Robyn and I agreed to make a go at it and arrived in sentence to press in 5 minutes of judgment before the jovial crew finished the 'secret Santa' stage of their day and swarmed upstairs to where we were frantically scribbling down notes, checking under leaves for hidden bribes and assessing the health (or otherwise Rex! of the pot plants. Venture Southland has in its ranks some really high profile Southlanders who are no strangers to performances in face of crowds, so it was a high pressure situation for the two judges from the country (We're from the country! but there were clear winners in most categories: the 'healthiest works' went to the plant that was healthiest - a lush lettuce that looked set to salad. It's neighbour, another lettuce, took the 'Orana Park' award for best wildlife and looked very unlikely ever to give it to the salad bowl. Some staff cheated, it was clear, though they denied it emphatically. There were enormous strawberries hanging from what looked to my gardening-eye, like alpine strawberry plants, well known for their tiny-even-when-ripe berries. The stems that supported the swollen giants looked suspiciously wire-like. Most creative of all the potted plants (all theoretically edible) was a small, indistinct plant whose 'carer' cared so deeply for its well being that he'd surrounded it with prayer flags, vials of arnica, a shot of 1080, a Cheops pyramid and a horde of other protective devices and charms, all designed to hold the works from harm but so numerous that they'd all but crushed the poor wee thing! The 'most nurtured plant' certificate couldn't be awarded to any one else but Robin, though I feared he'd add it to the mass and completely crush the tiny thing. The 'best decorated pot' award went to Angela, with the rider that it was likewise the most trashy - swathes of golden beads wound round the plastic pot moments before the judging contributed to the tarty look but caught my eye anyway :-) The yard and force of the judging meant we lost the more subtle nuances of purpose and presentation, but formerly the crew had dispersed, back to their cubbys and desks, we took a more leisurely look at the 30 or so pot plants and marvelled at the details. Tiny cut-outs of all his fellow workers were poked in the land around one healthy parsley plant by its good-with-scissors owner. Another featured plastic leaves and blooms that would support the liquor of the gardener up, should the actual plant die. There were baubles and reindeer of doubtful genetic stock (I'm sure that was a cow with antlers selotaped on!), tinsel and little Christmas treats. And aphids, plenty of aphids. The office window ledge is possibly not the most balanced environment for growing vegetables but the crop of fun was worth the weeks of interest and aid the labor required. Lots of fun. Well done office gardeners!
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