Episode: New Zealand Ellerslie International Flower Show

Presenter: Melissa King

The tribute inside the floral marquee is a heart felt mark of respect for those that have lost their lives fighting for peace. 2006 is the year of the veteran so the theme this year is remembrance and florists and floral art clubs are given the task of transforming a three by three metre space into a unique floral creation.

The artists all work with fresh flowers, so displays go in just hours before the event. Designs are in the making for up to three months. The flowers are watered daily and also replaced to keep them in top condition for the show.

A lot of the displays draw inspiration from personal experience which makes them even more moving like the gold winning display that is dedicated to the memory of a lost uncle. Antheriums for the hearts of soldiers, palms for the places they fought, flax pods for home soldiers on parade are a memorial to an uncle seen through the bloodied mists of time.

Mallory Glen took out the gold award with a display inspired by war letters found in an old shoe box in her grandmothers house, written by two young soldier who died in their 20?s. The spheres represent the world while the spathophylums represent peace.

Another entry pays homage to the Maori battalion that lost many young leaders in war. The sculptured fern fronds filled with antheriums symbolise the women and children left behind. Beside them are the warriors in barb wire trenches.

The fresh flower company celebrate the Maori queen with a flamboyant display featuring golden yellow sunflowers, masses of lilies and an array of coloured and textural foliage.

The depth of symbolism in some of the displays is just amazing. Carol Laloli?s design took out the gold and the supreme judges award for its interpretation. Many crosses represent the soldiers that have been killed, but if you look closely you can see that each and every one of them is unique, just like those who went into battle.

The display is made from New Zealand?s own native leaves, stones and flora because that is what they were fighting to preserve. Exotic flowers represent the many soldiers that died on foreign lands and the nations sorrow is expressed through a wreath of antheriums, a circle of never ending love.