Daffodil and Floral Show bursts into life in Leongatha

LEONGATHA Memorial Hall was a spectacular sight on Thursday afternoon, with people turning out in strong numbers to admire the dazzling blooms at the town’s Daffodil and Floral Show.

The Leongatha Horticultural Society, which runs the popular event, won praise from Don Rickerby president of the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria who was on hand to open the show.

He told the Sentinel-Times the Leongatha Horticultural Society has again put together a well-rounded show, noting it is at the top end of such events and that it’s not only the daffodils that stand out.

He cited camellias and container plants as a couple of other categories that caught his eye for all the right reasons.

During his opening talk, Don mentioned the children’s section of the show saying he is always impressed by the efforts of young school students.

Vibrant crafted flowers were among the highlights in that section.

There were some special guests present for the show’s opening.

Brother and sister, Rodney Emmerson and Joan Michael, have been associated with the show throughout their lives with their father having established it.

An eye-catching painting of Rodney greeted people in the hall’s foyer as they arrived.

“It’s wonderful; we didn’t think it would go this long,” Joan said of the show’s enduring status.

Introduced to daffodils as a child, Rodney’s passion reached a point at which he eventually harvested between 11,000 and 13,000 of the flowers from his Leongatha farm.

Margaret Monk was another attendee with a special link to the show, having purchased three trees there with husband Ken in September 1957 from Ellinbank Nurseryman Ted Tyrell, all of which continue to thrive.

Photos of the trees and their story formed part of this year’s exhibition.

“They are very tall trees now and I admire their beauty every day,” Margaret said of the blue spruce, Norwegian spruce and Cedrus Deodara.

Maureen Masterman entered the ‘Champion Daffodil’, impressing Canberra-based judge Graeme Davis.

Now living in Wonthaggi, she outlined her approach.

“I grow my daffodils in a raised garden bed; because the soil is very clayey there I lost quite a few, so I thought I will try putting them in a garden bed where I can keep the soil to what I think will be good.”

This is the second time Maureen has won ‘Champion Daffodil’, with the previous occasion being a decade or so ago.

President of the Leongatha Horticultural Society Dawn Green is an enthusiastic exponent of floral art, much of which featured in this year’s show.

“It involves taking flowers and plants and arranging them in a way that shows the beauty and the form,” Dawn said.

For those who admire flowers but aren’t necessarily gardeners, a photography section enabled an alternative way to highlight floral beauty.

Seeing what the overall event has to offer, it’s little wonder it continues to endure.

Leongatha's Daffodil and Floral Show is on until Saturday (September 9) until 4pm at the Memorial Hall.