by Lesley Wood, Show Secretary // Main Photo: Mimosa appeared for the first time in our flowering shrub classes, earning Steve Wells first prize
Saturday 6 April saw the Ewhurst Village Hall transformed into a wondrous fragrant space filled with Spring bulbs, vases of flowering shrubs, spectacular floral art, photographs, home fare and children’s artworks. It has been a most unpromising start to Spring this year with weeks of cold wet weather and periodic high winds. Certainly, many of our garden daffodils had gone over or were badly battered by the wind and rain, and the tulips, which often aren’t yet out in time for the show, were pretty advanced this year and similarly suffered from the weather. So, it was a minor miracle that we had so many gorgeous specimens to admire.
Horticultural cup winners this year were: Margaret Lockwood, who won the John Bennett Bowl for the best exhibit in Section I (tulips); Richard Tabor, who won the Greenfield Trophy for the best bloom in show (a Polgooth daffodil in class 27), the Tabor Cup for the most points in the Members’ daffodil classes, and he shares the Margaret Hawes Cup with Alan Moody for the most points in the Open daffodil classes; and Alan Moody, who won the Merrist Wood Cup for the best daffodil in show (one of his Cape Cornwall daffodils), as well as sharing the Margaret Hawes cup with Richard Tabor as mentioned above.
The floral art classes were very well represented, with Country Life (an arrangement in a basket), Kaleidoscope (an exhibit staged in a niche) and Spring Charm (a petite exhibit) all attracting multiple entries. The Cranleigh Cup for the most points was awarded to Jane Bishop.
In the Photography section, Val Hutton won first prize for her entries in both the Flowers in the rain and the Skyscape classes, which stands her in good stead for the cup which is awarded at the AGM after all three shows.
In the Home Fare section, Marian Heathcote won the Rural Pies Cup for the most points overall.
We also had some lovely children’s entries; the pre-school children created some wonderful flower collages and the older age classes made an Easter garden in a seed tray, won by Milo, and peppermint creams, won by Elsie.
Huge thanks to the Committee and helpers for a brilliant show, and to all out visitors who were treated to home-made cakes with their teas, a great raffle and an auction.
Our next event is our Plant Sale on 27 April in the Village Hall, 10-12 noon, come early!
