16/02/2026
2026 is a special milestone year for our Club as we celebrate 50 years of floral design in Central Southland. At our first meeting of the year designers worked to the title “(Let’s start our year of Birthday Celebrations with) A Dinner Table Design”. It was lovely to see so many designs gracing the Show Bench, all very different in styling and highlighting flowers from our gardens. Thank you to Judges Rhonda and Heather for your constructive comments and suggestions for improvement.
We hit the year running with a hands-on Workshop. Members worked with great enthusiasm to create rustic bird cages under the guidance of Anna and Wendy who had pre-prepared materials packs and guided us through the technique. Participants put their own spin on the concept and the outcomes were absolutely delightful. We look forward to seeing how everyone uses their “cage” and the extension ideas that result. A great way to start the year, thank you Anna and Wendy.
Some of the members who were able to attend our Concrete Workshop at Forest Hill in January showed their now dry pieces. It must have been a fun day, messy in the best possible way, and the resulting balls are useful components for contemporary design or the garden. Thanks to Julie for sharing your expertise in creating these.
Like many other Clubs, our programme relies on members researching, experimenting, trialing and then sharing techniques and concepts with fellow club members. I saw a quote recently that I think encapsulate this philosophy … “Each time you share, you make a little space in your mind and that space invites something new in” … Ilse Beunen, a Belgian Ikebana teacher. As a Club we get to experience lots of different aspects of floral design and our members are richer for the generosity of the people who accept the challenge of tutoring. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU … and please keep making that “space”.
