4:03pm Wednesday 7th July 2010
Members welcomed a familiar face, demonstrator Edna Trudgeon (St Austell), as she has been closely associated with the club for many years. Her subject, “Summer Colours” gave her scope for some delightful designs which were raffled at the close of the evening.
She entranced the audience with a variety of arrangements starting with a very traditional shape based in a naturalistic wicker basket and reflected her ideas of a cottage garden with a collection of flowers and foliage easily grown in our own gardens with the focal point being two large purple alliums backed by pink September flowers and gold alstroemeria lilies.
A tall pot, ingeniously covered to include two ‘pockets’ on the outside became the setting for a modern minimalist design using only three superb pink roses supplemented by purple heuchera leaves and dracaena foliage looped around them. A single rose and heuchera leaf were inserted into the ‘pockets’ linking with the main design and giving a very flowing feeling to the arrangement.
Another modern line design followed this with a container placed on top of a wrought iron stand with hellebore leaves covering the foam. Wonderfully bright orange mini gerberas flowed down one side while Edna cleverly used the cut-off stems on the other side to give the impression of a bunch of flowers casually laid there. Complimentary gold roses cut short, hypericum berries and lime coloured alchemila flowers gave the necessary zing to this delightful design.
Edna’s final two designs gave the members food for thought as she created interesting arrangements without the use of floral foam which, unfortunately, is not a degradable product. A glass tank filled with box cuttings took on a modern look with rows of yellow gladioli, gerberas and shimmering decorative grass with three huge sunflowers as the wow factor. Edna then explained how to make a framework of phormium loops stapled together and this can be made to any size. In this case she draped it over the opening of a tall red glass container and used oasis fix to keep it in place. She inserted a variety of green foliage, ornamental cabbages and shamrock chrysanthemums and contrasted this with large red gerberas and carnations to complete the arresting design.
The competition “A Continental Summer Garden”: 1, Pippa Mayhew; 2, Jean Frith; 3, Sylvia Ollerenshaw. The next competition is a petite exhibit “Autumn Colours”.
This was the final meeting before the summer break, held on July 5, and the next meeting will be on September 6 when Fiona Hammond (Cardinham) will wow the audience with her skill as her subject, “Imposed“, means she has no idea of what her containers, foliage and flowers will be until her arrival that evening at the Ord Statter Pavilion. So she will be thinking on her feet while keeping the audience entertained - always a good evening.
There is always a warm welcome to all visitors and new members, any enquiries please contact Jean Frith (Chairman) 01326 372071 or Margaret Underwood (President) 01326 312499.
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