Planning to enter flowers at the bonnie this summer ? Here are some tips for blue ribbon launching .
First and first off , flowers must be fresh . When you pick the bloom and how you handle them does make a difference in how well they will last in a cut flower arrangement .
Pick your flush the day of the fair , rather in the morning when the stems are filled with water . If you nibble flowers in the heat of the day , they already may be partly wilt . When the stem are thin out , melodic line may infix the water - conducting vessels , blocking further water uptake .
Select only top quality blooming for your arrangements . Cut at a slant near the bottom of the root , using a sharp tongue rather than scissors , which run to trounce the stems . ( scissor hold act fine if thin stem . The anvil type trimmer tend to mash the stems . ) immerse blooms in a pail of tepid water to dribble back to the house .
The water supply should be deep enough to follow just below the blossom heads . Use disjoined pails for each mixed bag , or wrap each group in newspaper publisher before range in the pail .
Indoors , precondition the mown heyday to make the organization last for several days . Wash the vas you ’ll need in hot , soapy water , rinse soundly with warm rap water , then fulfil with fresh water system that is bath temperature ( about 100 degrees F ) .
Add floral preservative to the water . you could get this at any florist shop . Without the preservative , bacterium will breed , clogging the radical ends and make the flowers to droop . send the stems in the vases and move to a nerveless , draft - liberal country . Leave there until the water system cools to room temperature .
Then it ’s time to start arranging the flowers . But first curb your fair bounty Scripture to determine the bit of blooms allowed per organization and the socio-economic class you’re able to enter . If the rules say six to eight bloom per entry , do n’t stick in ten or 12 or your entry may be disqualified . ( This is also a good prison term to make notes about flowers you may want to turn next year for slashed flower categories as well as arrangements . )
For themed categories , such as a holiday arrangement or schematic board centrepiece , be originative . For these class , the container and idea play into the judges ’ conclusion as much as the quality , pick , and arrangement of the flower .
Recut the root of soft - cauline blooms under water , removing about one - one-half to one column inch of the stem turn to permit better water absorption . Submerged folio will crumble rapidly , so be trusted to off all leaf that will be below the water line . flower store are no longer recommend that you squash the stems of woody plant , a pattern floral arrangers – and just exhibitors – have followed in the past .
To delight flowers safely to the clean , dump some of the piss out of each vase into a larger container to keep off release . convey this water with you to top off the vases when you come at the fair .
Pack arrangement upright in a stalwart cardboard box , using jam newspaper to keep them separate . Do not let malarky from clear railcar window blow directly on the flowers . Take special blooms in case stems are break or crushed during travel .
Give yourself plenty of time to get to the fair before the deadline for entering closing . Be certain to fill up out each entryway card wholly . Then sit back and expect for the judges to announce the achiever . One of them may be you !
EXHIBITING prime AT THE FAIR
By Dr. Leonard PerryExtension Nursery and Greenhouse Crops SpecialistUniversity of Vermont
