Chapter 21 (extract 3) of "Roses for English Gardens" by Jekyll and Mawley (1902), in which Mr Mawley gives his tips on staging the blooms on the day of the show.
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Illustration: Exhibition box with rose blooms arranged.
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At the Exhibition.—It is always well to reach the show early, so that plenty of time may be available for setting up the Roses. The boxes intended for exhibition should at once be taken to the places where they are to be staged. In that way their position is secured, and they should not require to be moved after the blooms are once arranged, although this has unfortunately occasionally to be done if the exhibition be in any way crowded. After the lid of the first box to be arranged has been removed, and the box tilted up at the back by means of two small flower-pots, the flowers should in the first instance be untied, and any which are overblown or otherwise unsuitable be taken out of the box and replaced by fresher specimens from the box containing the spare blooms. The largest flowers should be placed in the back row and the smallest in front. As far as practicable the dark and light coloured Roses should be set up alternately so that they may be distributed equally over the box, inserting any yellow flowers there may be towards the centre of the arrangement. It is a good plan to place the two choicest blooms in each row at the ends.
The Roses having been thus arranged as regards colour, the individual flowers should be set up to the required height. Those in the back row should be the highest, those in the front the lowest, and those in the middle row at an intermediate height, but in each row all the blooms should be at the same level. Before finally setting up each bloom it will be necessary to see that it is in exhibition form; that is to say, in every case any discoloured or ragged petals should be removed, and the outer row of petals firmly but very gradually pressed back at the base into a nearly horizontal position with the help of a large camel's-hair brush. In addition to this the younger blooms may require to have another row or more of petals treated in the same way to help the flower to open; a sharp puff given with the mouth to the inner petals will also often prove of material assistance in effecting this.
Should any bloom threaten to become too much developed before the judges come round, it will be well to tie up the centre petals again. The flowers having been thus carefully arranged, the lid should be replaced on the box and nearly, but not quite, closed. As soon as the order is given for the box lids to be removed, the lids should be taken off, the few remaining ties removed from the blooms on which they have been replaced, and any final touches to the arrangement given that may be necessary.
Exhibiting Garden or Decorative Roses—
Culture and Pruning.—These so-called "garden" Roses belong to such different sections that it is impossible to lay down any special rules as to culture. In all cases, however, the object aimed at should be the same, namely, to obtain strong-growing plants of all the varieties cultivated, to thin out the shoots sparingly, and to prune back lightly those that remain. The climbing varieties should be treated as recommended in the chapter on pruning (p. 104), those of less vigorous growth should be cultivated as free-flowering bushes, while in the case of dwarf-growing Teas and Pompons the same bushy habit should as far as possible be encouraged.
Cutting the Flowers.—As the cutting and arranging of "garden" Roses takes considerably longer than does that of the exhibition varieties, it is advisable to commence operations earlier in the afternoon preceding the show day. In selecting the sprays those on which the most forward flowers are only half open should be chosen, and the remainder should have either well-developed buds or buds just showing colour. Having gathered sufficient shoots of any one sort to make an exhibition bunch, those selected should be wired and placed deeply in a bowl, or other vessel holding plenty of water, before proceeding to cut the remaining bunches. When all are gathered, the sprays should be arranged in bunches and their stems tied together with raffia ready for exhibition on the morrow. Some taste and care are necessary in arranging these bunches so that the flowers are displayed to the best advantage. After this has been done they will require to be again placed in water and removed to a dry cellar or other cool place for the night. On the following morning these bunches must be taken from the receptacles in which they were placed and carefully laid on soft paper in the bottom of a Rose-box from which the tray has been removed, or, better still, in a lady's cardboard dressbox.
On arriving at the exhibition the bunches should at once be placed in water in the vases in which they are to be exhibited. The same principle should be followed as when setting up exhibition Roses; that is to say, the largest bunches should be placed at the back, the smallest in the front, and the light and dark varieties arranged as far as possible alternately, using larger and higher vases for the bunches in the back row than for those in the front. Bunches of garden Roses should not be crowded, or the foliage and habit will not be properly shown.
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More: Roses for exhibition - techniques of cultivation; manuring; management of the blooms.
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