Twenty twenty-four could not be off to a better start! Our first meeting of the year was at the beautiful garden of Denise Hackett. What a stunner!  Denise, thank you so much for having us.

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and the meeting was very well attended. Denise had recently won first prize in the Most Improved Garden Competition and her garden was on point!

There were gorgeous collections of potted bromeliads. They were beautifully displayed in their equally beautiful and complementary pots, at different levels, each eye-catching. A tree trunk was left in place instead of being cut to the ground, and this was also beautifully adorned with bromeliads. It made a wonderful statement. It is said “when you’re given a lemon, make lemonade”. Denise did just that!

The garden was punctuated by garden ornaments, pagodas, stony enclosures, wood chip beds and flagstone pavers. All so tastefully placed, and nothing seemed overdone.

All in attendance were enchanted by the whole spectacle.

Our speaker was the illustrious Roshni Ramsingh. Roshni is a highly trained entomologist and gosh, did that training show. She was simply phenomenal! She had us all riveted to her every word and we just couldn’t get enough. Roshni not only has the knowledge, but she has the gift of imparting knowledge, with the perfect mix of enthusiasm and fun. Hopefully Roshni will return in the not-too-distant future to further educate us.

The show bench was bromeliads with some beautiful specimens brought for judging. Thanks to Chancy Moll and Katie Bennett for the judging.

The photo quiz has morphed into a photo board for discussion, as too few members were participating in the quiz. The 10 pictures were briefly discussed, and their bios will be also posted online as a very useful resource for all garden enthusiasts. One can learn the soil, water and light requirements, propagation methods, possible pests etc.

The meeting was concluded and all shared in the most scrumptious finger foods while catching up with each other.

The next meeting will be at The Wild Fowl Trust in Point-à-Pierre on Saturday, 24^th February at 3 pm.   See you all there.