The weekend between the North Island National and The S I National should be peak season for Northern growers ; Wanganui Horticultural Society had their show Saturday 17 September and it was the strongest show in our region this year , both for flower numbers and flower quality .I was unable to attend and only managed to locate photos of the Champion Bloom .
Champion Bloom – 1WW – NIGHTFLIGHT – Reg & Rita Cull .
Very few at the show had seen this variety before and Reg was initially unable to recall where he obtained his stock from .It is an English , Clive Postles flower , and when it was suggested he may have purchased it during the World Convention visit in 2008, Reg then recalled it’s origin . On his last visit to NZ , Brian Duncan had been hosted by Reg and Rita in Foxton and gifted Reg some bulbs . Nightflight had been very slow to acclimatize , then suffered a fly attack but recovered to produce its first flower , this season . By all accounts a big , strong bloom , very white and a deserved winner .
Big thanks to Wayne , Sue and family , also David , Lynn and the small crew that managed this good show with about 550 blooms from 20 exhibitors .
Only a few odds and ends left from the season .
Graham Phillips was delighted to win the prestigious ” 12 raised by exhibitor ” class at the N I National .His seedling double , of slightly different form , was a standout in his good entry
GP U – 92 – 5 , – MH 32 – 01 ( 4W – PR ) – X – GP – I 44 – 1 ( 82-64-8 – X – MH 2W-P ( EARLY DAILMANACH ).
I flowered for the first time this season , a recent John Hunter 1Y – P , – INSIGHT .Seed parent is American Heritage .
A big smooth flower and the deepest colours I have seen in a yellow pink. They have certainly advanced a long way in recent years from the softer , pastel colours that we thought were amazing a few decades back .
Also from John Hunter , SPACELIGHT 4W – P , an earlier registration , was a consistent , full double ; bred from a Tropic Isle double line .
Brightest of the red / pink doubles was my JFM 13 – 11 , not quite show form but hot colours , pleasingly setting seed this year .
Probably the brightest flower to stand out in the garden this season was 2W – YRR , -STORMBRINGER , – Gordon Coombes .The colour is a strong , glowing orange / red that holds well when picked .Perhaps not quite show form but COLOUR .
A Graham Phillips red/pink , from a Magician breeding line , was also impressive for colour .Not a big bloom but so very bright . Also shown with Stormbringer .