Hanging baskets provide year-round colour

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 612, 14 November 1995, Page 7

Hanging baskets provide year-round colour

Members of the Raetihi Garden Club learnt from Lee Ryland of Papa Ridge Nursery how to have colour year-round from wellstocked hanging baskets at their last meeting, held at 7pm on 19 October in the Presbyterian Hall. Members soon transformed the hall to a jumble of plants, moss, wire and mess with members using their imaginations to concoct their own special brews of foliage, trailing and hanging annuals and perennials. Lee said to soak any punnets they bought for 24 hours before dividing them and replanting them in well lined containers. The lining could be of special material which can be bought, or their own could equally well be made from most mosses including spaghnum moss,

as long as the baskets were thickly lined. Keeping the baskets watered daily was most important and a saucer or margarine pottle could be buried at the bottom of the basket, or water crystals could be added to retain the morsture. There were 12 members present. The president, Lynley Graham, thanked the many members who had helped to make the spring show such a great success with its record number of entries. Using some of the profit from the spring show, the club decided to present a Champion Bloom Cup at the Rose Show, so that even a person who has put only one entry into the show has a chance of winning. At a special meeting held on 3 October it was unani-

mously decided that both the spring and rose shows should stay "open." This means that entries are welcome from outside the area. In order to encourage local exhibitors, Evelyn Bowater has kindly donated a special cup for the spring shows which is to be known as the Evelyn Bowater Cup. It will be awarded for the most points gained in the narcissi section by any exhibitor residing within the.southern boundaries of the Ruapehu District Council. No competition points were awarded at last month's meeting. The club's Christmas meeting will be held on Thursday, 23 November and information can be obtained from either Dawn Harper on 3854141 or Lynley Graham on 385-4234.