New leaves are appearing on trees throughout the city, the sweet smell of jasmine is in the air and lawns are taking on a rich shade of green.
New leaves are appearing on trees throughout the city, the sweet smell of jasmine is in the air and lawns are taking on a rich shade of green.
That means it’s springtime in Grahamstown, and many gardeners are ready to exhibit their finest blooms in the flower and plant competitions at the annual Grahamstown Flower Festival at Oatlands Prep School from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 10 October.
The 2015 flower festival may be a tad smaller than previous festivals (held in the botanical gardens and at the monument), but it will still boast scores of colourful blooms grown in local gardens.
The prize-giving for both the adult and children’s categories will be held at 4pm. Various halls and rooms at the school will be filled with flower and plant exhibitions, plus there'll flower competitions, garden-related stalls, food stalls and a treasure hunt for children.
The plant and flower competitions include proteas, roses, orchids, cut flowers, container plants, indigenous plants, herbs, vegetables and floral art.
The competition hall at Oatlands will be a blaze of colour and sweet scents when the judges enter to carry out their tasks of determining the winners of the myriad sections.
Flower festival convenor Heather Surridge says a festival highlight is always the children's section. “Each year learners from local primary schools come up with the most amazing arrangements.
I’m looking forward to seeing what they and their imaginations come up with this year."
Grahamstown's own Pro Carmine Choir will also be performing.
You can get Grahamstown Flower Festival brochures from Sunnyside Garden Centre in Cromwell Street, go to www.grahamstownflowerfestival.co.za or visit their Facebook page.
