The Pukaha Mount Bruce Wairarapa Garden Tour was again highly successful, giving pleasure and enjoyment to hundreds who came from all over the country to see what our top gardens had to offer.
They put money into the coffers too, something the national wildlife centre relies on to help in the fight against pests and to carry forward its forest restoration work.
On Sunday the Opaki School garden party and plant sale was an astonishing success.
My wife and I arrived 20 minutes ahead of the time the gates were officially to open, believing we would be first to arrive.
Not so, there was a queue of dozens ahead of us and by the time the countdown to 8.30am was made many more were stretched out behind us and carloads were arriving.
The garden party is no small venture and must be quite a logistical exercise to organise but perhaps the most satisfying aspect - at least from a customer's viewpoint - is the realisation the pupils are right in the front line working behind the scenes and dealing with the public also.
It really is a great credit to them and of course the school management and community.
One of the spin-offs from the involvement of the children will, hopefully, be that it will spark an interest in them in the product they are producing and selling.
In other words that they will develop into the next generation of garden and tree lovers.
