After 50 years of growing, displaying and picking up awards for her diverse varieties of dahlias, Napier woman Loretta Nelson is more than adept at ensuring the flowers are in the best of shape - even during the worst of times.
"The winds we've had lately have been horrendous," she said, explaining that she devised "splints" to keep many of the 80 dahlias growing in her garden in the best shape.
As well as the winds, the waves of heat had also been challenging as it could cause stems to go into lazy "esses".
"So I've got splints on some stems - they are held on by clothes pegs."
Like other growers of the unique dahlia varieties (the flowers range in size from mere golf balls to an adult's head), she is looking forward to the annual Hawke's Bay Dahlia Circle public show which is being staged at the Tamatea Intermediate Hall today between 10am and 4pm.