CASTLEISLAND: Kathleen's floral artistry takes best in show again
Champion Floral Artist, Kathleen Reidy from Camp Road with the Tralee Garden Festival / Féile Na mBláth Perpetual Cup which she won with her floral artistry for the second time. Credit: Photo by John Reidy
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I'VE been told several times in recent years of Kathleen Reidy's ( no relation) eye-catching creativity in the area of flower arranging. Invariably these tips come in the wake of a wedding arrangement she's done or an exhibition she's just taken part in. I did a piece on these pages in 2005 after she had just won yet another competition. Well, she's just done it again. Kathleen, who lives in Camp here in Castleisland with her husband Dan and son and Desmonds 'keeper Ger, has just won the 'Best in Show' prize in the Feile na mBlath / Tralee Garden Festival 2010.
Fifty exhibitors took part and Kathleen's prize-winning entry was titled 'In the Picture'.
For this she used a timber frame within which she created a scene reminiscent of 'A still-life from a Victorian painting. The end product resembled an authentic pictured hanging on a wall.
The arrangement itself consisted of an assortment of purple roses, pink and green carnations and a variety of blue garden flowers.
" On one side of the exhibit I placed a seashell and on the other a bird's nest. I also placed a butterfly on one of the roses," said Kathleen of her prize-winning entry.
"My interest in flowers and gardening stemmed from my early childhood and particularly from mother and grand-mother.
" They always had a variety of indoor plants but very few outdoor – which were of their time. I gained a lot of my knowledge of gardening through sheer interest and reading a lot of books on the subject," said Kathleen.
It was an evening class in flower arranging at Tralee Community College that led Kathleen to joining the Tralee Flower and Garden Club and from this she became a member of the Association of Irish Floral Artists.
"Their aim is to promote the beauty of flowers and foliage as well as helping a variety of charitable organisations both locally and nationally. I already won 'The Best is Show' prize in the same competition in 2005 and it gave me great encouragement to see my name inscribed on the cup from five years ago," Kathleen concluded. Kathleen can be contacted on ( 087) 2672486.
