The Battlefords and Area Horticultural Society will be hosting its annual Horticultural Show Aug. 15 to 17 during Northwest Territorial Days.
The show will be held in conjunction with other domestic exhibits at the Agriplex on the Battlefords Agricultural Society Exhibition Grounds.
Show books are available at the Agrivilla office.
There have been many changes made for the 2012 show. The African violet class has been deleted, but some sections have been added to the houseplant categories. Other sections have been deleted or revised.
A section on exhibiting gives tips and will be of help to first-time exhibitors.
Setting up for the show will be Friday, Aug. 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. any help is appreciated. Show tags will be available at that time.
Aug. 14, exhibits will be accepted from 4 to 8:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 15 from 7 to 9 a.m. No late entries can be submitted as staging will start about 9 a.m. and judging at 10 a.m.
Plates for vegetables and fruit and special bottles for gladiolus and large dahlias are supplied. It is important all cut flowers have a container or vase suitable to the size of the flowers and a vase is considered to be more suitable than a jar. Bud bases are suitable for single stems and flowers with thin stems such as sweet peas. Sweet peas had few entries the past show and it is hoped to see more for this show.
In all cut flowers, freshness and good colour are always pleasing to the judges.
Roses can be cut when partly open and put in a container and refrigerated in a larger plastic container until the day before staging.
To show gladiolus, there should be at least two to three blossoms open, but preferably one-third of the stem.
To make up a basket or vase, line the edges of the container with cedar or hosta leaves.
To harden cut flowers, pick in the cool morning or early evening, put in warm water for a time to cool then put in cold water and place in a cool area until ready to arrange.
The first class in the show book is houseplants. These are easy to show as they can be prepared as early as two to three weeks ahead with a check close to show time. Interesting plants are always noteworthy and should be accurately named. Plants need to be clean, free of insects, discoloured leaves and appropriate to size of the pot.
The rain this summer with equal intervals of sun has made for prolific growth in the gardens. The society hopes to have more entries. Last year the society experienced the lowest number of entries in many years.
The society is also hoping for more juniors to enter. Their displays are always exciting.
Society members always enjoy greeting visitors and asking them to sign the guest register showing where visitors live. Some come from far away and make the fair a part of their holiday or family visit.
So, come and see what can be grown in this area. The artistic flowers arrangements and colourful flowers are always enjoyable.
Help in our fund raising by buying a raffle ticket and also enjoy the other domestic exhibits.
We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends at Northwest Territorial Days.
