-An ideal outing for the family
DO YOU have a green finger? Are you a flower plant or gardening enthusiast? Then the Umana Yana, in upper High Street, Kingston is the perfect place for you to be over the weekend.
The activity there will be the annual show held by the Horticultural Society of Guyana (HSG) on Saturday March 26 and Sunday 27, and with  22 classes of plants and ornamentals on display and in competition to be the ‘Best’ as well as lectures and demonstrations, there will be plenty to see, buy and do, the organizers says. A chat with the organizers revealed that the show is really a celebration by the HSG of the uniqueness of Guyana’s  horticultural delights, the best.
Dish gardens, roses, bougainvilleas, hibiscuses, mussaendas, lilies, anthuriums, orchids and floral arrangements and ornamental shrubs and trees and many more will guarantee a brilliantly colourful spectacle of the highest quality.
Youlanda Vasconcellos, a member of the HSG, said Thursday that with last year’s show a tremendous success in terms of visitors, exhibitors, and keenness of competition, and entries to date for this year’s event numbering well over two hundred, the Society is anticipating an even greater turnout this year, with many more gardening enthusiasts and plant lovers displaying their skills to catch the eyes of the judges.
Plant growers from East and West Berbice, and from Linden and East and West Demerara have registered for the competition, and registration is ongoing.
The show will be conducted in accordance with the Rules and Standards contained in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Horticultural Show Handbook, except in the classes of the competition where they do not obviously apply.
Additionally, a new feature this year will be lectures and demonstrations for ‘newbies’ as well as veterans.
These  lectures/demos will be held by the National Agricultural Research  and Extension Institute (NAREI), the Ministry of Agriculture, and Caribbean Chemicals Limited at specific times at the same venue during the duration of the show.
The timings of these lectures/demos are being finalized, and are to be publicized as the date of the show draws closer.
Vasconcellos said that browsing should be a treat, and will also offer inspiration to amateurs and others interested in improving their skills in cultivating plants and vegetables.
The timings which have been concretized for the 2011 show are Saturday March 26 from 10:00h to 18:00h and ditto on Sunday March 27.
Ms. Allison Noord, another HSG organizer, disclosed that visitors can purchase plants, shrubs, trees, ornamentals, pots, containers and ornamentals on display at special show prices.
“The drill is that they can pay for the plants that they want on Saturday, and then uplift them at the end of the show on Sunday. Or they can wait until Sunday, though that may not be a wise thing to do, since they can lose out. If this is your thing, it would be better to be safe than to be sorry,” Noord said.
The organizers say that with the displays and the competition as well as a snack bar at the Umana Yana and the children’s flower display and competition, there will be really something for everyone,  making either one or both days at the HSG 2011 show an ideal family outing to remember. (Clifford Stanley)