put in entries from their gardens, green houses and collections.
An entry fee of $0.50 per entry applies in each section, up to a total of $10, (remainder free), has been set.
Prize money, cards and champion ribbons are awarded.
Gardeners who would like to submit entries should start looking around their gardens now in order to find suitable plants and flowers.
Remember, however, that all gardeners placing entries will have had their plants and flowers subject to the same weather conditions. These may include extreme temperature ranges and hot, drying wind. Therefore, all flowers will be suffering from similar defects. This should not deter the gardener from entering exhibits.
If entering pot plants, the owner should ensure the outside of the pot is clean and in good condition. Leaves should be cleaned of dust, spray markings and other markings. Dead leaves should be removed, and the surface of the soil should be clean and tidy.
Note: pots greater than 30cm cannot be displayed.
Flowers selected for the cut flower sections should be as free as possible from blemishes and leaves should be clean. Entries are displayed in glass bottles, supplied by the Show Society. Entrants should take particular notice of how the flowers should be displayed, including whether they are to be single or multiple blooms. Flowers should be placed into the bottle, with water, so that they display their best appearance.
Strips of newspaper may be used to support the flower stems in the bottle.
Any foliage used must from the displayed flower.
Gardeners who grow vegetables might like to put some of their garden's produce into sections such as; basket of vegetables, best pumpkin, squash, onions, small vegetables and salad vegetables, fruits (including nuts, figs and grapes) and melons (including watermelons and rock melons).
Gardeners who want to submit plants in different sections should take their entries to the Thomas Morgan Pavilion.
It is important to note the closing times for the different sections.
Pot plants entries close on Thursday at 7pm and must be staged between 5pm and 8pm on that day.
Floral art entries close at 8pm on Thursday. Entries should be staged between 5pm and 8pm on Thursday, but may also be completed between 7.30am and 9am on Friday.
Cut flower entries close at 9am on Friday. They may be staged between 5pm and 8pm on Thursday and also between 7.30am and 9.30am on Friday.
Vegetable and fruit entries must be staged between 5pm and 8pm on Thursday, with entries closing at 8pm.
Further details are in the Horticulture Schedule, available from the Show Society office at the showground.
It is important for entrants to read the schedule carefully so that they become familiar with requirements and submit entries that are described in the schedule.
Entries that are not as described will be disqualified.
