20.09.11:Nearly 700 entries were logged for the Veryan show this year. A huge vote of thanks from everyone went out to the Show Committee, who work hard to present one of the best village shows in the area.

There was an array of talent from photography, art, floral display, handicraft and vegetable gardens in Veryan and our own gardening writer, Nicola Bush, was really quite breath-taken. She told Roseland Online, “There were heated discussions about the height and width of flower arrangements and the rule book had to be brought out! There were comments made about what a pound jar looked like for jam, should you trim the roots of your beetroot, did the longest runner bean have to be straight and poor Trevor (a previous champion pumpkin winner) who told us his prize pumpkin was rotting nicely on his compost heap! But in my humble opinion the standard of exhibits was one of the highest ever. Of course the aforementioned St Just dahlias were justifiably first again and there was no touching Mr Speirs and his vegetables, both truly outstanding.”

Children’s exhibits always draw the crowds, and an apple painted by an eight year old with such an eye for colour and form, you felt you could eat it, was a suitable winner. And in the poetry, which was presented with beautiful handwriting, Nicola was told boldly later by one entrant, ‘I don’t like poetry!’

Nicola added, “It was a superb afternoon and brilliantly organised; a simple thank you doesn’t seem enough to those committee officials who were on their feet for over 10 hours on the day, let alone the night before and the hours of planning.”

You can read more about the show and Nicola’s usual tips in this month’s Gardening Matters.