By KATHERINE HOBY
Once every 12 years, giant South African bluebells show their faces.
This year, veteran exhibitor Terry Hatch, of Pukekohe, has managed to coax the shy bloomers to flower for the Ellerslie Flower Show.
Mr Hatch won gold at the show last year and he is hoping the inclusion of such exotic species as the bluebells will help him win again.
Last year, the bluebells bloomed too early for the show but they are in full flower this year.
Mr Hatch got the original bulb from a man in Cambridge.
He said the plants originated in the mountains of Natal, in South Africa.
The flowers are third-generation descendants of the original bulb.
"They are so slow, you don't see them much," Mr Hatch said.
"This year they were just right and I was glad to see their pretty blue faces."
His exhibit this year consists of a series of beds: a waterbed with plants that thrive in wet conditions, a sunbed for sun lovers, a sickbed for variegated natives, and a four-poster bed he calls "Grandad's bed."
Mr Hatch is very pleased that people will get the chance to see the rare bluebell.
"They might not be a spectacular flower but they are so very beautiful to me because the flowers are so rare.
"It's like a shy child suddenly stepping into the sun."
Shy bells open for flower show
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.