A highlight of the annual Grahamstown Flower Festival is the Gardens of Grahamstown  competition which sees local residents entering their gardens in the various categories with a host of prizes on offer. Festival co-ordinator Sharon Richner says the aim of the competition is to “unearth the loveliest local gardens”.

A highlight of the annual Grahamstown Flower Festival is the Gardens of Grahamstown  competition which sees local residents entering their gardens in the various categories with a host of prizes on offer. Festival co-ordinator Sharon Richner says the aim of the competition is to “unearth the loveliest local gardens”.

The competition proved very popular during last year’s flower festival, and Richner is confident that
more interest will be shown this year and more entries will be received by the organisers.

However, she advised local gardeners that the closing date for entries for the garden competition  Friday, 1 October  is fast approaching, and they should submit their entries before that date.

Entry forms are available from Pam Golding Properties in African Street, Makana Tourism on Church Square and the Umthathi Training Project at 21 West Street, across the road from Shoprite.

All information pertaining to the competition will be found in the entry form, while further details on the flower festival itself can be found on the website www.grahamstownflowerfestival. co.za

The garden competition will cater for four categories of gardens  small gardens (under 500 square metres), medium gardens (500 to 1 000 square metres), large gardens (over 1 000 square metres) and township gardens.

The winners of the four categories will each receive R500 donated by Pam Golding Properties in Grahamstown, while the runners-up will receive hampers containing a selection of garden products.

“Judging the garden competition will be three experts in their respective fields,” says Richner, who is particularly excited about this year’s competition.

The judges are Jo Clinton, a landscape designer from Johannesburg; Warren Lange, the owner of HortCouture landscape designers in Johannesburg and Malcolm Southey, a nursery owner in Grahamstown who was previously involved in corporate landscaping.

The 2010 Grahamstown Flower Festival will be held in the Makana Botanical Gardens on the weekend of 23 and 24 October.

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