August
This month I will start
with my success at Shrewsbury flower show the National Seven pot
Fig1.
Fig 2 is my entry into the six pot
restricted which again had a first place. Fig 3
is the cut bloom and one plant 1st. I was very pleased with my entries
how they looked after they had been staged. Fig
4 and
Fig 5 show trophies being presented.
The plants have come a long way since I showed the black ugly looking
tubers six months ago in
February you wouldn’t think they could turn out so splendid the
unrestricted plants in 10 inch pots 33inches high and nearly the same
across.. During these last six months I have written in detail my
growing methods compost used there is no magic system or feeding
involved. I have tried following information and knowledge gained from
fellow members and using the society magazines I have kept over the last
few years since joining the society as a valuable source of propagation
techniques growing methods feeding regimes with timing and planning for
the show bench.
I will go back to my build
up to the show dates.31st July Fig 6
& Fig7 show the plants one week
before I start to prepare them for the
National at
Shrewsbury at this stage not giving any feed to the plants with
using approx 450 flower supports carefully inserted.
Fig 8 & Fig 9
are taken the Wednesday the week of the show and I start to pack around
the flowers to protect them during their 75 mile trip up the M5, M6, M54
& A5 to Shrewsbury. I spent about six hours packing cotton wool type
material around the blooms I watered all plants prior to packing well
which took a time as seen in the van Fig 10
plenty of material was used. It took Jane and I four hours to fit these
plants into the van ready to travel. We set off at 16.15 arrived at 18
.30 started setting up finally leaving for home at 22, 30 getting home
at just after midnight. We visited the show on the Friday had a really
good day with plenty to see again on Saturday ready to bring all twenty
one pots back home. No time for careful packing on the return journey
but all went well. Figs 11 to14
show the plants one week after the show some are more knocked about than
others.
We opened our garden on the
16th August for the Central area members to have a look round
and view the plants that I entered into the show as not all people would
have visited Shrewsbury. This visit was organised months ago before the
National and succeeding to win five firsts at Shrewsbury would have made
I think the visit worthwhile if growing large flowering Begonias does
interest you. Jane and I would like to thanks the people that did attend
but the numbers attending were very disappointing and with the central
area having one of the biggest memberships within the society I would
have thought more members could have taken the opportunity to see these
plants close up and of course ask as many questions as they wished.
Perhaps more Central area members will visit the area meeting on
September 27th at our usual venue of Manning ford Hall
and then find out about what is happening in their area of course have
access to some very good information plus named variety tubers when
available in early spring.
Three weeks after the show
I’m removing old flowers along with their supports 450, to date the
plants look as you would expect a bit tatty. They still need watering
and I give them a feed of potash each couple of weeks. I have replaced
the glass in both greenhouses after removing to reduce the temperature
and get some air movement through when the plants were in full flower as
the weather has gone unseasonally cool at night .I will not be taking
any autumn cuttings this year as I did this time last year which will
save me having the propagator on all winter. The tubers of the cuttings
taken last autumn have been growing strongly all summer having removed
all their flowers and growing tips hopefully there should be plenty of
tubers for next year as several people at the show asked if I would
have any to spare in the spring. Continued going around the plants each
day removing fallen flowers checking for any sign of botrytis which
quickly catches hold if not removed promptly.
