JOHN BISSET/Stuff
Builder and home gardener Malcolm Blackmun holding the rhubarb which won best in show at the Timaru Horticultural Society Summer Show. He got 36 placings out of 41 entries.
Malcolm Blackmun’s hard work in the garden paid off, when he received 36 placings, out of 41 entries, in the Timaru Horticultural Society’s Summer Show. The Timaru builder and home gardener lost most of his vegetable garden, many of the plants about six weeks from harvesting, when it was shredded by Timaru’s November 2019 hail storm meaning he was unable to defend the title in the society’s kitchen garden contest.
In the past five years the dahlia had gained popularity which he puts down to their longevity and multi bloom plants. ‘’Dahlias last for about four months whereas daffodils are gone in six weeks. You can get 15 flowers on one dahlia plant.”
Bejon Haswell/Stuff
Davey s Garden owner and flower breeder and grower Alistair Davey plans to show about 100 of his dahlias at the upcoming Timaru Horticultural Society Summer Show. He started growing them in 1986 and has 800 hybrids, 100 of which are from his own breeding programme. The former Timaru District Council chief propagator said the best dahlias to show had form, freshness, flowers at 45 degree angles and good stems.