Family focus at rose spectacular

A NEW family focus is coming to the annual Leongatha rose spectacular.
The show is set to be held this Friday and Saturday at Leongatha’s Memorial Hall.
For almost 50 years, the Rose Spectacular has been more than a beautiful flower show; it’s a hub of community activity.
Now with the inclusion of a Kiddies Corner, more families are encouraged to come along and enjoy the stunning show.
To celebrate this, the Children’s Rose is this year’s feature rose.
In Australia, the Children’s Rose is a delicate pale pink with a gorgeous perfume.
This rose has made frequent appearances at the rose spectacular.
The flowers open slowly and are quite long lasting.
Australia’s Children’s Rose was bred by the famous French horticultural family the Meillands.
It was registered in 1994 as “Frederic Misteral” in honour of the literary great, but was later introduced as the “Children’s Rose”.
There are at least two other known “Children’s Roses” internationally.
It has been suggested there may be other Children’s Roses, but the number that are named and registered is unclear.
This puzzle will be a highlight at the Leongatha Rose Spectacular.
The Kiddies Corner is a great initiative by the Leongatha Horticultural Society.
Activities will include cutting and pasting, and colouring.
Parents will be able to safely leave their children to have fun whilst they enjoy the show.
It is a new way of generating more interest in show and maybe even inspiring children to develop a love of flowers and gardening early.
President Sandra Macdonald said the Leongatha Horticultural Society is currently brainstorming more ideas to get children and the local schools more involved in the show.
“We can’t very well have children growing and picking roses like we do with the Daffodil Show, but we’d like them to start an interest, because it will come back later,” she said.
“Our main aim is to engage with young parents, and hopefully, work with them on ideas in the future.”
The Leongatha Rose Spectacular began 47 years ago to support the Institute for the Blind.
It also offers fundraising opportunities for the Leongatha Red Cross Auxiliary and the Leongatha Lions who – behind the scenes – do all the heavy lifting.
Another highlight is the Community Floral Arrangement competition.
There are often around 20 entries, including groups and clubs who may usually have nothing to do with flowers and greenery, like sporting clubs.
In addition to the special displays, there’s always scope at the show for individuals, clubs like The Woodies or small businesses to promote themselves and support the community.
A plan for future growth is already developing for Leongatha Horticultural Society.
At the Leongatha Community House, an outline for rose workshops in 2019 is in the works, as well as prospects for a Rose Lovers Club.

Exciting show: Harvest Laneway’s Adam Christensen and Leongatha Horticultural Society president Sandra Macdonald are looking forward to showcasing the Children’s Rose in this year’s Leongatha Rose Spectacular.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Nov 6 2018. Filed under Arts & Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry