The Rongotea Horticultural and Produce Society held it,s spring show on Thursday17 September . Warmer , settled weather had advanced the season considerably and we all now had a good range of blooms to select from . Judge WAYNE HUGHES had about 250 blooms to assess and the premier table was of a good standard . Always notable at Rongotea is the good number of flowers staged in the amateur and novice classes ; it is also notable that they are steadily improving their flower quality and also the staging and presentation of their blooms . Rongotea is the nearest “home ” show for veterans Reg and Rita Cull from Foxton and they produced a very impressive lot of flowers with deserved good results . Reg has been judging here for over 20 years and this was his first time as an exhibitor for that period .It is always a buzz to win Champion Bloom with one of your own seedlings and Reg produced a superb 2Y – WWY Twelve Gauge to take the top award and add to it,s impressive show record . Reg is a very keen ( and proficient ) trap shooter and duck hunter – a ” Twelve Gauge ” is his favourite calibre of shotgun – hence the name .The tube on the flower is almost “gunbarrel ” straight .He recalls his first shots ( aged about 12 ) , with an over and under 12 gauge , out duck shooting with his father . He pulled both triggers together and was recoiled backwards very quickly .
Champion Bloom 2Y – WWY TWELVE GAUGE Reg & Rita Cull
Reserve Champion 3W – YO SHOWDOWN Reg & Rita Cull
Premier Trumpet 1W – Y EBONY Reg & Rita Cull
Premier Redcup 2Y – O JAMORE Julie Harris .
Premier Double 4Y – R BALLISTIC John McLennan
Premier Intermediate 2Y – R ESKEDOS John Mclennan
Premier Seedling 2Y – Y Reg & Rita Cull
Premier Tazetta 8W – YOY . HARPSWELL Wilfred Hall This beauty is a recent registration . Unusual , attractive cup colouring for this Poetaz
Premier Historic 8W – Y GRAND MONARQUE Joan Marshall
Premier Amateur 3W – W POLAR CONVENTION Dennis Rodgers
Premier Mini Vase BULBICODIUM CONSPICUOUS Elsa Stern
Premier Children’s 4Y – O KIWI SOLSTICE Zac Sullivan
A very good Premier table at this great little country show .
Thanks for posting these photographs John. It is nice to see what is happening in the old home town.
Looks like Reg and Rita had some lovely flowers, I particularly like the seedling 2YY.
Robin
You have a good judges eye Robin . The beautiful seedling was in the hunt until the finish . probably third best . very flat and smooth , a well proportioned big flower . but , just noticeable in the photo was a very flat spot on the top of the tube – Reg said he tried to round it but couldn,t .Wayne thought long and hard about the last three , — all fine flowers .
Very nice John, I like the seedling too and have long admired Twelve Gauge. Lovely photos of Harpswell, isn’t it a beautiful colour.