‘Only Hitler’s bombs have stopped show,’ says Highgate Horticultural Society
Susna Bennett presents Bush Halsey Challenge Cup to Marion Wilton at Highgate Horticultural Society Spring show - Credit: Nigel Sutton
As snow fell and an unseasonably cold month left gardens bare, members of Highgate Horticultural Society weighed up chances of their spring show going ahead – until secretary Roxane Stirling reminded the group that they had not cancelled a show since the Second World War.
“I looked out of the window at 6am on Saturday to find snow, to my absolute horror,’’ she said. ‘‘So I called the chairman and asked, ‘What should we do? Should we cancel?’
“But then the only time we have had to cancel was when Hitler was throwing bombs at us, and that wasn’t happening, so we set it up.”
“The weather has been absolutely diabolic,” said Ms Stirling.
“Everything is really late – there are no blossoms, the bulbs are not out – so we were a bit concerned that we weren’t going to get any entries.’’
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Despite the cold only three fewer exhibitors showed flowers in the United Reform Church in South Grove, Highgate, than last year.
“The snow kept falling but we cleared the paths and judges got here, and joy of joys, people came to look,” said Ms Stirling. “We had almost as many exhibitors as last year, so people were really looking around their garden seeing which bulbs they could find.”
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Chairman of the society, Alan Dallman, scooped two prizes at the spring show for his impressive collection of hyacinths and daffodils, winning him the award for best flowers that have grown from bulbs, and his African violets and grape hyacinths won him the award for the best non-bulbous flowers.
Five-year-old Annabel Welch won the Highgate Horticultural Society Millennium Cup for younger members for her decorated egg and Easter card.