Chapter 24

Showing Roses

There is no community that will not place high value on rose shows. Only a small percentage of its people may choose to stage blooms at a show, but large numbers will attend and appreciate the flowers. In Melbourne each year over ten thousand people attend the two shows held by the National Rose Society of Victoria. Add to this figure those people who attend country and suburban shows and you will realize that the public appreciates the spectacle of well-grown roses.

Many people attend rose shows to learn more about varieties with which they are not adequately acquainted. These people, by the score, carefully scrutinize every bloom, and, pencil and paper in hand, make lists of roses for their own gardens. They are not always wise in their choosing. They are naturally attracted by the most perfect blooms, and fail to realize that in many instances those varieties are not good garden roses, but are grown by exhibitors who are prepared to forgo profusion of bloom and vigorous growth for the sake of having one or two perfect flowers at show time. It is always safer to choose varieties staged in bunches or vases than those in specimen-bloom classes. It can be assumed with reasonable certainty that the former roses bloom freely.

Nothing has ever increased the public's interest in roses as much as rose shows. It is there that people have learnt of the tremendous advances made by our hybridists and of the beauties and possible uses of the modern rose. Exhibiting roses is not exclusively for the grower of hundreds of plants, but should be enjoyed by every gardener, whether he stages large stands or simply one specimen bloom.

Early Rose Shows

The holding of a rose show was first suggested by Dean Hole in The Florist.31' It went almost unheeded. He later appealed to three of England's greatest rose-growers for co-operation, and they decided to hold the world's first Grand National Rose Show on ist July 1858. They subscribed £5 each as a commencement and solicited subscriptions. St James's Hall, London, was engaged. Dean Hole arrived at the hall with his blooms at five-thirty on the morning of the show after a journey of one hundred and twenty miles.

The second rose show was held on 23rd June 1859, the third on 12th July i860, and the fourth on 10th July 1861. They were all spring shows, for very few blooms were to be had at other times of the year in those days, but after a few years two or three shows each season came to be regular fixtures.

Early shows consisted almost entirely of specimen blooms. These magnificent roses of large size and faultless form still command universal admiration as the true aristocrats of any show, but, with the rapidly growing tendency towards roses of lighter build, grace, artistry, and vivid colours, large numbers of classes are now provided for roses less suited to specimen-bloom purposes.

Selection Of Varieties

There is little difference between growing roses for home and garden display, and for show purposes. Even in the most ardent specimen-bloom exhibitor's garden there are, today, very few varieties that are not suitable for decorative work as well as the show bench, and there could hardly be a rose garden without blooms fit to compete in any show, particularly now that so many classes are being provided for bunches, vases, and floral art. If you plan to show specimen blooms, choose well-tried exhibition varieties, and grow several plants of each sort. Large, full-bodied blooms cannot be forced on plants of varieties that normally produce lighter flowers, no matter how * April 1857. heavily you prune or feed. In fact, unduly heavy pruning or feeding will only do harm to your plants. There is no such thing as a secret magical manure used by any exhibitor or efficient rose-grower.

Disbudding

Irrespective of the purpose for which they are grown, all roses should be disbudded with the exception of the Wichuraianas, Polyanthas, and Hybrid Polyanthas. This is an absolute essential in producing show blooms. In most varieties only the crown bud should be left, the lateral buds being removed as they become sufficiently developed to be broken off with finger and thumb without risk of injury to the remaining bud or buds.

In spring some varieties such as Dame Edith Helen, Gloria di Roma, Numa Fay, Miss Australia, Leading Lady, Apricot Queen, George Dickson, and Mme Edouard Estaunie* produce very coarse crown blooms even if not disbudded. Sometimes one can get one or two good blooms by removing the crown bud and all but two of the lateral buds. However, in general, this type of rose is seldom useful until its second crop of blooms.

Removal of the crown bud and all but one lateral bud is sometimes done to delay the blooming of some varieties such as Fontanelle and Mrs Herbert Stevens which normally finish flowering before the date of the show and the full spring blooming. The resulting blooms are smaller than one may desire, but when show day comes it is often found better to have a small bloom than none at all of that variety.

Covering Of Blooms

Covering of blooms is a great help in producing roses of greater size, better colour, and with less damage to outer petals. All cream, yellow, and white roses improve under cover and will be much less damaged by thrips. Very few pinks benefit by close covering, though partial shading, by keeping off both sun and dew, will often help them. Reds are even less tolerant of covering than pinks

Covers should be placed in position when buds are just showing colour. In spring one can expect blooms for show day from buds whose sepals separate seven to ten days before the day. In autumn the development of the blooms is slower, and covering can be done even a fortnight before show day.

Many a wonderful bloom has opened a day or so before or after a show, but it is the good rose on show day that wins, and so several buds of each variety should be covered. Variation in the stages of their development is desirable, for weather conditions play a big part in the timing of the blooms.

There are many ways of covering. Some are very complicated, requiring a lot of expense, elaborate equipment, and minute attention. They cannot be recommended. Only two forms of covering need be considered the flower-pot and an inverted box. The pot is used for close covering; the box for light shading.

Making Covers And Shades

When covering with flower-pots it is necessary to have a number of small wooden platforms. These should be about eight inches square, with a hole in the centre about half an inch in diameter and a slot cut away to the front edge. From the middle of the back edge a one-inch square must be cut and a piece of hoop-iron attached across the opening. This is to accommodate a jarrah stake one inch square and allow the platform to be slid up or down the stake. By driving a thin wooden wedge between the hoop-iron and the back of the stake the platform can be fixed at any desired height.

The graining of the wood should run from side to side of the platform, lest it split from front to back through the weak narrow area between the two cuts. Splitting from side to side can be prevented by fixing two light slats of wood (cleats) on the under aspect of the platform from front edge to back edge, one about one inch from each side.

On the upper surface of the platform about an inch to each side of the longer cut and approximately an inch from its inner end, drive a one-inch brass nail about three-quarters of its length into the wood. Fix a piece of 16-gauge galvanized wire round one nail, leaving it just loose enough to swivel. Make a hook in the other end of the wire so that it can be caught round the other nail. Rusting is avoided by using the brass nail and the galvanized wire.

It is three inches from the hole for the stake to the long slot into which the flower-stem is to be placed. A triangular bracket should be made one inch thick, three inches along one side, and four inches along the other side of a right angle. The short side will be attached to the underside of the platform. The four-inch side is to rest against the stake and steady the platform.

Fig. 20. Wooden platform used in close covering, viewed from above and from behind the stake. Fig 21. Side view of wooden platform used in close covering.

A piece of hoop-iron should be accurately bent and hammered into shape to fit round the lower front edge (the hypotenuse) of the bracket. Its ends should project beyond the back edge of the bracket on each side. They will keep the bracket from moving across the face of the stake. The projecting corners of hoop-iron can be snipped off, flush with the back aspect of the stake, or, better still, turned over at right angles, giving a stronger steadying effect. Painting the platforms will help to prevent warping or splitting. When not in use, keep them under cover.

Five-inch flower-pots are the most useful for the actual covering of the blooms. The drainage hole must be blocked and the base covered, on its outer surface, with cement moulded to form a slight mound, so as to shed water readily. The cement mixture used should be almost liquid, for water will be drawn thirstily into the earthenware of the pot. A wooden mallet for driving stakes into the ground will save spreading the top of the stake. Alternatively a heavy piece of wood should be held on the stake-top and the hammering done with an axe-head.

Fig. 22. Five-inch flower-pot with mound of cement over its base, as used in close covering.

Stakes available from timber-yards and plant shops are apt to vary greatly in thickness. Those for supporting covers must be uniform in dimensions of their cross-sections, so as to be readily adaptable to the slots and wedges. They should be carefully selected and kept for this one use. Jarrah twists less than red gum. Stakes should be free from flaws in graining and will last longer if oiled. The wedges should be about three inches long, one inch wide, and about half an inch thick at the bigger end.

Drive a stake firmly into the ground as near as possible to the bud that is to be covered. Be sure it is sufficiently firm not to sway in strong winds. Slide the platform to the necessary level; slip the bud into the slot, leaving the calyx about half an inch above the stage; fix the platform by tapping the wedge between the hoop-iron and the stake; steady the bud in position with the wire on the platform; and cover it with the pot.

A wooden box for shading purposes should measure about 7 by 7 by 5 inches. It should always be oiled, but its timber should be of a type that does not readily twist or split under the influences of weather. It need have no top (7 by 7 inches) or front end (7 by 5 inches). The back and bottom should be one inch thick and the sides three-quarters of an inch. The bottom should be 8 by 7 inches to allow a strip one inch wide to project beyond the box at the back end. From the middle of this edge should be cut a piece one inch square, just as in the back of the platform for the flower-pot. A piece of hoop-iron is fixed across the gap.

There is no need for a bracket as in the platform, but a loop of hoop-iron fixed on the back of the box will help to steady it, and stop it from swaying sideways. The box is used upside-down over the bloom, and is kept in place by a wedge between the hoopiron and the stake. The bloom is steadied by a piece of twine tied loosely round the stem and then attached firmly to a small brass nail on the edge of each of two sides of the box. A covered bud must never be allowed to become wet.

During the week preceding a show roses should be watered copiously and the plants frequently searched for caterpillars, which are usually most numerous at the two main blooming seasons. Although covers decrease the number of thrips, they act as shelters for other pests. The platforms, pots, boxes, and buds, may be dusted or sprayed with E605, DDT, or Gammexane. HETP is not recommended for this purpose, because it has insufficient persistent action. Systemic sprays are of great use when blooms are covered because the poison travels to the buds in the sap after having been applied to the foliage.

Fig. 23. Inverted box used for light shading of blooms.

Freshly cut roses are usually best for any purpose, but some of the whites and yellows improve with keeping, and are best-gathered twenty-four hours or more before a show. They need to be less developed, of course, than if left on the plants longer. Others, especially the "fancy" colours, lose their sheen or even their colour quickly, and cutting must be delayed as long as possible. Some reds "blue" readily. Full-blown roses must be cut last of all, for they never keep well.

A keen exhibitor never has enough blooms of really good quality, and this is particularly so if the gathering of all of them is left until the morning of the show. Even the man who grows several hundred plants can never afford to be so improvident. Every rose-grower is a rose-lover. He belongs to a group of people for whom rose shows are held, and he should help by staging in as many classes as possible. On him rests the success or failure of these beautiful and educative displays. Just a few blooms from each of many gardens will make a good show.

Cutting Blooms

It is advisable to commence cutting about two days before a show in the spring, and three days before the autumn display. There is nothing to lose and probably something to gain by cutting early. Any flower that loses colour or becomes fullblown indoors would have done so much sooner on the plant.

Any hour of the day is suitable for cutting blooms. The one great essential is that they be put in water immediately they are cut, even if they remain there for only an hour before leaving for the show. In collecting them from the garden never cut more than six or eight blooms in one lot. Otherwise they will be damaged by contact with each other, and those cut first will be in your warm hand or in the basket and out of water too long. Cut roses will absorb water better, and consequently wilt less readily, if one holds the stems under water while about a quarter of an inch is cut from each of them before placing them in the containers.

All experienced exhibitors have found one or two more blooms in the garden just as they have been leaving home. They have cut them and packed them among their other blooms, some of which have been cut two or three days. On arrival at the show, the only limp roses will be those cut late and not put in water. Many of these will revive especially if the stems are placed in hot water for a short time.

In general, the most attractively coloured roses on the show bench will be the freshest blooms probably those cut on the morning of the show and kept in water for only a little while before packing. When a large number of flowers are to be staged it will be necessary to cut most of them before this time, because they need to be wired, except in Western Australia, where wiring is prohibited.

Keeping Blooms

Light, rather than heat, seems to cause blooms to open quickly. Heat is the greater factor in wilting; roses keep best under cool, dark conditions. As soon as each flower is cut its stem should be recut under water and placed in a separate container of water up to within two or three inches of the calyx. The petals should be kept dry, especially in flowers cut more than a day before a show.

When possible the temperature of the atmosphere and water should be about 50 degrees Fahrenheit but never near freezing point (32 degrees Fahrenheit). A Coolgardie safe is useful; refrigerators must be watched carefully lest they become too cold. Keeping flowers at too low a temperature causes them to look stale and slightly crinkled. Never try to keep air cool by draughts it is a sure way to cause wilting of the blooms.

A few exhibitors and many commercial growers are now keeping rose blooms for up to three weeks, sealed in alkathene (or polythene) bags and without water, in refrigerators. The temperature is kept just above freezing point and the blooms do not open or lose colour under these conditions.

The addition of sugar, acetic acid, and other substances to water has been advocated to help in keeping either form or colour in roses. I am quite certain they are all useless.

Many exhibitors remove all the foliage from specimen blooms, claiming that this increases their lasting properties. There does not seem to be much evidence to support this contention, and blooms are apt to look artificial. Never remove the uppermost leaf unless it is badly damaged, even if you see fit to remove all the others. Of course, the lower leaves of the stem of any rose must always be removed, along with the thorns, irrespective of the intended use of the bloom. The immersing of stems deep in water helps a little in keeping blooms fresh, probably only by preventing transpiration of water from the stem and leaves that are covered.

Next to water, darkness is the most important factor in keeping roses. In the garden, flowers will open very little between midday and sunrise, but in the next hour or two development is very rapid. Indoors, roses should be retarded by being kept in a dark or dull room; if it is cool it will be better still. The hessian sides of a Coolgardie safe will make it a fairly well-darkened small "room", even if the safe is kept in a room almost normally lit.

Some exhibitors prefer to work late into the night preceding a show; others choose to rise early on show morning. There is a lot of work to be done if one aspires to staging many blooms or arrangements, and, with either choice, as little as possible must be left for the few hours at the hall preceding the time for staging of the blooms. Wiring of the flowers is the most important work that can be done. Spare foliage must be gathered, and brush and wire collected and packed. Sometimes exhibitors are asked to provide their own containers, even for specimen blooms.

Wiring

Unless prohibited by the general rule of a society, as in Western Australia, or in special classes, as in most shows, wiring of blooms is so important that it can almost win or lose awards for the exhibitor.

In staging roses for decorative purposes, as in bowls, vases, bunches, baskets, bouquets, and sprays, it is best to use florist's black wire of as light a gauge as is consistent with its purpose of holding the blooms in the required positions 17- or 18-gauge will be most useful. The smaller the number of the gauge the heavier is the wire. For specimen blooms there is no objection to galvanized wire, and it has the advantages of being stiffer and cleaner to handle. Number 18-gauge is most commonly used.

There are two usual methods of wiring: (a) by pushing the upper end of the wire into the calyx; (b) by curling the upper end of the wire round/ or just under, the calyx. When the first method of wiring is used, the bloom must be held by its calyx in one hand while the wire is pushed into it with the other. Be very careful not to break off the head of the bloom. When the second, and probably better, method is used, wires should be prepared in adequate numbers long before the show. Each wire should be bent at one end in the form of an incomplete circle about one-third of an inch in diameter. This ring should then be turned at a right angle to the length of the wire. All the work should be done with pliers.

In either method the wire will need to be attached to the stem of the bloom. This can be done by twining it round the stem, a proceeding that is apt to damage or distort foliage, and is possible only with wire of a gauge so light that it has very little control over the bloom. Alternatively, it can be secured by twisting florist's very fine wire round both the stem and the wire. This fine wire should be on hand ready, cut into lengths of about three inches. Several pieces should be used for each bloom. If the uppermost tie is placed on the part of the stem between the calyx and the first pair of small leaflets, the risk of breaking off the bloom will be greatly lessened. One or two other ties should be used farther down the stem.

Florist's black wire is generally sold in bundles two feet long and each weighing one pound; the number of wires varies with the gauge. These wires, after bending, should be left at their full length and they can be shortened when used. Always keep this wire dry, for its rusts very easily. Galvanized wire is usually sold in coils, and wires for specimen blooms should be cut to lengths of about ten inches, straightened, and then turned at one end, as described.

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