Dianthus Shows: Part Four

   As we come into August, in most years the Borders are coming to an end and then the PFs take over. The Pinks keep on going too of course. My last show for Borders was Bakewell, staging on Tuesday 1st August. I didn't have much of anything really, just a few PFs and maybe 15 to 20 Borders and they were only just hanging on in the heat. I wanted to support the new Borders Section which I hope in a better year will be well supported.

As it was I was the only entrant in the Borders. I put five Bofield Emily and two Show Girl in the seven class. In the three selfs I had two entries of 3 Rita Lilian May and Bradshaw Beacon. In the single self I put in two entries, Bradshaw Heartblood and Eudoxia Sport. In the three Fancies I put in 3 Show Girl and a mixed vase of Irene de la Torre, Mystic Mel and Mystic Dawn. In the single fancy I put what was probably my best bloom, a Bradshaw Sunset. I used Lucy Hogg for the three picotees and an Ann S Moore for the single picotee. Apart from the Sunset, these were not my best flowers, but all I had left.

I staged even less in the PF Section with just single blooms of Red Lips, Schubert, Nick Woodfield and Clara's Choice. I had two of the last one so one went in the the Yellow Ground Fancy and one in the Grower's Choice. Ivor Mace and Bill Bonas and the men from Stoke were also in the PFs so I didn't expect to win anything there, though at Tatton I had managed a red card against the big guns.

The glads exhibitors were there with Peter Forrow from Chesterfield having a hatful and Nigel showing some very nice seedlings. Unfortunately the best laid plans go awry. Peter was going back on opening day to get the results and let me know (I couldn't stay for the actual show). However, such was the rain that the car parks were closed and Peter queued for two hours before being told he couldn't park. A shambles really. You would think that such a show would have a Plan B for wet weather but no. Ivor posted a few results about the PFs but I will only know when the prize money and Borders Section silver medal arrives whether I got a placing in the PFs. Peter was also going to take the photos so that never happened. I only took two: one of my vase of seven and one of the Bradshaw Sunset but unfortunately reds and apricot ground fancies don't photograph very well.




5 Bofield Emily and two Show Girl

Bradshaw Sunset.

So I've now started taking my cuttings, mostly Borders but also a few PFs that have cutting material on them.  I don't have electricity at the allotments so I just take them early, shade from the sun and spray with water every day for three weeks. I add some Maxicrop to the sprayer from the third week. The cuttings mix this year  is three Perlite to one grit sand. Nothing else. They are usually rooted in four or five weeks.

No shows for me this first weekend of August. Next weekend I'm judging the Yorkshire Gladiolus Show on the Saturday and then I'm over to Doncaster on the Sunday for the Yorkshire Carnation Society second show with just a few PFs if I'm lucky. I think there will be a presentation of the awards from the Early Show and I'm in line for some fancy cut glass and hopefully a medal for something. It's been a lucky year for me so far with six medals for Borders and PFs. I'll be fortunate if I do so well in the glads as, like many,  I have suffered from late emergence after the dry spring. Southport is only 11 days away and I don't seem to have enough to compete in the big classes but the luck might hold and a few might open dead on time. And pigs might fly, I suppose. Still a bit early for my plot that only really gets going around the time of the National in late August. The seedlings are keeping me busy but most have been also rans so far.