Look the Judge in the Eye
A simple guide to growing and showing for beginners by Ian Penney

Introduction

My aim in writing this simple guide is unashamedly to hook you to the enjoyable pastime of showing flowers, fruit and veg so that the Congresbury shows continue to thrive. I am writing for those of you who have never entered a show before or have done so but without much success. To the experienced exhibitors I apologise because I have stated what to us is the obvious, but to beginners, I hope that this may be the spark that will set them on the road to successful showing.

Your First Show - First Stages

You want to enter a show but you don't quite know how to go about it. The first thing to do is get a schedule that all show organisers produce. This will contain a complete list of all the classes of the show, an entry form, the date when the entry forms have to be submitted, and to whom they have to be submitted.

The best advice I can give you to start your showing career is to decide to enter something. Look at the schedule carefully, look at what is growing in your garden and enter at least one class but not more than three. From that moment look after your exhibits. You will need to water them, perhaps feed them, stake them, keep the green fly off them; in other words they are your babies, molly coddle them!

Preparing Your Exhibit

I will go into more detail later about preparing your entry for show. For your first show try to make your flower, fruit or veg as attractive as possible, put them in a suitable container and transport them carefully to the show.

At The Show

On arrival at the show tent/hall go first to the secretary's table where you will receive your place cards that will have your exhibitor's number and class number. Go to the table designated for your class and set up your exhibit. Make it look as presentable as possible, place your card beside your entry and then leave it. Go and speak to some of your friends. Go home! Above all leave your exhibit alone. I have seen many entries spoiled by over elaborate grooming. I have even seen an exhibitor screwing the head off a daffodil as he tried to clock the petals.

The Great Moment

Your 'career' as an exhibitor starts the moment you enter the show tent and look at your entry. Congratulations if you have got a prize card. If as is more likely, I regret to say, you have not won anything, do not despair as your education starts at that moment. Look at the entries that have got a prize card, in what way are they are better than yours? Are they bigger, cleaner, fresher and so on?

 You will be far more aware of the good points of an exhibit when you are comparing it with your own. This is the reason I advise you to enter something and having made your comparisons decide there and then that next year you will be among the winners.

The Next Steps - Making a Choice

To prepare for the next show, which I am sure you will be very keen to do, go back to the schedule. Look at all the classes that are available and decide what you want to grow. I would advise you, initially, to specialise. Because if you learn to grow and exhibit one thing well the expertise that you gain will help you in growing and showing many other things. In my experience this approach is more likely to achieve consistent results than the ad hoc method of picking whatever is blooming in your garden. However whatever you choose be sure that it is something you enjoy growing. I have never grown chrysanthemums because, basically, I don't like those huge blooms, but I admire the skill and patience that goes into producing them.

Varieties

All things are not equal in the garden and it is a fact that some varieties make better exhibits than others. It would be a waste if you lavished time and effort on a variety that would never produce a worthwhile specimen. There are several ways of finding out the good varieties. The easiest is to ask successful exhibitors. If you show interest they are usually very willing to help. The names of varieties often help, a pea called 'Show Perfection' is still a winner and a runner bean 'Enorma' wins regular prizes. Flowers are not so easy though there is a Pelargonium called ‘Something Special’ that has all the qualities of a good plant. The most reliable method is to join a specialist society or obtain the year book from a member. These will usually present a list of the winning varieties at their shows.

If you see a pot plant for sale that looks different and attractive, buy it if you want to because the chances are that a judge may also find it attractive; but remember it must have been in your possession for 2 months before the show.

Preparing For The Show

If you have never entered a show before you should consider how you are going to display your entries before show day. Experienced exhibitors will have a range of vases, plates and containers ready to show their produce to the best advantage.

For flowers you should have either a straight-sided vase or one that is wider at the top than at the bottom, the size being dependent on the blooms. Please, no milk or beer bottles, there far more attractive containers than these. When you are more experienced you should consider buying purpose made show containers, which are easier to use and display your flowers much better. These are initially expensive but are very long lasting (show vases can be bought through the Society’s secretary). You also require something to hold the blooms in position in the vase. Flower arranger's oasis trimmed to fit the top of the vase is very useful. Moss is also very good for supporting blooms. Do not however collect your moss from the wild, the moss in your lawn, that you want rid of, will do. If moss is in short supply I find that perlite in the bottom of the vase, with moss at the top, gives good support.

Displaying Your Exhibits

Having got suitable containers ready now look at your exhibit. If you are entering a single specimen, select the bloom that is freshest, cleanest and appeals to you most. Place it in the vase and judge its length compared to the container. Cut the stem if it appears proportionately long. Look at the bloom, with a fine paintbrush remove any dirt or insects that are on it, the judge does not want to see these. When you are showing more than one item, be it flower, fruit or vegetable, quality still counts but of equal importance is uniformity.

You are far more likely to gain a prize if you have say three onions of approximately the same size than one larger one of better quality and two smaller ones. In an ideal world beans should be all the same length, however, since you are a beginner put in your entry even if they are of different sizes and try to arrange them in order of size and shape. You will find that most of the other entries will be variable like yours.

Soft fruit is best displayed in a circle on top of leaves of the fruit bush on a flat plate. Bunches of currants are placed in a shallow bowl, again leaves being used to enhance the exhibit.

In a 3 flower class take all the blooms that you have and lay them side by side. Select the tallest and straightest bloom for the middle. Then select 2 more blooms of equal size for the sides. If, as often happens, one bloom leans say to the left, place it to the left of the central bloom and similarly with the right. This will give your exhibit a more balanced look.

Finally before you leave your exhibit count the number of beans, raspberries or whatever because if the schedule says five and you have six you will get those dreaded letters NAS - ‘not according to schedule’ and all your work will be wasted.

Some Growing Tips

Single Roses And Other Single Blooms

Remove the side buds from the stems of single roses and other flowers such as dahlias This will allow all the plant's energy to be used in the development of the main bloom. Remove any weak stems that will not produce a worthwhile bloom.

Cluster Flowered Roses

Remove the centre bud early from a cluster flowered (floribunda) rose. This allows the other buds to develop uniformly.

Fuschias And Pelargoniums

The aim for these plants is to have as many flowers as possible for the show. To this end you must pinch out (stop) the tips of growing shoots when they have produced three or four leaf joints. This encourages side shoots to grow to produce bushier plants. The last stop however must be made about three months before the show. Any shoots developing after that date are unlikely to produce flowers in time.

Feeding Pot plants

I use two fertilisers; one is high in Nitrogen and the other is high in Potash. I start the season with the Nitrogen to promote growth and gradually increase the proportion of Potash until that is the only one I am using when the flowers begin to develop. Like most growers I prefer to feed at every watering with a quarter strength solution. By doing this you never forget to feed (remember composts usually have only enough feed to last about 6 to 8 weeks).

Turning plants

Whether you grow your plants on a windowsill or greenhouse, you should turn your plants once a week by one-quarter turn. Your plant will then develop evenly.

Sweet Peas

To get the best results, you should sow individual varieties in mid October and grow on in a cold frame. Plants should be planted out late March on manured ground to which blood, fish and bone fertiliser has been added. Plants are grown on cordons (1 plant per cane) and all tendrils and side shoots are removed. This practice will give sweet peas with long stems and four florets per stem.

Finally

Judges, even before they have started detailed examination, will often have made up their minds that certain exhibits will be first prizewinners. These exhibits will be the ones that look the judge in the eye and he or she will be suitably impressed. I hope that after reading this that yours will be one of those top entries. If not, there is always another year. Good Luck. See you next year at the show bench!