Nelson Growables 2011

Meet this year’s lucky winner of the main door prize that all visitors to Nelson Growables had the opportunity to enter.  Amanda Young of Nelson won an edible garden makeover, valued at over $1,000, and proudly supported by NELMAC.

It included the following:

• Garden appraisal, advice and installation by local edible garden guru, Bruce McConnell, of NELMAC
• Raised beds, veggie seedlings and fruit trees all provided by Mitre10 Mega
• Soil products provided by Wholesale Landscapes
• And a selection of garden tools from McGregors

Amanda Young receives her tools from Jo Reilly of Nelson Growables and Bruce McConnell of NELMAC.

We were extremely fortunate with the weather for this year’s Growables, with a beautiful and reasonably calm day for the Fair, and over 4,500 interested gardeners turned up to enjoy it.  Over 100 displays showcasing everything from seedlings to trees, compost and fertilisers, garden furniture and art, grasses and exotics, chooks and bees. 
The annual Nelson Horticultural Society Rose and Iris show has now combined with Nelson Growables, and included some wonderful examples of top competition flowers.  The stunning array of cacti and succulents also impressed many and the cactus grafting and potting demos were a hit.

NELMAC are our local hanging basket experts, and this year the hanging baskets had an edible focus, with the public having the chance to create or purchase edible or herb baskets.  We are fortunate to have many experts resident in our area, and James Wheatley is a regular winner at the Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Palace.  James shared his garden design knowledge, as well as photos of his projects, and was a very popular seminar.
Our ‘Ask the Expert’ stand with Waimea Nurseries was new this year, and the experts were challenged with many varied questions, as well as presenting several workshops on taking care of fruit trees.

The great atmosphere achieved at Nelson Growables is helped by the character of Founders Heritage Park and the variety of food stands and musical entertainment throughout the day.

Photos from Growables 2011