Events & Entertainment, Verwood | Posted on March 27th, 2026 | return to news

Hundreds visit garden plant show in Verwood

Verwood and District Horticultural Society’s Spring Show was a big success on Saturday 21 March.

Green-fingered gardeners and clever crafters showed off their best creations at the Verwood and District Horticultural Society’s (VDHS) Spring Show on Saturday 21 March.

Held in Verwood Memorial Hall, hundreds attended to see over 300 exhibits, including plants and flowers, artworks, knitted items and baked goods, with prizes for the best entries. There were also children’s competition categories, including LEGO creations, colouring and characters made from toilet rolls.

VDHS President Ollie Greensmith described the standard of competition entries this year as “amazing”. He said: “We’ve done this for the last three or four years and this is the most we’ve had. It’s getting bigger. There are more people coming through.

“It’s been fun watching it all come together.”

Appropriately for the season, this year’s show introduced a new category for advanced daffodil growers, with enthusiasts cultivating and displaying a variety of daffodil species.

Top honours in two new daffodil challenges were awarded to Michael Latham and Clare Gribbin, who each took home one of the newly introduced daffodil medals. Best Exhibit in Daffodils went to Norman Castro. Meanwhile, David Bassil was named overall points winner across the show, impressing judges with a series of entries, including a bowl of three electric-blue hyacinths.

Taking place outside the hall was the scarecrow competition, which featured a variety of historical figures created by families, schools and community groups. Among the entries were a regal Marie Antoinette, education activist Malala Yousafzai and physicist Albert Einstein. The winner of the public vote for best scarecrow was Hillside First School with their depiction of broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough. Their environmentally themed scarecrow, stuffed with recycled crisp packets, struck a chord with visitors and earned the school a £50 prize.

Several local businesses sponsored the Spring Show, including Stewarts Garden Centre, Emma’s Bakery, HGW Solicitors and Lynwood Vets.

The society thanked all the exhibitors, volunteers and visitors who contributed to the event.

VDHS will have an Autumn Show in September, and next year is the society’s 80th anniversary.

If you would like to join the VDHS, or find out how to get involved, please contact Ollie at verwoodhorticulturalsociety@gmail.com or visit the website www.verwoodhorticulturalsociety.co.uk.