THE curtains came down on the second staging of the Westmoreland Horticulture Society’s best kept garden competition a fortnight ago, but in several homes in the parish, young horticulturists continued practicing their newfound skills. Afterall, this was the main aim behind the competition, which seeks to get more young people involved in horticulture, while grooming them to become future members of the Society.

No doubt, students attending Unity Primary would have very strong motivation to continue practising the skills they acquired going into the competition since they triumphed over seven other Westmoreland schools to take home the best kept garden trophy this year. In fact, coordinator for the school, Fay Peynado, lauded the competition and highlighted the positive impact it has had on her students. “They are so excited about watering the plants and taking care of them at school. And when they get home, they will educate their parents about gardening,” she remarked.

Like their counterparts at Unity Primary, students attending Caledonia All-Age and Georges Plain Primary, which placed second and third respectively, acquired similar skills which they have taken back to their communities.

The other participating schools included the Holly Hill Primary, Little London Primary, Sir Clifford Campbell Primary, Grange Hill Primary and the School of Hope. They were all awarded certificates of participation at the end of the competition.

The announcement of the three top schools was made at the 24th Westmoreland Horticulture Flower Fruit and Vegetable Show held at Manning’s High School two Sundays ago. Each competing school had to adhere to strict criteria, linked to the variety and condition of the plants grown, garden layout, community involvement and record keeping.

Meanwhile, Reverend Father Collin Reid urged the Westmoreland Horticulture Society to intensify gardening programmes in schools in an effort to make Jamaicans “more aware of nature”. Reid, who delivered the keynote address at last Sunday’s show, also challenged the audience to put pressure on the authorities to develop green areas.

“As a people who care, we need to pressure the authorities to develop green areas. Plazas are not the answer to everything. We must go back to the beginning and give nature a chance, and life will be different,” Reid added.