Far North touch for Newmarket’s Highwic Fair
Keen gardeners from near and far will converge on Newmarket, Auckland, on Sunday week (March 15) for the 2015 Highwic Plant Fair, the annual event organised by gardener and plantsman Martin Keay that brings together a selected group of specialty growers and horticultural groups to showcase and sell a range of botanic treasures, including plants, bulbs, shrubs, trees, vegetables and flowers.
“The Highwic Plant Fair has become an annual fixture for keen gardeners and passionate plant collectors in Auckland and further afield,” said Cheryl Laurie, who manages the Heritage New Zealand property.
“This year’s stallholders will provide some wonderfully varied specimens for purchase,” she added.
And this time there would be a Far North touch courtesy of Lake Ngatu Plantations, whose owner, Peter Enticott, said the occasion was too good an opportunity to miss.
“This is a must do, once-a-year event involving the cream of the cream of growers offering their best quality range of plant material,” he said.
“We love the atmosphere as well as sharing our knowledge, chatting with the punters and other growers.”
Lake Ngatu Plantations will be offering sub- tropical and semitemperate plants, including indoor specimens, trees and shrubs suitable for outdoor culture, and a selection of unusual and rare specimens.
“We’ll also have a great selection of tropical frangipani,” Peter said.
World- renowned horticulturist,Dr Keith Hammett will be there too.
Well known for his contribution of seeds and expertise to Highwic’s November Sweet Pea Festival, he will have a range of his specially cultivated dahlia tubers for sale, as well as a range of sweet peas.
“The Highwic
Plant
Fair provides a great opportunity for gardeners to buy quality plant and seed stock at a very reasonable price in time for autumn planting,” says Cheryl.
Admission to the fair (8.30am3pm) will cost $10, including entry to Highwic House, children free. Everything will be under cover should the weather turn nasty.