Garden lovers will be able to smell the roses at Addo show
ADDO Rose & Garden Show organisers are confident this year’s exhibition will be a blooming success and are inviting the public for a chance to smell the roses – literally.
The theme for this year’s main exhibition will be Queen’s
The show, which will be held in and around the town’s Valentine Hall next Saturday and Sunday, is sure to be a memorable and fun family experience.
While the main attraction will again be the thousands of fragrant blooms ingeniously used to form magnificent displays, there is much to see and do besides appreciate roses.
Event manager Loryn van Eck of Magnetic Storm said visitors could fill their picnic baskets to the brim at the farmers’ market, where goods like fresh fruit, olives, preserves, honey, cheeses and wines will be available.
The Rose Café at the show will also offer light lunches, pastries and specialised tea and coffees.
The Food Village will provide take-away meals while the handcraft stalls will offer Christmas and birthday gift choices.
The gardening fraternity will again be out in force, selling everything from succulents and indigenous trees to a vast selection of shrubs and roses.
“Most of the children’s activities will be offered free of charge, such as the jungle gyms, a jumping castle, giant size games, zip lines and log swings,” Van Eck said.
A speakers’ corner will provide interactive sessions on environmental issues and prominent gardening professionals will share their knowledge. They include the likes of Allan Haschick of Floradale Nursery on his Chelsea Garden Show experience, Mimi Rupp of Smartstone on succulents and their ideal companions and Dr Rachel Hobson on growing irises.
The show is a fundraiser for the many charities that form part of the Sunday’s River Women’s Institute, who coordinate the festival and whose members are responsible for the vibrant displays of roses every year.
The entertainment on offer is open air and unplugged, and will be provided by youth groups and schools from within the Addo and Nelson Mandela Bay area.
There will also be prizes, lucky draws and giveaways.
Gates open at 9am with an entrance fee of R50 for adults, R20 for children under 13, and free for toddlers.