TMb GARDEN AND FIELD. 



February, 1914 



On Exhibiting Flowers. 



liy W . R. Savers iu The Amateur 

 Gardener. 



.1 ha\e been asked to contribute 

 a paper on this subject, and can 

 only give my own views without 

 in any way posing as an oracle. 

 IJther i)ersons may differ Irom 

 me. Let us start on the table 

 and deal with the material upon 

 which the vases are placed. I pre- 

 fer a dark olive-green cloth or 

 black velveteen. To use Uright 

 green, or pink or white is a de- 

 triment to the llowers. We want 

 something quiet in colour, and 

 yet capable of giving a good back- 

 ground. Next as to vases or re- 

 ceptacles. These should be neat, 

 plain glass tubes of difierent sizes 

 as to height. Where a miscellane- 

 ous collection is in question, green 

 earthenware vases, with a light 

 brown band round the centre, do 

 for the background, as the blooms 

 in the l)ack row are sometimes 

 unwieldy. I have seen lilacking 

 bottles used, but they are ugly. 

 The earthenware vases I speak of 

 can be seen in the florists windows 

 at times. Coloured glass vases, or 

 those with too much ornamenta- 

 tion .should ])e avoided as we are 

 showing flowers, not glassware. If 

 possible the flowers should be 

 staged at home, to get the right 

 effect, taking care to have spare 

 blooms in case of accident. Then 

 again, if the show be at night 

 the room should be darkened and 

 the gas turned on, because what 

 in daylight, for instance, may be 

 termed a beautiful j^ellow, at night 

 looks white — and many flowers 

 lo.se their charm of colour under 

 gaslight. A note may be ti'-kcn 

 of the relative position the llowers 

 are to have so that when staging 

 at the .show confusion may be 

 avoided. As soon as picked, the 

 flowers should stand in water until 



time to go on the show board. 

 Here, again, be careful to avoid 

 heaping the llowers one on the 

 other and landing them in a crush- 

 ed condition. Good, roomy shirt- 

 bo.xes, or baskets square in shape, 

 may \ye packed one on the other, 

 and securely tied together and 

 carried in comfort. Take plenty 

 of time in the show room. Don't 

 fluster, but, on the other hand, 

 don't be finicking, but deal in a 

 'bold, natural way with your 

 blooms. This more particularly as^ 

 regards a miscellaneous collection, 

 which should be arranged with due 

 regard to blending ol colours, 

 keeping the background higher 

 than the middle, and the front row 

 lowest of all. It is not necessary 

 at all times to make each set of 

 blooms stand alone and clear of 

 the others, sometimes they inter- 

 twine, as it were, with excellent 

 effect. Don't discard so-called 

 common flowers, if they are clean 

 and well grown. Remember it is 

 the condition of the flowers which 

 often counts. Again, avoid over- 

 doing sojne of the vases. If you 

 have a good Stock, for instance, 

 don't cut it level with the ground 

 and show the whole plant. This 

 is aptly termed an abuse of 

 strength, and tends to destroy the 

 ]:)roper balance of the exhibit. I 

 know some of the judges are led 

 away by .siize and weight, but if 

 von are a true exhibitor, you will 

 first of all try to deserve first 

 place, and not seek to get it 

 by vulgar showing. I may say 

 here, that for my part I detest 

 the show-tray, I care not what 

 flower is being .shown. In these 

 trays we have holes with recep- 

 tacles all exactly distanced apart. 

 Now, flowers differ in size, and it 

 is convenient to move your glasses 

 so as to space the flowers intell - 

 gently. 



My remarks have largely applied 

 to miscellaneous blooms. J^et us 



deal with carnations. These should 

 be shown with the calyx clear of 

 the tube, and without that abom- 

 ination—a paper cSllar. If the 

 bloom requires this support it is 

 in my opinion inferior. I must 

 join my protest against the dress- 

 ing of the flowers in vogue now- 

 adays. ^^'e see two or three rows 

 of petals with a hole in the centre 

 where the small petals have all 

 been removed. The flower is un- 

 natural — a little dressing is desir- 

 able, but surely we won't want to 

 outrage nature ! As to roses. I 

 think these would be much im- 

 proved hv exhibiting in vases and 

 not trays, and they look far bet- 

 ter with some of their own foliage 

 I fear to venture upon the do- 

 main of ladies' floral work, but I 

 have seen many cases in which a 

 few flowers artistically arranged 

 have won the day against heavy 

 massed work in which expensive 

 flowers, such as orchids, have been 

 used. The same applies to decor- 

 ated tables. There is that inde- 

 scribable air of grace about ladies' 

 work well done, which commends 

 itself even to a man. You don't 

 know how they do it, but there it 

 is ; and it is the light touch and 

 not the heavy work which appeals 

 to the general public. 



Speaking generally, it is difficult 

 to express in writing what one 

 feels as regards proper methods of 

 showing, because one gets an in- 

 tuitive way of doing things as 

 the result of years of watching 

 other people's methods, picking up 

 wrinkles here and there. The whole 

 thing is very interesting, and it is 

 wonderful what an improvement 

 has been made of late years. We 

 seldom see miscellaneons blooms, 

 for instance, plastered down on a 

 show-tray. Much more taste is 

 now exhibited. 



Perhaps I may conclude these im- 

 perfect reinarks bv dealing with 



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