DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 22209, 11 December 1935, Page 8

DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB

HtUinORTH TROPHY USE OF FLORAL DECORATION The second of the competitions for the Memorial Cup presented in memory of one of the staunchest members of the club, Mr F. H. Hollingworth, was held last evening by amateur members of the Dunedin Gardening Club. This cup goes each year to the person obtaining the highest aggregate at four separate competitions, each seasonal winner securing in addition a silver spoon. The meeting was opened by the president (Mr J. Passmore), who welcomed the large crowd present, stating that members bad every reason to be proud of the number and quality of the exhibits. It was a good exhibition, and the colour was line considering the recent hot weather. The flowers were all well grown and were typical of this time of the year, roses being prominent in quality and quantity. There were some very fine poppies and ranunculi, together with perennial lupins and an excellent exhibit of sunshine marigold. The judges were Messrs John Whyte and John Roy. There were 12 entries, and the places were obtained as follows: Miss A. Anderson, 26 points 1 Mrs J. Railton and Mrs Menzies (equal), 23 points ... 2 Mrs G. Hutton and Mrs Leckie (equal), 21 points 4 In a second competition for a decorative vase of flowers, Mrs Rissman secured first, second, and third places out of five ■ entries. For exhibition only Miss A. M'lntyre showed a beautiful example of floral work in a decorated basket, and Mrs F. A. Smith, of Ravensbourne, a decorative stand with some fine examples of pansies, violas, poppies and dianthus. HINTS ON DECORATIVE WORK. An interesting address on decorative work was given by Mrs Orr Campbell, who gave some valuable advice to those wishing to exhibit at shows. She began by enumerating the scale of points given by the Royal Horticultural Society, which were as follows Lightness and elegance, 8 points; uniformity in colour and harmony in blend, 6 points; beauty of flowers in foliage, 6 points. One of the first points to be considered in the judging of decorative work, Mrs Campbell continued, was balance. The floral arrangement should not be too formal, but should present something of the freedom of wild nature without appearing to be in stable equilibrium. Rhythm also played an important part in the beauty of floral decoration. Rhythm of measure in the length of sprays, rythm of line in their curves, and rhythm of colour should all present an orderly sequence of some kind for the eye to follow, and each vein of this rhythm gave an added pleasure to the sense of sight. Beautiful groups of flowers and foliage should present a unity so that all the parts of which they were composed were so related that the whole made an appeal to the eye. To be restful tney should have some element in common with the plants, and the plants must have the same element of texture, colour and line. Overcrowding, Mrs Campbell stated, was one of the chief faults of the average floral arrangement, as was lack of design. Flower arrangement in the home was part of the interior decoration and was governed by the colour schemes of the rooms. In show work it must be able to withstand any competition with the disadvantage of an unfavourable background. Forms should be exaggerated and colours intensified. The blending of light and shad© was most important, as through it was.obtained depth of tone and richness of colour. In good floral arrangement either beauty of colour or of form was the dominant'element.' Foliage and flowers should never vie with each other for first place; but foliage could act as a foil to bring out more clearly the beauty of the flowers. Colour flowers could be massed, but form flowers, such as lilies, should be arranged with their own buds and foliage to give the idea of the growing plant. Roses were so beautiful of themselves that with their own growing foliage, the young shoots tinged with red, and their delicately* poised buds, they made a beautiful arrangement. The art of decorative work had reached a high stage of development in Japan, where there were various standard forms developed and mythical meanings attached to them. Mrs Campbell illustrated her remarks with some beautiful coloured pictures.