Striking flower tableau

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34087, 26 February 1976, Page 18

Striking flower tableau

A striking tableau under the title “Guys, gate, and birds” is the highlight of the Canterbury Horticultural Society’s two-day dahlia and chrysanthemum show at the society’s hall.

The exhibit catches the viewer’s eye as he passes the table of premier blooms. It is a very cleverly done picture of the kinds of things that fill the minds of “guys, gals, and birds”—the winged kind. It is in the most unlikely colours, and selects the most unlikely objects to portray in flowers—sputniks, birds of paradise, smiling pumpkins, and hens laying golf balls inscribed “the going’s great." Lying somewhere in the centre are three listless rag dolls, and all around are violent clashes of colour, and unrelated objects—which all seem to find common identitv under the title, however. It relates rather well with another section in the show. "A carnival of colour.” One of the eye catching arrangements was a brilliantly coloured mass of small flowers woven into a merry-go-round. It was a festive section; there were clowns, streamers, balloons. lollipops and streamers

everywhere. “Tally-Ho,” another section in which the Christchurch garden clubs competed, conjures up the sound of horns and hounds. The exhibits were done in the hunting colours, red and black, with auxiliary items —riding crops, hunting horns, and cans.

The winning exhibit entered by the RedcliffsSumner Garden Club made original use of the fem frond 1 - of the tree fem: thev looked like horse hair. An arrangement in the noncompetitive section. “Accent on angles." thought there might be something in doing strange things with peeled bark. Another in the section experimented with proportions and perspectives, great

leaves sprang from a miniature flower undergrowth, and stood above like unlikely unbrellas. Entries in the wine section showed that more and more oeople are getting better at home-brewing, and finding the fallacies in the “longtime. best-wine” theory. Although some of the entries were “abominable” according to one of the judges, peonle had the spirit to try. and the general standard was better. It was not difficult to make a reasonable wine, the judge (Mr D Tarrant) said. It could be produced in a matter of weeks, and it was not important that the wine retained the taste of the fruit from which it was made: the alcohol content and acids were meant to break this down into the “winey" taste that gained points. The bottles were judged on general annearance — “Do Ij want to drink it?” — irides-! cen<-e. smell, and taste. There was a big fruit and vegetable section, overflowing from the main hall into [the adiacent one Tt ’ c oard 0 ” clubs again comneted AI-| through entree' were slightsdown in the find* and vegetable sections, because of j late maturation, the varie*v and quality of exhibits did not show it. The children’s section could have done wifti more entries, although the animals made from fruit and vegetables were entertaining. For amateurs wanting to know all there is to know about how to grow chrysanthemums. a verv extensive section show's how, with nhotograph* and live examples The mo«t outstand’"” ex-i Mbit of the show went to! M" A I from: Rakaia a heomnpr who ' c -nakin” fast hr**dwav into H*r| onen classes Rhe had a toll ■ "nare arrangement o f native, flora. She was also first in ■ ithe section “arrangement of .plants grown bv the exhibi-| ! tor.”

The show’s nremier dahlia i was a giant (12in. diameter)

lavender decorative polyand entered by R. E. Walker. Miss D. Hooper received the blue ribbon and the premier vase certificate for her gold Henry Shoesmith chrysanthemum.

Other show premiers were mainly shared by B. D. Buckley and P. C. R. Luisetti. B D Buckley got his for his giant semi cactus Tui Margaret, medium semi cactus Top Affair, vase small decorative Tui Orange, vase small cactus or semi cactus Tui Dream, and vase miniature cactus or semi cactus Glenbank Joy. Mr Luisetti received premiers for his nymphalia Vigor, his large fimbriated cactus or semi cactus Otonga Radiance, and his exhibition cactus Eddie Howard. L. C. Gavin won a premier for his vase pompom Purple Prince, and J. W. Fitzgerald for his vase miniature decorative Rose | Newby. The National Chrys■anthemum Society Certificate i of Merk went to J. Hammond! i for Sundial. Other specia l prizes i i were.— I Abels Limited Trophy for; most points in all sections' of the show. P. C. Luisetti:! !N Z. Breweries Trophv fnrj open dahlia classes. B. D Buckley: most points amateur section, P. C. Luisetti: most points novic. classes and Luisetti Trophy, Miss A C. Hall; chrysanthemum open classes—W. H. Cropo cup, J. Hammond: F. G Weakly Trophy, J. Hammond.