How to put up a twelve-bloom collection.
By Richard McCaw
When I first started showing Daffodils I was very much in awe at the wonderful twelve-bloom collections that good exhibitors like Kate Reade, Brian Duncan, Bertie Eakins, Sandy McCabe and others put up.
How would I ever be able to emulate these great exhibitors?
I suppose the best bit of advice was from Brian, I was standing looking at my ‘also ran’ exhibit when Brian came up to me and said ‘don’t worry the second one will be much easier to win’.
Not very technical but I knew exactly what he meant the first winning exhibit was the hardest to win. Although the competition nowadays is making it jolly hard too.
So what do I do? I cut all my available blooms between the previous Saturday and Wednesday for a Saturday show. From Wednesday evening I would start selecting blooms I think may be in my final twelve. This is broken into two sections, 2 sets of twelve vases are set-up in my garage and selected blooms go into either or. The best go into main exhibit vases with the possibles into the second twelve vases. There is usually more in the second set than the main. But also there are times when you lift a flower that has sat a couple of days and you just get that ‘X Factor’ that’s a certain best bloom winner but this can be a problem too!
So Friday night I like to have most staged ready for transporting to show. I am convinced it is better to stage this exhibit at the show but time is not always on my side. I do not worry too much about their final positions at this stage but I should have a twelve with three or four spares. As long as I can get to as close to six yellow and 6 white perianths as possible. I have won an all white collection class.
This is where your judging of your exhibit becomes crucial. In the staging room I set up my twelve unto a carrying tray 4 at back 4 in middle and 4 in front all set to the same height according to the centre of the flower. This is taken to the staging and placed. Now you should get the full impact, suddenly that cracker flower is 5mm bigger all round and looks completely out of place here. It is better to remove and replace with a flower that will give a better overall exhibit, don’t worry if its that good it will still get a best bloom.
I always put the bigger flowers to the back as they are viewed from further away to the smallest at the front. You shouldn’t have an exhibit with smaller or bigger blooms in it, as you are aiming for the same size of blooms throughout, not as easy as it sounds. I have not staged a collection yet with all the blooms the same size.
At this stage I have a quick look at the competition to see what I need to do. I don’t look too long or I would probably go home. As the man says you can only show what you have.
Now this is where your staging skills have to perform. There is another 10% or 12 points to be acquired for good staging. Usually most exhibitors are not too widely apart at this stage but unless you can smack the Judge in the eye with your exhibit you run the risk of them overlooking it.
This is now tidy up time which I like to do as late as possible but you run the risk of everyone trying to do this at the same time and if the display area is small it can become a very friendly place or not! Look also at your stems from a profile angle. Are they as straight and as much in line as you can get them?
What should you have in a twelve? Read the schedule, what does it call for? Is it any divisions, at least 3 or at least 4 divisions? It is very easy in all the swapping of flowers that you may not fulfil the schedule requirements. Devise some way of reminding yourself to check regularly. Too late after judging starts. I like to have as far as possible an all yellow, an all white, a pink, a yellow red and a double if it is good enough in the collection.
When you struggle to get 12 blooms it is tempting to put in a division nine, eight or even a six this can unbalance an exhibit but much better to put up a collection than not just make sure you haven’t missed a bloom somewhere. Even a good Division eleven split corona (Says GW) No one can win every class so you need to decide if you want to win the big collection class to the detriment of all other classes.
Leaves or no leaves in the vases? A couple of years back the N.I.D.G. decided that no leaves were required in Irish shows and that no points would be deduced. Leaves have made a bit of a comeback in top classes. I like the exhibit to have leaves but again time is the problem especially when you have to restage a bloom at the eleventh hour because the replacement bloom has previously been staged with no leaves. As long as Judges remember no deduction of points for no leaves or points added on because off! 90% of my collection would have no leaves.
Labels all the same size and handwriting very neat same colour ink.. Vases clean and the same type. Clear away any debris. Of course try and get all the blooms correctly named. Don’t forget name card, again very easy to do.
Stand back to get the Judges prospective, final final adjustments, give yourself a pat on the back and go and get a cup of coffee, you deserve it.
I like to think this is not rocket science but an art form, not everyone likes all art how many times have you heard someone say ‘do you not think that bloom would be better there’. The thing about it is they are probably right. If you haven’t put up a six-bloom exhibit yet do so this year if you haven’t put up a twelve bloom yet do so this year, remember the second one is much easier to win.
By Richard McCaw
When I first started showing Daffodils I was very much in awe at the wonderful twelve-bloom collections that good exhibitors like Kate Reade, Brian Duncan, Bertie Eakins, Sandy McCabe and others put up.
How would I ever be able to emulate these great exhibitors?
I suppose the best bit of advice was from Brian, I was standing looking at my ‘also ran’ exhibit when Brian came up to me and said ‘don’t worry the second one will be much easier to win’.
Not very technical but I knew exactly what he meant the first winning exhibit was the hardest to win. Although the competition nowadays is making it jolly hard too.
So what do I do? I cut all my available blooms between the previous Saturday and Wednesday for a Saturday show. From Wednesday evening I would start selecting blooms I think may be in my final twelve. This is broken into two sections, 2 sets of twelve vases are set-up in my garage and selected blooms go into either or. The best go into main exhibit vases with the possibles into the second twelve vases. There is usually more in the second set than the main. But also there are times when you lift a flower that has sat a couple of days and you just get that ‘X Factor’ that’s a certain best bloom winner but this can be a problem too!
So Friday night I like to have most staged ready for transporting to show. I am convinced it is better to stage this exhibit at the show but time is not always on my side. I do not worry too much about their final positions at this stage but I should have a twelve with three or four spares. As long as I can get to as close to six yellow and 6 white perianths as possible. I have won an all white collection class.
This is where your judging of your exhibit becomes crucial. In the staging room I set up my twelve unto a carrying tray 4 at back 4 in middle and 4 in front all set to the same height according to the centre of the flower. This is taken to the staging and placed. Now you should get the full impact, suddenly that cracker flower is 5mm bigger all round and looks completely out of place here. It is better to remove and replace with a flower that will give a better overall exhibit, don’t worry if its that good it will still get a best bloom.
I always put the bigger flowers to the back as they are viewed from further away to the smallest at the front. You shouldn’t have an exhibit with smaller or bigger blooms in it, as you are aiming for the same size of blooms throughout, not as easy as it sounds. I have not staged a collection yet with all the blooms the same size.
At this stage I have a quick look at the competition to see what I need to do. I don’t look too long or I would probably go home. As the man says you can only show what you have.
Now this is where your staging skills have to perform. There is another 10% or 12 points to be acquired for good staging. Usually most exhibitors are not too widely apart at this stage but unless you can smack the Judge in the eye with your exhibit you run the risk of them overlooking it.
This is now tidy up time which I like to do as late as possible but you run the risk of everyone trying to do this at the same time and if the display area is small it can become a very friendly place or not! Look also at your stems from a profile angle. Are they as straight and as much in line as you can get them?
What should you have in a twelve? Read the schedule, what does it call for? Is it any divisions, at least 3 or at least 4 divisions? It is very easy in all the swapping of flowers that you may not fulfil the schedule requirements. Devise some way of reminding yourself to check regularly. Too late after judging starts. I like to have as far as possible an all yellow, an all white, a pink, a yellow red and a double if it is good enough in the collection.
When you struggle to get 12 blooms it is tempting to put in a division nine, eight or even a six this can unbalance an exhibit but much better to put up a collection than not just make sure you haven’t missed a bloom somewhere. Even a good Division eleven split corona (Says GW) No one can win every class so you need to decide if you want to win the big collection class to the detriment of all other classes.
Leaves or no leaves in the vases? A couple of years back the N.I.D.G. decided that no leaves were required in Irish shows and that no points would be deduced. Leaves have made a bit of a comeback in top classes. I like the exhibit to have leaves but again time is the problem especially when you have to restage a bloom at the eleventh hour because the replacement bloom has previously been staged with no leaves. As long as Judges remember no deduction of points for no leaves or points added on because off! 90% of my collection would have no leaves.
Labels all the same size and handwriting very neat same colour ink.. Vases clean and the same type. Clear away any debris. Of course try and get all the blooms correctly named. Don’t forget name card, again very easy to do.
Stand back to get the Judges prospective, final final adjustments, give yourself a pat on the back and go and get a cup of coffee, you deserve it.
I like to think this is not rocket science but an art form, not everyone likes all art how many times have you heard someone say ‘do you not think that bloom would be better there’. The thing about it is they are probably right. If you haven’t put up a six-bloom exhibit yet do so this year if you haven’t put up a twelve bloom yet do so this year, remember the second one is much easier to win.