Members & their Greenhouses
Ian Rhys Williams  2014
The Chairman's Greenhouses two weeks before the National Show

   I said last year that due to the excessive prolonged heat wave during the late Spring/ early Summer, that my blooms had suffered. Well this year too, the never ceasing, day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out, unbearable scorching heat has once more caused havoc to my cut blooms. When outside temperatures on a regular basis exceed thirty degrees Centigrade during the daytime and do not fall much less than eighteen degrees Centigrade throughout the night [ much hotter inside my glasshouses even with cooling fans going twenty four seven ], it has a significant effect on bloom development.
   Timing six weeks ago was spot on according to the stopping dates of each variety. But then, the desert like unbearable conditions showed it's ugly face, once more. My blooms have developed at least a week to ten days prematurely. Today, 1^st. of August [ less than a week, before I cut ]- from the eighty or so blooms I selected for the National at Shrewsbury, I have less than thirty to choose from and there's another six days to go, on the eve of going to the Show.
   If the date of the Show was a week ago, I would have had the majority of the blooms selected at my disposal. From the photographs taken, you will see that the majority of my blooms, are large, deep, clean and worthy of gracing an excellent Twelve and Six Board. Those smaller oyster sized blooms have been timed for my Area Show fifteen days later on the 24^th. / 25^th. August.
   Could I have done anything different in my timing? If I had a crystal ball and could have foreseen/ forecast the prolonged volcano like heat conditions, then I could have shortened my timing, however, even the Professional Weather Forecasters' whose profession it is to predict the weather can not foresee the weather more than a week or so ahead with accuracy- what chance have we as armatures to do any better.

Ian Rhys Williams

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

A - Firedance.  ~  B - Another basket of Firedance.  ~  C- Under view of Isobella.   
D - Million Kisses Devotion.  ~    E - Million Kisses Armour.  ~  F - Rocheart.
G - Fireworks.  ~  H - Some of my pots of Rex.  ~  I - Glasshouse 1.  ~  J - Glasshouse 2.
K - Shade house, with cut blooms selected for my Area Show.  ~  L - Glasshouse 2
. M - Glasshouse 3.  ~  N - Glasshouse 3.  ~  O - Glasshouse 4..  ~  P - Glasshouse 4.

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