Showing Flowers

Try to exhibit long stems with similar sized blooms, well presented in the vase to show them to their best advantage, ie, symmetrical, not lop-sided.

• If showing twelve sweet peas all of the same colour, place five tall ones at the back, four medium in the middle, and three shorter at the front, always remembering long stems.  If showing mixed colours, try to get complementary colours so that they do not clash.

•  Flowers should appear fresh.

• Support flower spikes vertically with paper, moss etc.

• Don’t crush flowers together, especially in mixed vase classes.

          Points are deducted if:

•  Flowers are not fully opened or are beginning to fade
  
•  Foliage is diseased
•  Petals are eaten, diseased or damaged
•  Flowers have been badly dressed (they look untidy)
•  There is soil, or debris on the leaves, stems or blooms
  

 
A special note for Gladioli: the ideal spike has a third in full bloom, a third in coloured bud and a third in green bud.