FLOWER SHOW.

Evening Star, Issue 14787, 31 January 1912, Page 4

FLOWER SHOW.

.SWEET TEAS THE FEATURE. Tho Dunedin Horticultural Society's Show, opened in the Garrison Hal! this afternoon, represents the triumph of our most skilful gardeners, both amateur and professiona!, over 11:1 propitious and frowning Nat-.ire. One of our best-known nurser-.nien said to-day: "The season has been the most atrocious one for flowers (lint T have ever seen. J( is a wonder to .see any flowers here at a!! in the way oi coses and carnations. It is really between the season for roses, and the almost daily rain for the last thro.v months has turned most carnation plants unhealthy and sick. This ought to ho a- carnation show, bet the majority - of our growers sav that their blooms will not lie open yet for another fortnight. To chow the lateness of the season with ns, the Auckland carnations were shown in November, and the Wellington show was in December." Primarily it is the sweet pe-as which make the show, and thev absorb most of lire cent nil floor spacr The genera] Bcheni-j of arrangement is effective and artistic, besides leaving ample promenade space. There is a central table of ferns, round which :ire ranged the principal tables in the sweet pea. displays. 'J he d licate tints of the fragile-looking blooms on these arc thrown into bright relief by the eor.-inti-t of the sombre fern foliage. _ Tables of pot plants pr-vonf monotony being sug ■jested by the array of fables oi' sweet peas. Under one gallery runs a long fable with a remarkably varied collection of cut flowers, and'under the other gallery the loses are to bo found.

The sweet peas will be found absorbinilv interesting bv those who go in for this branch of horticulture, and those who do not cannot help but b • delighted at their unrivalled decorative effect. The old grandillora scerns to be quite ousted by the Spencer tvpe, with its b autiftil crim]ied and wavv petals. There are line examples of the latest novelties, and inanv varieties are shown which have iieve'r before been exhibited here. It may be stated that a great many of the Spencers have shown a tendency to throw doublo blooms. The Spencer has been called a ••mutation,"' arid one feature of its development Ins been a tendency not to throw ti-ue to type. Experts say that the ultimate development of the sweet pea will be towards the double flower, si d vhe National Swe-..t Pea Society at _ Hra.ie, after some discussion, have decided to create a reparato class for the double or semi-double. However, that .-tago has not yet. been reached in Dnnedin, though it may be noted that an exhibitor, Mr Fountain, shows two blooms of Tennant Spencer, each with the blooms on a stem. Mr Wall, a successful exhibitor hey.' last ,\ear, shows examples of Charles Foster which will be scrutinised with interc-st by growers, whose expectations have perhaps not quite been iea!i.-ed in the result. Ihere being a good deal of mauve in the pink. Oilier new varieties are Stirling Stem- and Earl Spencer, both of which represent attempts to reproduce in the Spencer form (lie exquisite salmon tin! of the grandihVe-a Henri 1->|;ford. Of the two. _ Stirling Stent shows perhaps the more vivid color. On Mr .Moody'.; suttd •'Thoma.s Stevenson." a vatiety prn, ticaliy now shown here for the iii-.-t- time, attracts attention. Resides the <-ompetition for twelve, six, and three varieties", there is, to encourage the beginner, a single vase competition, in which color competes against color—.'us. for instance, lavender againid lavender, pinl: against pink, irrespective of variety. The popularity of the innovation is shown hy the 30 single vases ranged in front of the stage. Rcfore leaving the sweet peas mention should be made of the decorated tables, of which l-h-ero are four in competition for the section in which this flower i-> utilised, he-si.]; ■:-. four in which it is excluded, the latter i ection slewing to what advantage the Iceland poppy can be u.-ed for table decoration. Miss' Pillion, a frefjuent winner in tin's department at previous shows, has a table for exhibition only, which shows that her hand has not lest its canning. One vase of some interest among .swoot- jioas is. that showing exam ides of the four varieties (three blooms of each) which won the £I.OOO prize in the recent ' Daily Mail ' competition—viz., Paradise Carmine. Arthur I'nwin (bioolor). Constance Oliver (creamy pink), and Tom Rollon (maroon). The roses, said Mr Tannock. are bettor than he expected, considering the season, and there are some very fine blooms in the competitive section. ' Ra*icgTO*\vr.-> will also be attracted by Mr S. Cousins'* (St. Clair) display for exhibition only, which comprises about 100 varieties oi roses, the blooms 1 being mostly from maiden plains. Evidently ho has been fortunate enough to strike- the. show with some good bloom.;. Among tho newest varieties the most noteworthy are Marquis de SLnity (deep orange), Theresa 'a- mixture of deep orange and ' copper). Genend .\l "Arthur J% uocd (■varied). Mrs A. R. Waddell (orange bull'). Eihel Malcolm (soft pinl;l. Ryon Rose ts;dmca ]iink), Iviuront. Carli (o.irmine), Margaret Molyneiix (deep buff! ; and among the climbing roses are .American Pillar (cherry red'., Dorothy Denniston (shell pink), and Flower of Fairfield (a perpetual crimson rambk'r). .Mr Cousuir, has also some good carnations, the new ones including Orlando (apricot and heliotrope mixed)". Corn. M'Rae (rose flake), Elizabeth .Shiffnar (buff), and The Chartist (scarlet). There is not much competition in the earI nation section, but- in others, showing for exhibition onlv. are Mrs Ogz (of Northeast Valley) and Miss Mill (of Port Chal- ! mors), who show splendid dark and red ! carnations, and Mr Clark, of Green Island, ! who exhibits seedlings. There are no fewer than 167 vases in the competition for cut- flowers. They are of what may bo called hardy floworr,. both herbaceous and bulbs. They include some of tho old-fashioned flowers, such as rnemksbood, phlox, candytuft, cornflowers, yellow foxglove, stocks, geraniums, fairy b-ell. sweet sultan, scabious, delphinium, early chrysanthemums, Irish heath, shaeta daisy. poppies, etc., and make a gallant, show. Among the tables for exhibition only Messrs Howden and Moncrieff have one on which are some splendid b-gonias and palms.; Mr A. Youngson, Anderson Bay, bae a tahlo of foliage, plants : .Mr Ragshaw, Roslyn, shows fcins and some fine aspidistra; -E. A. Hamcl, Maori Hill, shows a table of cut flowers and a table of sweet peas, among which latter are good cxaniph* of Florence Nightingale (lavender). 'Dizzier (rich orange), Tennant Spencer (rich mauve), and CSarina (a new pinki.

There are several exhibits which visitors should not miss. From Lawronca Mr Robert Montgomery sends eight varieties' of clematis, which make a splendid show; and Dr Sutherland, also of Lawrence, sends the Mariposa lily (Calo shortis), a native of the Sierra Nevada., and a difficult plant to grow, especially to the perfection here seen. Both these exhibits are to be found, near the stage, on the lefthand side. There are also some interesting collections of native flowers shown by Mr Waite, Miss Mitchell, and Mrs John Peat, which include the mountain daisy, native cherry, rata, clematis rndivisa, etc. There are also peaches and apricots from the orchards oi J. H. Waigth and Sens (Roxburgh) and A. Davidson (Conroy's Gully). The show has evidently also struck the big gooseberry season. The exhibition remains open to-night. Following is the prize list: —Plants in Flower, Grown in Pots and Named.— Three stove or greenhouse plants (open). —A. Yoruigson 1, Peter Duncan 2. Three pelargoniums, varieties.—Miss M. Begg 1 and 2. One specimen plant.—John M'Neill 1, John VVliyte 2. Four begonias.—John Blair 1 and 2. Two begonias.—John 'Whyte 1 and 2. Four foliage plants.—A. Yonngson 1. Six ferns and lycopods (amateur). —J. M«NcUI 1. Three native ferns (amateur). —J. M'Neill 1. Collection of plants, flowering and foliage (open).—A. Yonngson 1. Collection of plants, flowering and foliage (amateur). —J. M'Neill 1. —Cut Flowers Twelve roses, name.'], varieties (open).— T. H. Clark (Lawrence) 1, H. Clark 2. Six varieties roses and their own foliage (open).—T. H. Clark 1. Six roses, h.p., varieties (amaleur). —B. S. Irwin 1. Tlirco hybrid teas, varieties (amateur). — R. Green 1, F. Waite 2. Six roses, tea or noisette (amateur). —T. TL Clark 2. Three varieties roses (amateur). —Miss hj. Cornish 3, W. H. Earland 2. Six red rosss (open).— E. F. Clowes 1. Eighteen sweet peas, varieties (open).— David Wall 1, R. Fountain 2. Twelve sweet peas, varieties (open).— Mrs George Moodie 1, 11. Fountain 2. Six'sweel peas (amateur). —G. Moodie 1, Mrs Hewett 2. Throe sweet peas, varieties (amateur).— G. Moodie 1, E. Grav 2, E. Sunderland h.c. One vase pink sweet peas.—Mrs Moodie 1. G. Moodie 2. Oik vase red sweet peas.—Miss M. Prentice 1. One vase white sweet peas.—Miss Prentice 1, ]•:. E. Clowes 2. 1 vase lavender sweet peas.—G. Moodie1, Miss Pmiticc 2. Twentv-four species cut flowers (open).— T Y. Turner 1, Mrs Bullock 2. Twenty-four species cut flowers (amateur).—Mrs John Peat 1, Miss M. Prentice 2. Collection native flowers (amateur). —F. Waite I, Miss A. Mitchell 2. Twelve epecics of cut Mowers, grown in open air (amateur). —Miss A. Mitchell 1, Mifis Martin 2. Six varieties carnations (open).—Mrs Davidson 1. Three varieties carnations, selis (amateur). —Mrs 11. Sanders 1. Three varieties carnations (amateur). —R. Fountain 1. Mrs Sanders 2. One vase pink carnations (amateur). —A. Yonngson 1, Mrs 11. Saudtrs 2. —Decorative and Floral Work.— Bridal shower bouquet (open).—Miss A. M'lntyro 1. Two dress bouquets (one lady's, one gentleman's; open*.—Miss A. MTntyro 1. Two dress bouquets (one lady's, one gent lem ail's ; amateur). —Miss C. Tinner 1. Best decorated Moral basket (amateur). — Miss Martin 1. One decorative vase of roses (open). — Miss Larnach 1, Miss Martin 2. Decorative vase sweet peaj (open). —Mis* Sjwdding 1, Miss W. Hislop 2. One bowl carnations, decorative (open).— Mrs IT. T. Trevcna 1. Table decoration, sweet peas and any foliase (open).—Miss Martin 1. Miss W. "Hislop 2. Table decoration, other than sweet peas (epen).—Mrs Bullock 1, Miss' Martin 2.