Mylor Flower Club
9:18am Tuesday 17th May 2011 in Mylor
There was an air of expectancy as members met at the Ord Statter Pavilion on Tuesday, May 3. Guest demonstrator was Glennis Beard (Chacewater), who has long been associated with the club and given so much help and inspiration to aspiring flower arrangers. There was a good sale of draw tickets as everyone wanted to be a lucky winner knowing they would get something really special. Glennis has been both a NAFAS judge and demonstrator for many years and everyone reaped the benefit of her experience and wealth of knowledge. Her subject was “Show Bench” and her five designs were specifically made to show all the aspects of what judges look for in competition work such as colour, contrast, texture, proportion, interpretation of class title. Her arrangement – Towering Inferno – naturally has plenty of red blooms with red painted tall twigs giving the vertical effect. Orange carnations and yellow solidago gave the contrast needed to represent the tongues of flame together with red leaved foliage above a plain grey square pot.
In “Nature’s Contrast,” Glennis demonstrated how to obtain contrast, texture and colour using a container of dark and light natural material woven in squares and her idea was to repeat these colours in a patchwork of plant material. Two interesting pieces of wood were laid diagonally and layers of hosta leaves and rolled bergenia leaves repeating the shape of the wood were placed in groups. Tree heather gave an interesting texture contrast to these flat leaves. Large green chrysanthemums were grouped vertically for height and the final contrast obtained by using hellebores and large white roses cut short so they peeped out from the layered leaves.
Glennis then used something totally different – an angled piece of wood about 3’ in height to which she had strapped a piece of floral foam. Pieces of elegant kentia palm and lily of the valley gave a dainty look to the final effect of “Rustic Variations” where the colour of the orange tulips and carnations interpreted the title.
Using an inverted tall glass container on which she placed a saucer containing floral foam Glennis showed the entranced audience how to be “Tall and Elegant” by using phormiums curled and stapled at the top for height and grouping fatsia leaves around the base. She expertly placed white roses and lilies in lines and layered conifer twigs for texture. Tight loops of phormium were placed around the base linking with those vertically placed and the whole thing became as she promised – tall and elegant!
Her final offering was “Take Two” which consisted of a black base on which she stood matching dull silver metal upright stands and demonstrated how easy it was to link the two together by pinning lengths of purple painted twigs horizontally between the two and adding stems of matching scented stock and freesias on the same plane. This vibrant colour was contrasted by the use of shocking pink roses, gerberas and a dusky pink orchid complimented by the use of silver coloured foliage with flat hosta leaves and conifer giving the required texture interest.
Glennis then put on her ‘Judge’s Head’ and gave constructed criticism of all her arrangements – going through the good and bad points of each design which was so useful to the audience. Finally she decided that “Nature’s Contrast” was the winner but not everyone agreed of course! Glennis judged the club competition “I’ve Got Rhythm” and again gave good advice on various points that came to her attention: 1, Jean Frith; 2, Sylvia Ollerenshaw; 3, Elizabeth Doidge.
The next club meeting will be held at the Ord Statter Pavilion on Monday, June 6, 7.30pm. Jenny Ragg (Mawnan Smith) will use “Lazy Crazy Hazy Days of Summer” as her subject and the club competition will be “A Pot of Summer Colour”. Visitors are always most welcome. Please contact Jean Frith (01326 372071) or Margaret Underwood (01326 312499).
