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The Pniël Congregational church hall was once again transformed into a colourful bouquet at the weekend, when the annual Chrysanthemum Show was hosted.
On Friday (3 May), judging the hundreds of flowers, a panel of chrysanthemum experts was joined by a trainee judge.
“The Stellenbosch club is older than ours, which was founded in 1981 after a need for one was established,” said Richard Williams said.
The former school principal, who is secretary of the local club and himself a top chrysanthemum grower, was also secretary of the flower fair. “Growing these plants is a commitment, as it take nine months to grow and flowers only after seven months,” he explained.
“We have tried to get more young people involved with workshops, but they don’t seem to have an interest. However, the club has three new members and we are grateful for the new blood.”
Growers competed in various categories, which included large, large reflex, incurve, spiders and anemone, each category having its own specifications.
Flowers to be judged need to be cut at 60 cm, show the health of the plant leaves and be presented in a glass bottle.
Making sure the flowers remain fresh for the judging is a science, and a cocktail of alum, bleach and sugar ensures the flowers look their best on judging and show days.
The Pniël Horicultural and Industrial Society was founded by Freddie Simpson and Bernard Mentoor, Williams’ father-in-law, and supported by Simpson’s brother Titus. Members of the club are now spread as far afield as Ottery, Kuils River and Macassar, and they travel to show their flowers at the fair.
Williams said despite the devastation caused by recent storms, many growers still managed to bring the best from their gardens.
“Some members were really hit hard, and two of our local growers decided not to take part this year. Growing these flowers is part of Pniël’s heritage and a practice we take very seriously,” he said.
“It is a skill we aim to share with future generations, also because we growers are a small, tight-knit community.”
Part of the reason is that growing chrysanthemums is specialised; they are not usually grown from seeds or bulbs, but from cuttings. These are shared among chrysanthemum enthusiasts, and they travel from China to New Zealand.
The big winner of the day was Mentoor, an honorary member and legendary grower. He walked away with the most prizes and was also named champion grower.
A new member surprised everyone with all his achievements; Karl Lewies walked away with the coveted prize for best flower, while Wallie Lakay had three champion flowers.
Now the club members as well as their chrysanthemums rest until July or August, when the work begins again and they start growing their prized flowers for the next festival.
