The Philadelphia Flower Show (Part II)

Horticulture class show bench

Oh sure, the mind-boggling displays put together by major exhibitors have their fans, but not everyone has the financial or flower power necessary to construct one of these “suspension of disbelief” tableaus. For those with more modest aspirations, the hort classes are the place to be.

The real allure of the horticulture classes is the plants shown there often come from people just like us. We can grow these plants in our homes or greenhouses and aspire to the level of horticultural (near) perfection on display on the show benches. It gives us something to shoot for beyond just keeping our plants alive.

AND, this isn’t just for the experienced show-men and women. Novice classes for exhibitors who have never won a coveted blue ribbon allow even beginning growers to spread their wings and try something new. Once you win, though, you’ll be up against the heavy-hitters.

There are dozens of horticulture classes covering plants from tiny, flower-studded alpines to towering topiaries and flowering trees. Orchids in every color, succulents that are more bizarre than beautiful, single specimens, miniature gardens and troughs are all represented. Flowers, fruit, and foliage are all given their day at the show.

An orchid show bench

Orchids and cacti and succulents are among the most popular classes—with exhibitors and visitors. The orchid benches are crowd-pleasers with row upon row of gaudy flowers vying for attention of passers-bye. With few exceptions it’s the orchid flowers that are all important. These plants aren’t generally known for their foliage (although there are some beauties!).

Stenorrhynchos speciosum

For some reason the Philadelphia Flower Show attracts high numbers and exceptional quality of entries in the cacti and succulent classes. Although I have not judged them, they are always my favorite part of the show. I do grow many at home and it’s exciting to see the potential of my small plants.

Age is important in making a specimen of one of these plants. Cacti and succulents are typically slow growing and many years of careful cultivation must pass before a striking plant like many of these can be benched. I’ll be long gone before some of mine make it to that stage.

One of the great things about the cacti and succulent classes is that flowers are not the sole determiner of quality. Form, texture, color of foliage, and spination all enter into the equation.

An award-winning class

The competition was unusually strong this year, and, in a relatively rare move, an entire class was commended by the judging panel. Every plant was outstanding, evidencing the excellence in horticulture that is the hallmark of the show.

Euphorbia piscidermis"Best of Day"

One plant in particular stood out and was awarded “Best of Day” by a blended panel of the day’s judges. This was a multi-headed Euphorbia piscidermis (on its own roots, no less—a feat in itself), a rare and very difficult succulent from Ethiopia. This amazing plant (the species only discovered in 1974), was obviously of great age and was impeccably grown. Its rarity and the excellent horticulture required to grow it were rewarded despite its lack of flowers--and in the face of stiff competition from flashy entries in other classes.

Judging at the show is great fun and serious business. Every year you see old friends, both people and plants. Here’s that huge flowering basket back for another go. There’s the topiary you’ve seen every year that you’ve been coming. Does it have another layer of clipping. Old favorites appear, bigger than last year, or with an additional flourish. Every year you see something new too—sometimes a plant that hasn’t been seen on the show benches before.

Clivia and topiary

Often the top choices are fairly obvious, standing head-and-shoulders amongst the hoi-polloi in the class. Sorting out ribbon placement is not always easy. Judges huddle to confer, muttering amongst themselves as handlers cordon them off from the crush of the crowds with rope barriers. Patient clerks are there to record the judge’s decisions and place the ribbons for each class. And the visitors, either confused or curious about the process, keep coming.

_____________________________

Copyright  2006- 2007 by Carlo A. Balistrieri.
All rights reserved.