Re: Re: CULT: Weather & Judges & Shows

    Thanks for the detail report. I'm amazed and exhausted just reading
about it! I hate the grooming aspect and usually try to enter 10-20 max.
Groom about 10-12 and put the rest in the exhibit section only to add to the
show for the public. Our shows are not that competitive.
 We have 3 clubs in eastern NY that are young and our main problem is
getting more folks to enter. Each club has one show and they get better each
year.

Subject: [iris-talk] Re: CULT: Weather & Judges & Shows


> Mornin'
>
> >> "bobkeup" <bobkeup@email.msn.com wrote:  Wow , how do you manage to
enter
> 50 stalks? I'm sure many on this list would enjoy some hints! How much
time
> is allowed to enter? How do you transport that number of flowers.<<
>
> Well, Bob, you have to be an organizer.  For a Sunday show, you eyeball
your
> stalks Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday to see what are show stalks and could
be
> blue ribbons.  Friday I unpack all the vases, take them in the house and
get
> them all half filled up with water, placing them on every inch of space
> available on countertops, tabletops, stove, etc.  I start cutting on
Saturday
> (anything that is in danger of closing due to bad winds and/or heat)... If
> heat is a problem I crank the a/c down in the house to 58.  If cold is a
> problem, the heat goes up to 86.
>
> I always upend the stalk outside to have excess water, dirt, bugs, etc.
fall
> out and/or off.  I remove loose foliage while walking stalks to the house
> (never more than two at a time, one in each hand and one carefully between
my
> lips -- not teeth, in my mouth)...  I do have some good sized round tables
> outdoors that I will rest the stalks on (if it's not windy) and continue
> taking them inside 3 at a time.  As I take them in, I rinse them off under
> the faucet and remove any big bugs.  I place them in vases, careful not to
> touch each other, usually not more than 3 or 4 per vase.  I grow lots of
> medians, so usually never have more than 2 TB's in any given vase.  I also
> use heavy tall vases to hold them.
>
> Once I get a good number of them cut, I will sometimes take some
(especially
> the ones in bud or just barely opened) on up to the garden center which,
> thankfully is only 1 1/2 miles north of my house, straight up a good
smooth 4
> lane thoroughfare.  (You really don't wanna hear how I hauled 25 stalks to
a
> Dallas show a couple three years back... or my Hobart OK show hauling
days...)
>
> I will go back home and continue evaluating and cutting til dark.  I
always
> use the wet paper towel up and down all stalks at the house before I ever
> take them to the GC.  BTW, I always have show tags done a week ahead with
> everything but the variety name and class.  I go ahead and make up any
> possible tags I think I'll be taking on Friday night.  In the wee hours, I
> double check any questionable registrations, names, classes, etc. in the
> R&I's...  Grooming can go into the wee hours Saturday night, especially if
> there are some in tight bud that I'm having to pry open with a crow bar.
> Microwave ovens do NOT work.
>
> I am hauling now in a bit of a different manner with my new Grand Am than
> when I had my Toyota Celica, complete with electric sunroof.  Those
tallest
> stalks really rode well sticking up out of that sunroof!  The GA has a
> textured interior that is much more non-slip than the leather of the
Toyota.
> So, I can place the stalks between the seat and seat backs and let the
taller
> medians ride in the back and some TB's ride up front.  With the Toyota I
> hauled everything in buckets filled with foam rubber plumbing insulation
that
> I carefully slid each stalk down into...  I still will haul in buckets
with
> the GA if there are 3 or 4 blooms open and/or if I can get a box full or a
> bucket full all standing up straight & not touching each other.
>
> I usually will make at least 3 or 4 trips to the garden center.  Once, my
ma
> hauled a carload in so I could unload them into the Garden Center on her
way
> into church.  That saved some time.
>
> For the 4 shows OKC runs, show entry times are 4 to 7pm Saturday and 7 to
> 10am on Sunday.  So, I always try to have the first full load of irises at
> the GC right at 7am...  This entails that I begin loading around 5:30.
> Usually, I finish grooming and getting the tackle box loaded and get all
the
> tags double checked, finished & loaded inside the box around 4 to 4:30,
which
> gives me a 30 minute to hour long nap.
>
> Once at the garden center I carry in my tackle box and the best flower
> (usually I've driven up with it in my right hand --- it's helpful now that
I
> have an automatic) pick a big spot on a free table (or next to Rex
Matthews
> if he's beat me there) and plop the good iris into a big tall vase.  I
then
> cart over however many big and small vases I will need arranging them on
the
> table so when I bring in the irises, none should be touching each other.
I
> will carry in that load and go for another.  Although the drive is short,
the
> loading can take a little time.  You must keep attuned to your watch and
> judge your time wisely.
>
> I can't recall ever making more than 3 Sunday morning trips.  Sometimes
I'll
> have a jump on things if there are Saturday shows.  I'll take all the
> Saturday stalks that are gonna last and do well on Sunday on over to the
GC
> on Saturday and stage them then.  I've had great luck with this and have
> actually had queen material on both days from different shows.
>
> Once back at the garden center I put all the pre-rubber banded entry tags
on
> the appropriate sized vases and then begin putting the right iris in the
> right vase.  I'll stage them & put in the foam rubber spacers as needed
and
> then whiz it over to the cart for the placement crew.
>
> I'm one of the few that does this alone.  Rex has his daughter to help.
> Perry Dyer has Miss Kitty.  Husbands have wives and wives have husbands,
etc.
>  This is why I have to be so meticulous in having everything as ready to
go
> as possible.
>
> When Rex & I used to compete (brutally) for the silver medals, frequently
it
> would come down to one or the other of us winning by one blue or one red
> ribbon.
>
> If I'm totally on schedule, on Sunday morning the minute it is daylight, I
> rewalk all the gardens and make sure nothing has snuck by me.
Occasionally I
> will come up with one or two more stalks that are contenders.  I'll cut
them,
> run them in the house to quickly groom and then on to the car for the
ride.
>
> I know that's wordy, but I tried to detail exactly how I do it.  In OKC,
not
> a single one of us does things the same.  Many roll their iris in wet
> newspapers.  Many have liquor bottle boxes full of bottles or vases.
Perry
> hauls his in big old quart bottle six packs, complete with carriers.
>
> I've never strapped any iris to the top of the car.  And, when hauling
them
> out the sunroof of my old Toyota, I drove slow.
>
> We are fanatical about shows here in OKC...  Does it show?
>
> Kath in OKC..... =^..^=   AIS Region 22,  USDA Zone 7
>
> BTW, always a bridesmaid, never a bride...  I have yet to win that elusive
> first Queen of Show, be it daylily, daffodil, or iris...  I probably have
up
> to a couple dozen silver AIS medals and another dozen bronze and have won
> every other position on the queen's court dozens of times...  But, never
the
> queen...
>
>
>
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