New Zealand Alpine Garden Society

[J.B.Wyllie]

 NZAGS set up a display titled 'From Potting Bench to Show Bench' at the Ellerslie Display. They won a Gold Medal and  The Supreme Award for Horticultural Excellence. Does anyone have pictures. Hope so.

Jean

[Maggi Young]

NZAGS have had this level of success before at the Ellerslie Show.... this is getting to be a good habit for them!
Not easy to put on a good display of alpines at this time of year  remembering that it is Autumn in New Zealand)either, so especially pleasing for them to have won the award "against the season" so to speak.

Let's hope someone from the Forum was there with a camera, Jean!

[kiwi]

Hi there, spent our last day on site yesterday pulling it all apart.
Definitely come down faster than it went up! It has been a pleasure to be a part of the team.
I don't know how we could out-do this years exibit.
Sorry about the quality of photos, I hadn't taken any shots until the show had started and then it was impossible to get any standing room or good lighting, but you'll get the idea anyway.
I was hoping there are some better shots out there?

[Maggi Young]

Hello Doug.... thanks for these photos....the display looks terrific!
I've just had some more pix sent from Doreen Mear, via Ann and Joe and Adrian Bliss!

As we can see NZAGS had a very successful display at the Ellerslie Flower show in Christchurch last week.
The theme was from Potting shed to Show Bench and they picked up a gold (second year in a row) and also The Supreme Horticultural Award for plants.
 Attached are  pix supplied by Doreen Mear. As a matter of interest all the troughs were made by the Ellerslie committee and the public interest in them was enormous.

In some photos you can see the sign indicating the Supreme Award and Gold Medal status and the other "silverware " won!
Well done to all involved for this terrific success and a really super display.

click the pictures to enlarge them....

[vivienr]

Just love the potting shed - I could happily live in a potting shed like that.

[Maggi Young]

I know what you mean, Vivien... I think that is the key to the success of the display... it really does look just  as though someone's dearly beloved shed has been transported to the show.... so many "natural" bits and bobs around to give it that realistic look when too often an attempt at that just misses the mark and looks too staged ....this is most impressive.

[Lesley Cox]

Mmmm as potting sheds go, it's the ultimate. Mine has a good layer of dust and many cobwebs, not to mention, in its dirt/gravel floor, the odd buried bone.

[Doreen Mear]

Just love the potting shed - I could happily live in a potting shed like that.

I'm guessing that means you've spotted the bottle of whiskey on the shelf (just left of the pair of garden gnomes)!

[vivienr]

Ah, I hadn't spotted that hiding in its sleeve, but a little sip would keep me warm while sitting reading all those books

[Maggi Young]

Hello Doreen, great to have you back posting.... many thanks for sending the pictures through via Adrian.

Funnily enough I spotted the whisky bottle in its sleeve right away.... I was looking to see where the chocolate was stashed to keep it away from the mice......

[Michael J Campbell]

You shouldn't have mentioned the whiskey bottle, its gone now! someone is after stealing it.

[ranunculus]

Hi Doreen - from all your friends in East Lancs and West Yorkshire - what a shame you can't be at the East Lancs Show this weekend - you could be an honorary steward and chief bottle-washer for the day!   
Hearty congratulations to everyone involved in this triumph and love and best wishes to Ann and Joe.  Really enjoyed the lovely images.

[Doreen Mear]

Funnily enough I spotted the whisky bottle in its sleeve right away.... I was looking to see where the chocolate was stashed to keep it away from the mice......

If there ever was any chocolate, the mice (or maybe the gnomes?) had already had it by the time I got there on Day 3!

[Doreen Mear]

- what a shame you can't be at the East Lancs Show this weekend - you could be an honorary steward and chief bottle-washer for the day!   
Hearty congratulations to everyone involved in this triumph and love and best wishes to Ann and Joe. 

Would have loved to come and help with the stewarding and bottle-washing at the East Lancs Show, Cliff, but had a prior engagement, using up my birthday present of an entry in this weekend's City2Surf 12 km walk in Christchurch. Hope you and the East Lancs "mafia" had a good time as usual - will never forget the stick I got from show secretary Alan Grainger, on taking the East Lancs novice trophy "over the border" to Yorkshire many years ago!

Comes in handy at times living five and a half hours' drive away from Christchurch, because I get to go to our show and enjoy a super day out without having to do any of the work, but it was a fantastic achievement by the NZAGS team.