SunLive - Gardens on Wheels returns for creative day out

Gardens on Wheels is an event anyone can be part of and everyone can enjoy.

It’s a showcase of landscape design and artistic fair all in one place, with the only criteria for an entry being that it has wheels, and it’s a garden.

The first Garden on Wheels took place in Te Puke last year as part of the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art festival.

This year’s event is on November 16 and coincides with the Te Puke Garden Ramble, so anyone wanting to be part of the display still has time to get creative.

Event director Karen Summerhays said last year’s event was successful enough to run it again, although this year’s Garden on Wheels has been simplified.

“[Last year] was the first time we’ve done it and ideally we’d love to build it to be a national event, but we are very much at the beginning phase – we’re just testing and working out how it works better.”

Sponsorship had been tricky to find and “we’re running on a shoestring really”.

However, Summerhays has no doubt that the inaugural event was a success with anyone from children to professional landscapers able and welcome to take part.

“People’s reactions when they came, especially from the people who entered, we got lots of really good stories around how it was a whānau-friendly activity to do, kids could get on board, and it was free to enter.”

She said it was also noticeable that caregivers also found the garden creation a “really neat activity” and the event itself was a good outing.

“On the other side of things, the creative gardener found an outlet that was manageable in scale. While it is a one-day event, the results can last all year.

“My little gardens I entered last time have been in the garden for the year, and I’ve loved them, I’ve moved them around when they’ve flowered and put them away when they’re not flowering. It’s been really great having some gardens on wheels.”

Entries

Summerhays thought others who took part last year would also be able to resurrect their entries.

A new addition this year is a category for floral arrangements.

“Some people came [last year] with cream cans with a whole load of things in them and put it on a skateboard or something which was absolutely fine, but there’s a bit of a difference between it being a garden with plants and soil that is ever lasting versus a floral arrangement.”

The preference was for people to pre-register.

One of last year’s entries. Photo / Supplied

“But that doesn’t mean if you decide to enter on the Friday before that you can’t put something together on the Saturday and rock up on the Sunday of the event.

“You just have to make sure you get there early enough to register before opening at 10.”