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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Northwest Flower and Garden Show Floral Competition

It's always fun to check out the floral competition at the show. I am always glad that I don't have to judge any part of the show.  Comparing apples to oranges (sometimes asparagus?) and coming up with prize winners must be a difficult task!
 
On Tuesday, arrangers were busy putting their arrangements together.   So many choices...
 
 
In any art form using materials that are already beautiful in themselves, there is often an inner struggle in the artist's mind.  How much of the natural beauty of the glass, flower, wood, metal, etc. is allowed to speak for itself  versus how far can one manipulate a material to make his/her statement.  In this first-prize-winning entry, "Circles of Life" by Fiore Dorato International, a delightful balance of mastery of technique and admiration of the natural beauty of flowers has been struck. 

This is the only entry for which I have no title or creator.  If you know, please tell me!

"Ikebana as Art"  Ikebana by Megumi

"Every Flower is a Masterpiece, Every Bouquet is a Museum."  by KAN Orchids/Flowers
 
"Jewels of Life"   by La Vassar Florists

"Mary, Mary"  by Metropolitan Market

"Vincent" by Dancing Bee Designs.   Frames were used a lot in this show because of the "Art in Bloom" theme. 

"Swoon" by Sandra O'Malley 

"Daringly Divergent Dali" by Countryside Floral and Garden won second place.
According to the rules of the Floral Competition, at least one hundred dollars of floral material must be used in each arrangement.  I love this as a piece of art but that had to be some pretty expensive cardboard!

"Floricasso" by Fena Flowers.

"Breaking through winter the Heart begins to Heal"  by Fleur de V

"Floralaura"  by Laura Straight

Debra Prinzing, author of the book "Slow Flowers," in which she recommends buying flowers only from American growers, put together this lovely residential-sized arrangement.  Check out the website here.

"Enrapture" by Cordia Botanical Art is a slice of garden on a table!
 
Third prize went to "Art Nouveau" by Christopher Flowers. 

Capitol Florist
 
I'll end with some details of the material used in "Swoon," plants I've swooned over myself.
 
A grevillea which isn't hardy here.

A Leucadendron, also just a zone away from being hardy in my garden!


Kangaroo Paws among others.  Notice the Tillandsia!

Tillandsias, a succulent, and more Kangaroo Paws mingle with Ranunculus.
 
While I admire all of these, I don't cut flowers from my garden; they last so much longer outside and watching them die in the house is kind of sad.  However, I'm not averse to buying flowers every now and then.  What are your favorite flowers to have inside?

26 comments:

  1. I wonder if you and I are the only gardeners who do not cut and bring flowers inside -- sometimes a single stem to admire but almost never a whole bouquet much less an 'arrangement' of anything?

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    1. Well, I do bring things in if they are lying on the ground and need to be cut. The vase is better than the compost heap. I know it's crazy but I enjoy silk flowers because they never die.

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  2. Interesting how many of the arrangements look somewhat messy. I also liked the combinations in Swoon. Jewels of Life had beautiful color combos too.

    I do cut flowers for the house but mostly they are varieties which benefit from cutting back several times a summer.

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    1. Some do look messy. I was going to be a little snarky in my descriptions of some of them but these folks do all this work for nothing except the chance to have their work seen by a huge audience. The first place prize is only $250. It's a chance to be a little outlandish. I think it would be fun to try one of these some year just for the fun of it!

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  3. I enjoyed the arrangements as artistic and inspiring statements. When my bulbs bloom I rather leave them where they are, but I do like Ikebana. All it requires is a branch with a flower or a berry combined with something green to bring nature indoors. Its a good fall-winter activity; when the garden is bare it forces me to pay close attention and see what I can find to bring inside.

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    1. It is fun to bring branches inside to force during late winter, I especially like cottonwood because the sweet smell of the unfurling leaves screams spring to me. (watch out for the sticky things that drop from the branches as the leaves emerge.)

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  4. Uhm...lots to like, and lots to just scratch my head over. "Messy" as Shirley pointed out.

    The flowers I tend to have inside belong to the protea family...in fact I think I'm going to buy myself some today! Perfect to help divert my eyes from the disaster that is my snowy and icy garden.

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    1. As you know, it's always kind of a mixed bag in the floral competition but truly, sometimes you have to wonder what folks were thinking. Big difference between residential and residential style and scale of arrangements.
      I also enjoy proteas inside and they dry nicely too! Extra bonus if you're tacky like me, you can spray paint them metallic silver or gold and use them in holiday arrangements.

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  5. I prefer dried flowers in vases in my house, and I have lots of little bunches of twigs in vases throughout the house. I don't cut flowers much either. Maybe once in a great while, for a special occasion, and I have few of those. I don't actually know the rules of Ikebana, but I like the sparseness of it as chavliness described it, a branch with a flower or berry and something green. The entry from Riz, Cordia Botanical Art's Enrapture, won People's Choice.

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    1. I'm with you. While I enjoy the ever changing nature of things outside, there's something comforting about a slightly slower pace inside - flowers that don't need to have their water changed regularly, re arranged, thrown away are a real bonus.

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  6. You weren't kidding about apples and asparagus! I've always hesitated to cut flowers in my garden but last year was inspired to do so by the Seasonal Bouquet Project and other, similar efforts. I still tend to pick only what I have a lot of or flowers that are fading and my constructions tend to involve a piece of this and a piece of that but, as I can't spend my entire day outside, it's pleasant to have some remnants of my garden to look at when I'm inside.

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    1. There are some flowers that were simply made to be cut and brought indoors. Lilacs and sweet peas are a couple that I love having big boquets of in the house. I cut mostly for scent I guess and seldom do very fancy arrangements but rather just have a vase of a bunch of one thing. When there are flowers at the farmers markets and roadside stands by farms, I sometimes grab some flowers.

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  7. I enjoy so much seeing flowers and leaves in the garden that i can´t cut them to bring them inside. Maybe if I had so many of them in my garden that I couldn't notice the lack of the ones I cut, I would take some inside. But I do enjoy some flower arrangements, especially when they have lots of leaves and foliage colour. Very nice pictures.

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    1. It's hard to cut our own flowers. I dream of someday living on a large property where I could have a big vegetable plot and cutting garden.

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  8. Some nice ones, some not so but at least you can see the effort. Zantedeschia is my fave flower in the house but most of the time don't bother. We have same sentiments about cutting flowers from the garden...

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    1. Zantedeschia are gorgeous inside and when bought from a florist are divine in the vase. Can't bring myself to cut my own though.

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  9. I started gardening solely to have flowers to bring into the house. That was long ago, and many moods ago. I still like to plants lots of some things for cutting and scrounging for things to put in a vase is a game I like to play this time of year. When wind or rain beats down a bunch of something I might have a big bouquet, but mostly I like the look of a single specimen.

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    1. It is fun to scrounge this time of year and bring in a branch or two of something fragrant or branches to force into leaf earlier than would happen outside.

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  10. It would have been fun to see the artists arranging their creations.
    I do pick from my garden. I like to have fresh flowers and/or foliage inside year round. I,love arranging flowers from my cutting garden using my old pottery vases.

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    1. I love the way you arrange flowers from your garden, Linda. Your evergreen arrangements you did this year were some of my favorites. I used to always cut flowers but don't as much anymore.

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  11. I agree with those who can't bear to cut flowers for the house, they look so much better outside and last a lot longer. Every eight weeks I arrange the flowers at church, masses of foliage comes with me from the garden, then I just need to buy a few flowers. I liked some of the arrangements but most I'm afraid were not for me.

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    1. C of E? There's something very special about having fresh flowers inside an older building. The juxtaposition of the solid and lasting nature of the structure against the relatively fleeting nature of the flowers is a lesson in itself. This competition sometimes becomes a "who can be most outlandish" show.

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  12. I like a few flowers for the house but I don't think any true gardener could bare to pick armfuls of their treasures.
    Interesting arrangements. That Ikebana one impressed me, it's Pyracantha isn't it? How brave, you don't mess with Pyracantha. It's vicious.

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    1. Oh Chloris, you made me chuckle this morning! "How brave, you don't mess with Pyracantha. It's vicious." So true, that plant has thorns!

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  13. Beautiful flower arrangement entries! Very creative designs!

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  14. WOW, what a diversity in styles! The possibility with flowers is pretty endless.

    CORRECTION: It's Cordier Botanical Art.

    Thanks for documenting this! Next year's display will feature our friend, Lacey Leinbaugh of Blue Lace Design. Expect the floral competition to be somewhat small this year as Valentine's Day for most florists tends to be insane.

    Riz

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.