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THE DELPHINIUM SOCIETY'S LATE SHOW, 2007

This Show was held at the Hillside Events Centre of the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, Surrey on 7th / 8th July 2007.

CONTENTS

For this report, the Show Classes are separated into the groups:-

CLASSES 1 - 6; Flower colour not specified .

CLASSES 7 - 13; Flowers of a specific colour

CLASS 14 - 25; Un-named cultivars (seedlings), Florets and classes for Novice exhibitors

Click on the appropriate section IN THIS LIST for pictures of some prize-winning entries.

INTRODUCTION

Wet and windy weather in the week before this Show made it very difficult to find any delphinium blooms suitable for exhibition. Some of our plants flower quite late and some blooms were not fully developed. However, most of these were on plants carrying 15 to 20 stems so that the blooms were quite small compared to normal exhibition spikes. When the Show Secretary, Keith Boxall, told us that he had very few entries, we cut as many flowers as we could on Friday morning and transported them to Wisley in the afternoon intending that they should be used in floral arangements. When we arrived at the Hall, Keith persuaded us to stage a number of the blooms in the Show classes. Because the blooms were mostly not fully developed, they at least looked fresh even if there were some signs of weather damage. It was obvious that everyone else staging on Friday had experienced similar difficulties with the weather.

This account is based on visiting the Show on the second day.

 

THE SHOW

CLASSES 1 - 6 Flower Colour not specified

Class 1: Three spikes. The only entry was from Gordon West of the Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Group. His three blooms of a seedling with dark violet flowers had been 'preserved' for some time before the Show by keeping them in cold storage. Unfortunately this treatment resulted in much paler colour for florets in the upper part of the blooms.

Class 2: Two spikes, light excluding white. The only entry of two small blooms of the light pink, 'Summerfield Miranda' was from Terry Woolley .

Class 1. Class 2.
There were no entries in Class 3: Two spikes, dark or Class 4: Two spikes, one dark, one light excluding white.

Terry Woolley staged a small bloom of 'Min' that was the only entry in Class5: One spike, light, excluding white. In Class 6: One spike, dark, there was again only one entry, this being from Gordon West and it was awarded a SECOND PRIZE card
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CLASSES 7 - 13 Flowers of a Specific Colour

There were no entries in Class7: Two spikes, white or cream, but two blooms were entered in Class 8: One spike, white or cream.

These were brought from Yorkshire by Kate Brookes and Gordon West and their efforts were rewarded with THIRD PRIZE cards

Class 8

An arrangement of blooms by Anne Blissett
Class 9: Two spikes, any blue cultivar or cultivars. No entries here but two for Class 10: One spike, blue. FIRST PRIZE went to Ray Joslyn for a bloom of 'Carol Fishenden', seen on the left below. SECOND PRIZE went to a less mature blue seedling that I staged, although by the second day both entries were falling apart.

Class 11: Two spikes, any pink cultivar or cultivars. A SECOND PRIZE was awarded to Terry Blissett for two very small blooms of 'Royal Flush'.

Class 9.

Class 11.
Class 12: One spike, pink.

FIRST PRIZE went to Ray Joslyn for his neat but miniature bloom of 'Lucia Sahin, seen in the left hand picture below. This bloom was also selected as being BEST IN SHOW!!!.

SECOND PRIZE went to Gordon West for the smaller bloom seen in the right hand picture, while the THIRD PRIZE card went to Steve Dorey for the largest bloom, an untidy specimen of 'Royal Flush'.

Class 12.

Class 12.
Class 13: One spike, any cultivar and six florets of the cultivar.

A FIRST PRIZE card was awarded to a dark violet purple bloom of 'My Dark', a cultivar with with beautifully formed florets raised and staged by the Show Seccretary, Keith Boxall.

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CLASSES 14 - 25 Seedlings, Florets and Novices

Class 14: Two spikes, seedlings, any cultivar or cultivars.

FIRST PRIZE went to my own entry of small but fresh-looking blues with white eyes seen on the left below.

Class 15: One spike, seedling excluding white or pink.

FIRST PRIZE went to Keith Boxall's bloom of his lovely deep violet introduction, 'My Dark'. My entry of one of Shirley's selected dark blue seedlings with a white eye was awarded SECOND PRIZE. The THIRD PRIZE went to Gordon West.

Class 14.

Class 15.
Class 16: One spike, seedling, white. No entries.

Class 17: One spike, seedling, pink. The only entry was a rather weather damaged bloom of a pale pink seedling from 'Rosemary Brock' that I had brought for use in a flower arrangement.

Class 18: One spike, multi-coloured or double.

The two blooms staged seemed to be of the same seedling. The FIRST PRIZE card was given to the entry from Kate Brookes and the SECOND PRIZE to that from Gordon West.

Class 17.

Class 18.
Class 19: Six florets, all the same cultivar.

FIRST PRIZE was awarded to a nice set of florets of 'Alison Claire' seen below, that was staged by Grahame Case, the raiser of this cultivar. Florets of a seedling were used by Terry Woolley, who won SECOND PRIZE, and THIRD PRIZE went to another set of seedling florets from Steve Dorey.

Class 20 Six florets, not less than two cultivars.

FIRST PRIZE again went to Grahame Case for another set of fresh florets of 'Cassius'(3), a pink seedling(2) and 'Alison Claire'. SECOND PRIZE went to Terry Woolley's set of picottee edged seedlings, which showed signs of mildew on the second day. Steve Dorey gained the THIRD PRIZE card for a set of seedling florets.

Class 19: FIRST PRIZE

Class 20: FIRST PRIZE
Class 21: Three spikes in one vase, in a space less than 76cm wide and less than 107cm in height above the table.

FIRST PRIZE went to my own set of blooms that included 'Rosemary Brock' with two seedlings, one a dark blue and the other a pale violet. SECOND PRIZE was awarded to three blooms of 'My Dark' from Keith Boxall. THIRD PRIZE went to Grahame Case, who used 'Carol Fishenden' with two 'Cassius' and Steve Dorey was given a HIGHLY COMMENDED for his set of 'Fanfare' and two 'Mighty Atom'.

NOVICES

H. Norton came all the way from Norwich to stage a bloom of 'Min' in Class 23, which was given a THIRD PRIZE card. His bowl of florets of 'Vespers' for Class 25 fared better and was rewarded with a FIRST PRIZE card. Terry Woolley persuaded a friend, P. Pearce, to join the Delphinium Society and bring along some delphiniums from his garden close to Wisley. His entry in Class 23 was given HIGHLY COMMENDED and his bloom in Class 24 was given a SECOND PRIZE. We hope these new exhibitors will have enjoyed their experience and will come again in a more favourable season for delphiniums with far more entries in the Show
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Flower Arrangements by Anne Blissett

Thanks are due to Keith Boxall, the Show Secretary, who had the unenviable task in trying to organise a Show when most member's delphiniums were already over. It was very unfortunate that the lack of exhibits on the benches was not compensated by at least a selection of display boards around the Hall providing information about the plants and their cultivation.

On the second day when Shirley and I were present in the Hall there was a steady stream of visitors interested in talking about the flowers and the cultivation of delphiniiums. This year, for the first time in our experience, some expressed disappointment with the Show. A brief visit to the Trials field where few blooms were to be seen would have shown these people that even the Wisley Magic could not overcome the weather.

As usual, some visitors were delighted to carry blooms away at the end of the Show and we even collected some of our own to enjoy at home.

Thanks are also due to the Staff of the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden for their cooperation and assistance.

 

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