For 67 years, the Westbury Garden Club has staged its spring flower show drawing exhibitors and afternoon tea enthusiasts from as far as Hobart. This year, for the first time, it moves location to the Westbury Primary School.
The Westbury Spring Flower Show will run from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, 5 September, with the school’s principal, Lynn Wyllie-Watson, officially opening the event’s proceedings and presenting prizes at 2pm.
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Show convenor David Pyke says the change of venue has brought its share of logistical questions. “There’s a few logistical problems being the first show at a new venue,” he says. But he is quick to credit the school for its support in the lead-up to the event.
The club was formed in 1958, and the first flower show followed a year later. It has since become a fixture on the local calendar, known for its daffodil displays as much as its cut flowers, camellias and floral art – and a pot plant category. There are cash prizes for winners and in some categories awards are offered for other places.
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Exhibitors travel from Launceston, Wynyard, Mount Hicks and Gawler to compete, with daffodil growers making up a significant share of entries.
This year brings a new addition – a children’s section in the floral art category, along with a daffodil challenge Pyke sponsors himself for school-age exhibitors. “Kids can just pick a daffodil out of the garden, it doesn’t have to be exhibition quality, and they can enter,” he says.
Pyke speaks with authority on the subject. A qualified judge and exhibitor of nearly 40 years, he explains that daffodils are judged across 13 divisions, from trumpets and large cups to miniatures and species varieties dating back to the 1700s and 1800s. Exhibition quality, he says, takes real effort. He fertilises his bulbs two or three times a year and stores cut blooms in a dedicated flower fridge, which can be stored for up to a month with regular spraying.
His own path back to daffodils began with his father, who exhibited at a Westbury show in 1995 at the age of 84 and won Champion Novice. Pyke returned to showing the following year, only for his father to pass away a month before they were due to compete together. He has exhibited every year since.
Entry to the show is $2 at the gate, cash only, with afternoon tea available for an additional $5, a combination regular visitors say offers some of the best value of any flower show in the state! The club’s summer show in February drew a record crowd of more than 300 people in its three hour window. Organisers are hoping for a similar turnout in September, with 250 to 300 people expected to check out the event.
