Perpetual Carnations.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 1, 5 July 1911, Page 38

Perpetual Carnations.

At the recent exhibition of the Perpetual Flowering Carnation Society, held in London, one vase of blooms stood out •conspicuously by reason of the fine size and rich colour of its thirty’ beautiful specimens of the variety named Mrs. C. W. Ward, a deep cerise-pink flower of

Packed for market by Mr. W. E. 'Wallace, Eaton Bray. Dunstable. First prize at Perpetual Carnation Show. great beauty and usefulness. This was shown by Mr. Bertie E. Bell, Castel Nursery, Guernsey, and gained for him the first prize in its class, and also the silvergilt medal for the best vase in the open section. A particularly attractive exhibit at the Regent’s Park show was the group of blooms arranged by Messrs Young and Co., Cheltenham; not only were the Howers good in size, colour, and length of stem, but they were well set up. and Mr. Taudevin. the manager of the company. had skilfully arranged a greenish background behind his Howers, and in front of the glass side of the corridor. This background was just dense enough to break up the bright light, and so enable visitors to see the Howers in comfort, which would not have been the case had the background been absent Messrs Young and Co. secured a gold medal for their first prize exhibit.

'l'he use of carnations in II oral designs has been exemplified over and over again. W’e give an illustration. This is a high ■basket of blooms as exhibited by Mrs K. Hammond, at Regent’s Park, which was awarded a first prize. Only two varieties yere used, i.e., White Perfection and Ma rmion. 'rhe latter, grouped towards tin* base at one side, was very effective, and if a few Howers of this variety had been placed towards the top,

near the ribbon, the design would have been more effective, and no less artistic. As a commercial item the perpetual carnation is no small one in the flower trade of the great English markets, and while it is essential that good varieties should be selected and fine blooms produced for market purposes, it is also essential that when these are grown they should be well packed, otherwise the returns will suffer. One class at the recent show was for sixty blooms of each of two varieties, thirty-six to be shown in a vase ami two dozen packed in a box, as for market, in each instance. There were several competitors, and Mr. W. C. Wallace, of Dunstable, won the first pribe. One of his boxes, packed with beautiful blooms of Rose-pink Enchantress, is shown in the accompanying illustration. A beautiful new variety that promises to occupy a very high position in the ping group is R. F. Felton, raised and exliibited by Mr. H. Burnett, Guernsey. The 'blooms are of fine size and form, and the colour is a delightful shade of pink, midway between light salmon-pink and rose-pink.