Sep 17

Last Ever Southwater Horticultural Society Summer Show

31st August 2024

This was the 78th and Final Southwater Horticultural Summer Show. A fixture in the village since 1945, the Society has run a number of annual Shows including the Spring, Rose & Sweet Pea, Summer and Autumn (Chrysanthemum & Dahlia) Shows, not forgetting the Plant Sale where members could sell off any surplus plants before the summer set in.

The Society has also benefited from affiliate memberships including The Royal Horticultural Society, The Daffodil Society, The National Vegetable Society, The Dahlia Society, The Rose Society, The Hampshire Federation, The Sweet Pea Society whilst enjoying an interactive and fun relationship with neighbouring Societies such as Mannings Heath, Horsham and Slinfold Horticultural Societies.

The Society also ran a successful shop at the old Southwater Railway Station selling garden requisites from fertilisers, seeds and manure to flower pots for many years in the 1970’s and 80’s, and it had a hugely popular AmDram wing, (SHADES) putting on an annual Panto at the Village Hall – riotous events and great fun.

There were summer outings and monthly talks, too. Highlights included a talk by Marguerite Patten on her wartime cookery experiences and hosting an episode of BBC Radio Gardener’s Question Time, both of which were sell-out events.

However, lifestyles and interests change and people move on. Over time the range of activities and events the Society was able to offer became smaller and the number of people to run them even smaller. A decision had to be made and we were forced to make the sad decision to close.

One thing has remained consistent, though, and that is the quality of the exhibits which make it to the show-bench, and this year has been no exception!

The fruit and vegetable classes in particular demonstrated the skills of the growers, battling against arguably the weirdest weather yet – storms, relentless rain, cold, drought and tropical heat have followed each other sometimes on a daily basis. Even as we write this the day after the show, when a chilly wind blew under grey skies, we have had sunshine and a temperature of 28º.

There was a gorgeous display of dahlias and the Special Fuchsia Competition (we all started with the same single variety plug plant provided by the Society) was the most amazing ever. The roses were resplendent and the floral art simply stunning.

The afternoon brought plenty of visitors, who not only enjoyed wandering up and down the show benches but stopped to enjoy tea, cakes and a general chat, making it a proper village occasion.

A special mention must go to one member who was missing at the last moment – Jenny Ansell – who fell prey to the Covid-19. Jenny tells us she has only missed two shows before in all the years she’s attended, starting aged 4 years and 11 months in August 1957! Fortunately, the virus didn’t stop her sending in some of her entries, which was lucky indeed as she won Best in Show for a jar of raspberry jam!