Budding Horticulturists Grow at Eden Gardens

For the last 15 years Eden Gardens has been nurturing community by supporting the City of Ryde with its Spring Garden Competition. It hosts the hospitality in its events facility, and over the years has contributed in judging and provided various experts as speakers for the gala evening.

Last month the main Spring Garden event evening was held at Eden Gardens. Prizes for best front and back garden, best community garden, school garden and commercial gardens, best bush regeneration project and native gardens, best courtyard and edible gardens are awarded. You can see the winners here https://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Events/Spring-Garden-Competition  This year, Meredith Kirton, Horticultural Journalist and Curator of Eden Unearthed, took a group on a preview of the installation art exhibition and was Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Shelley Meyers, Plant Buyer & Production Team Leader at Eden, gave a short presentation on some things to look out for in the spring garden.

Eden Gardens also organises a free annual event for children of the area to see the magic of nature through a Children’s Seed growing competition, the final category of the City of Ryde Spring Garden Competition. The Children’s seed growing was judged on Saturday 12th November at Eden Gardens.  Anna  Ainsworth, Community Development Manager and Director reflected, “It’s always incredibly popular. This year, 200 children collected the Sunflower seeds, donated by Fothergills, from Eden Gardens in August. The children planted and nurtured the sunflowers with 28 finalists bringing them to Eden for judging.”

 

One mother commented, “this is the first time in our family we have been grown any plants. My child loves the sunflowers. Now we all want to learn more”. It’s such a fabulous thing to watch a child become engaged and enthusiastic about the natural world, and it’s great to imagine that these will be the budding horticulturists and plant scientists of the future.

 

Since 2007 Eden Gardens has been the gold sponsor for the City of Ryde Spring Garden competition. These events reflect the organisation’s ethos of ‘Enriching People’s Lives With Plants’.

 

 

 

 By: Meredith Kirton