By Fran Benton and Ajay Oppelaar
Even if your garden is no more that three pots at the front door, you will love your visit to the 72nd annual Mill Bay Garden Club’s annual flower and garden show.
This show has it all — great food, beautiful flowers, plants to purchase, garden vendors, and a huge silent auction. The garden show features a fierce competition in flower, fruit, and vegetable categories. Do you love your garden but are puzzled by its problems? Bring your garden problems to the master gardeners. Buy the newest and most attractive plants and flowers in the outside vendor area. As always there are plant bargains galore at the Mill Bay Garden Club’s huge plant stall.
This year the Community Flower and Garden show will be held on Saturday, May 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The theme for this year’s show is “Celebrate Gardening” and all design entries must follow the guidelines for this year’s theme. Seventy-five categories of flower, plant and edible classes round out the amazing show of color collected from gardens all over the Cowichan Valley. In years past almost 250 entries were registered! It’s a real giant of a show!
This show directly benefits local charities. It also supports a bursary fund established by the Mill Bay Garden Club to provide financial assistance to qualifying local students entering higher education in agricultural and horticultural studies.
The silent auction has over 100 items donated by artisans, sponsors, businesses, and club members. Last year’s donations ranged from a truckload of primo bark mulch to an artist-created birdbath.
The South Cowichan Healthcare Auxiliary bakes up a delectable Strawberry Tea. Bring your appetite!
If you are the competitive gardener then enter our show. Entries for the judged classes will be taken on Friday, May 24 from noon till 6:30 p.m. Entry fee is 50 cents per entry with no limit on the number of entries. Programs are available locally at Buckerfields, Thrifty Foods, Country Grocer, Dinter Nursery or download it from our website www.millbaygardenclub.com
Show Admission is $2 for adults.
Be there or be garden deprived.
