Photograph
and report on this page by Sally Devine.
WITH A 34 acre showground that caters for all tastes, not only in gardening, but also in crafts and food, it is not surprising that the Southport Flower Show pulls in record crowds from all over the UK each year. This year has proved to be no exception to that rule. Despite the dark grey sky above, the crowds were already building up as Christine Hamilton opened the show on Thursday with Roddy Llewelyn at a ceremony held on the bandstand on Thursday 21 August. After opening the show Neil and Christine were taken around the show ground. This year the Southport Flower Show is 74 years old and the theme is Literature. The efforts put into this years gardens have produced the best ever show yet. One of the highlights was a glass garden themed on Alice In Wonderland, created by Pilkington Glass. Another garden that stood out was a Harry Potter Theme Garden created by a young offenders institution, both of them gaining Gold in their classes. Also on offer were Falconry Displays with Percy The Buzzard and a peregrine Falcon that was not very co-operative. The bandstand featured music from the local Merseyshippi Jazz Band and Blue Bells Steel Band. Plenty of exhibitions and tents, not forgetting ginger wine tasting from Dorset, gingerbreads from Ingleton, luxury spars, indoor barbecues (fantastic for the normal British summer), Mexican style chimes, garden gargoyles, wine tasting, honey tasting and bee keeping. One again Southport flies the flag high in Horticulture. For our full coverage, please see next Saturdays issue.
