Christchurch wins back National Flower Bed title

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6 MARCH 2012

Christchurch wins back National Flower Bed title

A penguin lying in a deck chair on an island has seen Christchurch win back the Zealandia Horticulture National Flower Bed title at this year’s Ellerslie International Flower Show.

The Council won the first National Flower Bed Competition at the last Auckland Show in 2007 and again in 2009 at the first Ellerslie International Flower Bed held in Christchurch. Akaroa and Bays stole the hat trick from the Garden City in 2010 with its floral tribute to Banks Peninsula’s landmark Akaroa Lighthouse.

This year the exhibit by the Christchurch Botanic Gardens team reflected Christchurch’s gateway to the Antarctic with a “bright and colourful” exhibit based on a cartoon caricature of a penguin sitting in a deck chair on an island, shaded by a large cabbage tree.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker was confident the city could regain the title in 2012, as Christchurch’s “Garden City pride is always at stake in this competition”.

The National Flower Bed Competition is modelled on the traditional flower bed competition by the Royal Horticultural Society in Britain and demonstrates the increasing importance councils and local authorities place on their surroundings.

Lead Judge for the Competition Renee Davies of Auckland said this year the judges referenced the competition back to the Victorian origins of flower beds. “All the entries were excellent, they were colourful, bright and a real delight to look at.”

She said the Christchurch Botanic Gardens entry was outstanding in the way it was planted. “Every single flower head was at the same height, there was not a gap to be seen in the planting which creates ripples of the ocean around the island and the penguin simply added that important touch of humour.

“The garden had all the elements that make a great bedding plant exhibit.”

Zealandia Horticulture National Bed Flower 2012 Competition results:

Christchurch Botanic Gardens Gold

Christchurch International Airport Company Silver
Ashburton District Council Silver

Keep Christchurch Beautiful Bronze
Rotorua District Council Bronze

Auckland City Council Merit

o Ellerslie International Flower Show, North Hagley Park, 7 to 11 March 2012. For more information: www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz .

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