JUNE Mathieson is an avid gardener and by the size and beauty of her Mansfield urban garden she spends a lot of time planting, grooming and generally keeping the lawns and gardens beds looking their best.

And the best time of the year is spring when there are dozens of varieties of flowers in full bloom, this year in particular there has been an early blooming of roses.

When asked why did she start gardening, and for many years has entered numerous flower shows, she said she has always loved gardening and seeing them bloom.

“I first started entering flower shows when Ruth Carter and Margaret Yates encouraged me to enter my first show,” June explained.

“The ladies needed more floral entries for the Mansfield Agricultural and Pastoral Society annual show.

“Ruth came around and wandered through my garden saying how amazed she was at the variety and color of flowers in my backyard and picked some to take for the show; that’s how it all started,” June said.

Over the years June has won prizes and special awards for her cut flowers, pot plants, roses and floral arrangements.

She proudly displays some 12 ‘Most Successful Exhibitor – Floriculture’ sashes along with literally hundreds of ‘First Prize’ certificates from the local show; add to that 10 Medallions – the SS McKay Medals from the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria (Melbourne Show).

In 2019 (prior to COVID and floods) she took out her first Champion Rose wins.

“I’ve always wanted to take out that top award and that year I did it, just as well because the next three years the show wasn’t held in full glory,” June said.

Last year the floral section of the A&P Show was held at the Delatite Hotel which was successful but not as many entries.

“To win the Most Successful Exhibitor in the show you need to win in at least four sections, pot plant, cut flower, roses and an arrangement for floral art,” she said.

“It is a lot of work in the buildup but it is worth it.”

“I love gardening and I love plants and this has encouraged me further; and I go an help at the show, putting all entries in their right place and making sure they are displayed correctly,” June said.

“Over the years there have been many rule changes made to how to enter and how they are judged.”

Not only has June been successful a the A&P Society show but in former years the Uniting Church used to hold an annual flower show, and of course June would enter that as well – also taking out prizes.

June finished by saying that the society would like to see more children enter the floral sections – there are special categories for the kids.

“We are keen to get the kids involved,” she concluded.

The Mansfield Agricultural and Pastoral Society annual show will be held on November 18 from 9.30am through to around 4.30pm.