The Dunheved Flower and Gardening Group met on Thursday, October 18, at the Royal British Legion hall, Launceston.

The chairman, John Ellacott, introduced the speaker, Mrs Pat Penno, who demonstrated the skill and beauty of expert flower arranging. Pat told the group that she loved demonstrating and teaching, having taught at Devonport and Duchy College.

She opened her florist’s shop in Launceston in the 1980s, taught diploma courses at Bicton for three and a half years, followed with teaching at Barnstaple and Launceston.

She was one of eleven children, who were encouraged by their mother to compete in local shows with their arrangements of flowers. Pat has arranged flowers at Westminster Abbey twice and said ‘flowers are my life’. Pat was in London with NAFAS for seven years, as trading officer and working at Chelsea during that time and in November she will be taking the chair for Cornwall.

Pat arranged five floral displays. The first one depicted a garden in autumn, set in a recycled plant tray. Using acers, viburnum tinus, Buddleia, mimosa and skimmia, with rose-hips, michaelmas daisy, ivy, alstromeria, kaffir lilies, nerines and rosemary, it was a striking blaze of colour.

The second piece was a green manipulated circular design, having a central candle and built up with foxtail fern, bells of Ireland and heuchera.

This was followed by a modern display, using a recycled perspex tubular jar topped by oasis camouflaged with curved aspidestra leaves. The jar contained pink ribbon and pretty peachy anthurium, which was also used with maidenhair fern, phormium, fatsia leaves and flexigrass in the oasis.

A very popular and attractive arrangement depicted fire, using spray-painted hydrangea blooms as ashes. The flames and heat were beautifully built up with yellow chrysanthemums and solidaster, red roses, spirea and heuchera, then purple lisianthus.

The final show-stopper was a traditional triangular pedestal arrangment for harvest. Sat on a large natural cork log with autumn foliage, rubus, rowan, dogwood, viburnum opulus, stephanandra with virginia creeper leaves were inset with chinese lanterns, carnations, fennel seed heads, grevilleas and bright orange peppers.

Pat added small red apples, each secured with two wooden kebab skewers and she removed the wilting petals from small sunflowers, which left the lovely dark seed heads outlined in lime green. This display was complemented by a small pumpkin floral arrangement and the final effect was a tribute to the fruit, flowers and foliage of autumn.

Mr Ellacott thanked Pat for demonstrating her expertise, which was much enjoyed by everyone present.

On Thursday, November 15, Dunheved Flower and Garden Group are having a coach outing to Taunton for Christmas shopping. Contact Miss Vera Ellacott on 01566 776142 for bookings.

New members are very welcome, for information telephone Jackie Edwards on 01566 248961.