This year’s Grahamstown Flower Festival boasted two new record numbers; 1 577 guests and 48 children’s flower stalls.
This year’s Grahamstown Flower Festival boasted two new record numbers; 1 577 guests and 48 children’s flower stalls.
Held earlier this month at the Makana Botanical Gardens, the yearly festival’s garden and food stalls, workshops, talks and flower displays proved popular despite the less-than-ideal weather.
Festival convenor Sharon Richner said guest speaker Di-Di Hoffman’s two talks attracted 84 people, and 49 attended the two workshops. Richner was very impressed with the flower competition entries and said she was particularly mesmerised by the high standard of the children’s displays.
Some regular exhibitors in the rose section didn’t enter the competition because of this year’s unusually early dates. Vernon Marais, winner of the Champion Rose title at several previous festivals, said he hadn’t entered this time as his roses were still in bud form.
Not caught unawares by the early competition however, was Sally Koen’s beautiful apricot-hued rose that claimed the latest champion title. Koen was also the overall winner of the flower competition.
Winners in the hotly-contested children’s section were Erin Cripps (Chapman Trophy for the best arrangement); Sascha van der Merwe (first prize for Grades 4-7); Erin Powers (first prize for Grades 1-3) and Charlie and Joey Whittington-Jones (joint first prize for pre-school).
Prizes in the form of a JoJo Slimline rain water tank went to a lucky audience member at one of the talks, Ann Ashburner, and a JoJo 2 500-litre tank was awarded to Samuel Ntlebi Primary School for being the school with the best vegetable garden.
Festival organisers expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation to sponsors, and all those involved in making the event a success. Pam Golding Properties Grahamstown was the main sponsor, while significant cash sponsorships were received from Hobson Co, JoJo Tanks and Makana Brick.
At the prize-giving, farewell gifts were presented to flower festival stalwarts Jurg and Sharon Richner, who will be re-locating to Switzerland next year.
