Chief steward in the flower section is Maryanne Parker, who originally hailed from Booroowa.

Growing up there as a child, Maryanne watched her mother create entries for the horticulture section. She submitted her own entries using the spare flowers from her mother’s.

Booroowa’s Show is held annually in March, and at that time of the year the dahlias are the dominant species.

Queanbeyan’s Show time however, being in the later part of the year, lends itself to the elegant blooms of roses, spring bulbs and irises.

So when Maryanne moved here and saw the notice calling for entries, she submitted some cut flowers and floral arrangements, and did very well for her efforts.

One year when there was no steward to coordinate the exhibits, she recalled the dear old fellow who was helping in the section appointed her to assist him and she has been a steward ever since. Of course, we all know how fickle gardening and weather can be, and Maryanne remembers the terrible storm that blew through Queanbeyan the night before the staging of the exhibits in 2015, brutally depleting the number of entries.

This year, Maryanne is pleased to announce the newest class in the section, the No. 12 special challenge, set to involve using your spare roses.

There are also classes for the younger green thumbs in the junior flower section, including the decorative tea cup and saucer arrangement in an egg cup for 12 years and under, and the fairy or dragon garden for 13-16 years.

Check out the details at queanbeyanshow.com.au and get busy in the garden creating your show pieces. The Queanbeyan Show will be held on November 12 and 13.

A tip from the author: The best time to visit the flower section is after judging on Saturday morning. In 2015, the award-winning iris that stunned the judges on the Saturday looked more like a molten toffee by the Sunday!