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Daffodil competition.
MenaintheGarden
Posts: 31
Looking for some advice if possible.
Planning to enter the daffodil society’s annual show. It’s on my living list to enter a flower show for 2024.
Bit of a long shot but anyone here entered this competition before or have any genera advice for competitive growing?
I am not putting a lot of money into this so shown the cheaper approved cultivars; notwithstanding I am planting late.
Any other advice, links or pointers very welcomed
RN
RN
0
Posts
I am sure there is a National Daffodil Society that will give you all the advice you need to show daffodils. There are a lot of different classes of daffodils because of the different types of trumpets, colours, sizes, forms etc.
I think you will find most exhibitors go for new varieties, grow the bulbs individually as specimen plants, and grow them under cover to avoid damage/markings, etc on the petals.
If you have a club, group etc. where you want to exhibit try and get an old Show schedule so you can see the classes they run and ask for next years schedule to be sent to you. Also, see if you can find out which varieties won their classes. I am afraid it is not just a case of sticking a few bulbs in the garden and then picking a bunch to put on a show bench.
If you talk to anyone who exhibits you will find they take the whole thing very seriously indeed. Hopefully, they will give you some helpful tips to get you started. Then you will be hooked.
Good luck! Let us know how you get on.
cheers very much for your helpful reply
It is another world. To get some of the low down try going to a show during the staging time, before the judging starts. It is fascinating. Depending on the flower or veg. you will see how growers comb, pluck, stroke, and straighten their babies.
I was a Show Sec. for a number of years and one of our members used to show daffodils at National level as well as in our local Spring show where he would sweep the board every year. His flowers used to look as if they were made of velvet, I never did find out how he did it. Usually, exhibitors put name cards next to their exhibits which will give you an idea of which varieties do well. It does not mean they are easy to grow to showing standards though. Some are very "miffy".
Another thing to help you would be to join a local Horticultural Group near you, or Gardening Club, where you will meet other keen gardeners, they all do talks, demos. during the winter months and trips during the summer, I am sure you will find someone to pal up with.
When I first joined my local group I made friends with a beekeeper who lived near me, we were friends for many years. He was an old-fashioned gentleman who never failed to doff his cap when meeting anyone and my son still remembers his wonderful honey.
This a Daffodil show we visited in 2018 in Dundee Scotland.
Very high standard.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11713966@N02/albums/72157675838530998