First place in horticulture

SAINT AUGUSTINE – A first place in potted horticulture was awarded St. Augustine resident Rene Naughton for her Aphrodite Amaryllis at the Garden Club of St. Augustine’s 22nd annual Flower and Garden Expo. The event was presented April 1 and 2 at the St. Johns County Agricultural Center.

The Naughtons’ yard is in full bloom with a variety of amaryllis, some which were planted by Rene and her husband, Peter, as bulbs, and others grown from seeds.

To be eligible for consideration in the category in which Rene entered, the plant had to have three blooms. The entry she chose, she estimates, is about three years old. The Naughtons use All Purpose Miracle Grow on their plants.

Rene was a first-timer this year in the competition, but reports she is already planning what she will enter in 2018.