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Garden show blooms with diversity

The St. Albert & District Garden Club Flower and Produce Show is one of the biggest events on the local horticultural social scene.

The St. Albert & District Garden Club Flower and Produce Show is one of the biggest events on the local horticultural social scene. And the recent show Summer Splendour blossomed into a glorious and glitzy occasion that attracted an estimated 2,000 visitors.

“We were so happy with the turnout, the displays and all the volunteers that helped out,” said event co-ordinator Lucy Krisco of the show, held Aug. 21 and 22 at St. Albert Place.

The show received 680 entries with the most popular continuing to be photography, at 120 submissions. Derrick Harrison won the judge’s challenge for his patterned photo of seedlings.

In design arrangements, the club added a seashore display using driftwood as a base. John Beedle’s submission of a large jagged piece of wood decorated with sunflowers outpaced every other entry.

“The driftwood was spectacular. The end piece looked like a great big reptile’s mouth. John always shows up with such interesting creations,” Krisco said.

And Dianne Taylor’s arrangement of cosmos, the flower of the year, also received top honours. “It was multi-hued — white, purple, pink, burgundy — in a bouquet arrangement.”

In the biggest, best and most unusual category, local gardeners submitted a foot-long dandelion root, a two-foot long rhubarb stalk, and a 10-inch, plate-sized white dahlia.

The children’s horti-sculpture was a testament to creativity with a turtle fashioned from a cantaloupe and zucchini slices, a giraffe carved from a parsnip body with asparagus legs, and an eggplant spider with grape legs.

Krisco added many attending gardeners commented that their gardens were about two weeks behind schedule despite abundant sun and rain this summer, particularly affecting cosmos and tomatoes.

Despite the shifting weather, this season produced an increase in the elegant gladiolus. “It used to be a popular class, but people don’t grow it as much any more. It’s hard to grow and it has to be perfect for the show.”

The club’s traditional perennial sale raised $150, with plants donated by Wellington Garden Centre, Canadian Tire, Prairie Gardens and St. Albert Greenhouse. The club plans an additional perennial auction at Sir George Simpson on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. For more information visit www.stalbertgardenclub.info.

Below is a list of special award winners and trophies:

• Outstanding design arrangement – Lucy Krisco

• Best tomato – Elizabeth Dunn

• Best dahlia – Lorraine Bodnaryk

• Best gladiolus – Lucy Holt

• Best hybrid tea rose – Richard Plain

• Best flower of the year (cosmos) – Dianne Taylor

• Best petunia – Carol George

• Champion bloom – Lorraine Bodnaryk

• Largest marrow/zucchini/squash – Eryl Jones

• Best photograph – Derrick Harrison

• Highest number of points in vegetables, herbs, fruit and berries – Dianne Taylor

• Highest number of points for cut flowers – Dianne Taylor

• Highest number of points in house and container plants – Lucy Krisco

• Highest number of points for children – Madeline Huising

• Highest number of points in culinary – Olga Matvichuk

• Highest number of points by a novice – Jean Noel

• Highest total number of points – Lucy Krisco


Anna Borowiecki

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