The Ellerslie International Flower Show has been a resounding success for two Otago exhibitors, Gillian Vine reports.
IT has been many years since Otago garden designers entered the Ellerslie International Flower Show (EIFS) but this year two women created show gardens that wowed the judges.
Emily McEwan, of Outright Landscape Design, won gold for ''Outside the Box'', a courtyard-style garden designed to reflect life's challenges.
Sally Brown, of Waitati, won silver for ''Passion'', which showed her devotion to plants and flowers, then went on to take one of the show's top honours, the Supreme Award for Horticulture.
Neither had entered EIFS before and their successes were in a much larger line-up of exhibition gardens - 20 - than last year's handful.
''It's just astonishing to get to this stage after such a whirlwind of activity. It's amazing,'' Emily said, on learning of her success.
She chose some challenging combinations, bright orange Ember Glow hot pokers (Kniphofia), alongside pink ''gravel'' paths of Stoneset recycled glass.
She made excellent use of water flowing down a sculpted centrepiece to a pool with reflective capabilities enhanced by colouring the water black.
''I used about 20 bottles of food colouring to do it,'' she said.
Paying tribute to the construction work by Gavin Slaughter, of Christchurch's Evergreen Landcare, she said: ''Without Gavin, it [the gold award] wouldn't have happened.''
''Passion'' is a study in pink. As well as some 3000 plants with pink blooms, Sally and her parents, as well as supporters, wore something pink to underline the theme.
Two Otago floral artists also enjoyed success at EIFS. For their entries, Marion Partridge, of Herbert, and Barbara Watt, of Weston, both received merit awards.
