Cowichan Valley Garden Club

Dec 18th Parlour Show Guidelines 2024

Guidelines for Parlour Show Entries 2024
1. Exhibitors are asked to have their exhibits staged by 6:45.
2. Competion is limited to paid-up members, unless otherwise specified.
3. More than one entry is allowed in each class but must be different cultivars/varieties.
4. Judging will be done according to the Garden Clubs of B.C. Judging and Exhibiting
Standards. A copy of these is available from the Parlour Show committee chair.
5. All entries must have a name covered entry tag with the entrant’s name along with the class number,
class name and in the case of Horticultural classes, the genus/variety if known.
6. In Horticultural classes, materials must be from your own garden and been grown by
the exhibitor for at least 3 months.
7. In classes where multiple stems of the same variety are required, the class is judged for unity among
each stem. This means that each stem should be as identical as possible, in length and size and the
flower is at the same stage of growth, size and colour.
8. Allow sufficient time to cut, clean and appropriately condition your chosen plant
materials that originate from your garden. Ideally, this should be done at least 24
hours previously. Please ask the Parlour Show Committee about conditioning specific plant material.
9. Where foliage occurs naturally on a flower stem (ie. Roses, tulips, etc), the entry
should be shown along with its attached foliage in an appropriate proportion. Foliage
should be removed below the waterline of the vase.
10. Wedging of stems is permitted unless visually disturbing.
11. Any bud showing colour will be counted as a bloom. Specimen blooms should be
shown disbudded ie. Dahlia, Delphinium
12. Surprise Us: Enter any Horticultural specimen of fruit, flower or vegetable not included in the monthly schedule. This
class is judged individually for its Horticultural qualities. Points are earned toward Parlour show awards total.
13. Anything Goes: Enter any Horticultural specimen. This class is not judged but entries will earn one point per entry
toward Parlour Show points totals.
14. Materials for design/decorative classes maybe used from any source unless the
Schedule states that materials must be from your own garden. Artificial plant materials
are not allowed. Accessories (inorganic materials) must be used in a subordinate manner to enhance a
design of plant material and the design appear incomplete if the accessory is removed.
15. Any materials used in design/decorative classes may be dried, painted or otherwise altered.
16. No soil is permitted in floral designs. Plant material must be in water or water retentive material to stay fresh.
Annual Awards:
At each Parlour Show, points are awarded in every category of the Schedule. Four points are given for a First; 3 for a Second; 2 for a Third; and 1 point for entering, including exhibits entered in “Anything Goes.” The Parlour Show year is from December 1st to November 30th.   Points are tallied after the November meeting and awards are announced at the December meeting.

Dec 18th Terminology

Terminology

The following are some basic terms sometimes used in Parlour Show schedules and judging. A full glossary of horticultural show definitions can be found in Judging Standards for Non-Specialized Shows published by the B.C. Council of Garden Clubs, which is available for reference from the Parlour Show Committee.
o Accessory: an inorganic object used in a subordinate manner to enhance a design of plant material.
o BLOOM: Individual flower; a solitary flower terminating a stem, or a composite head such as
Chrysanthemum or Dahlia.
o Bouquet: A bunch of flowers, leaves and/or branches inserted into a holder or container. Stems are allowed to be wired.
o COLLECTION: An assembly of specimens of varieties of plants, flowers, fruits or vegetables in one exhibit.
o CULTIVAR: Short for cultivated variety, is a plant selected for characteristics. Crimson Glory and
Cox are cultivars or varieties of the genus Pyrus malus (apple).
o Conformance: Compliance with schedule requirements: space allotted for your entry, type of design, plant materials to be used, etc.
o Display: A specified number of cut flowers, potted plants, branches, fruits, vegetables or nuts, exhibited for artistic effect as well as cultural perfection.
o Dominance: In design, the emphasis of one design element over another. Dominant features in a design can be anything, but are often the focal points.
o Foliage Design: design with interest in foliage. Foliage is to predominate. Flowers and/or fruits may be present but must not be focal points.
o L-shape Design: This is a line design containing 2 lines which form a right or left angle to one another to form an L shape.
o Line Design: A design where linear pattern is dominant. Line forms the structural framework of the design. It is the visual path along which the eye is led from one point of interest to another. It is the primary foundation of all designs and can convey interpretation, suggest a mood or and idea.  Line can be vertical, horizontal diagonal and/or curved. Line may be composed of linear material, such as branches, stems or leaves, or created through the repetition of forms, sizes, textures and colours in a linear direction.
o Miniature Design: A design with maximum dimensions of 12.7cm (5”) in any direction (height, width, depth, length). For good proportion, the container should not exceed 3.5cm (1 ½”) in height.  Niches (boxes) may be supplied by the show committee are 14cm (5 ¾”) wide x 15cm (6”) high x 12.5cm (5 ¾”) deep that house the design. Therefore, the design should fit comfortably into the niche without touching any side.
o Modern Mass Design: A design of 3 – 5 groups of plant material each composed of one variety of plant material, to give a sculptural effect. The design has no preconceived pattern, few components, new shapes, sculptural qualities, dynamic balance, movement and bold colours, with an elegant composition.
o Pave Design: A design technique of placing groups of plant material that have been cut very short, close together to form undulating mounds of colours, textures, shapes and sizes.
o Small Design: A design from 13.9cm – 25.4cm (5 ½” – 10”) and which must not exceed 25.4cm (5 1/2”) in any direction (height, width, depth, length, diagonal).
o SPRAY: It is the terminal flowering growth of an herbaceous or woody plant carried on one stem. Ideally, it would show all forms of flowering stages: those in full bloom, buds showing colour and green buds, along with leaves.   A branch with a secondary spray originating from the same branch is not permitted as it is now an entry of 2 sprays.
o Stem/Stalk: A main plant structure which supports flowers, buds, leaves or fruit.
o TRUSS:  A compact cluster of flowers or fruit growing from one stem (e.g., rhododendron,
pelargonium, Lilac, tomato).
o UNIFORMITY: The state of being alike in size, form, colour and maturity. An important consideration in classes where multiples are required. (e.g., Flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc.)
o VARIETY: An alternate term for cultivar. For horticultural show purposes, all variations within a “kind” (or genus) are termed varieties or cultivars. For example, Crimson Glory and Cox are varieties/cultivars of the kind/genus Apple.
o Vegetative Design: A design that presents the plant material as it grows in nature. The earth line or soil is represented by moss, rocks or low vegetation. (The use of soil is not allowed in design.)
o Waterviewing Design: This usually consists of a line design in a shallow container with one half to two thirds on the container surface showing water.
o Weathered Wood: Any wood altered in form, colour and/or texture by the forces of nature also called decorative wood.

Overview of Floral Design Principles and Elements
The following are brief descriptions of the Principles and Elements of floral design. More detailed information is provided in Judging Standards for Non-Specialized Shows published by the B.C. Council of Garden Clubs which is available for reference from the Parlour Show Committee. Judges consider the following principles of design which are used to organize, define and evaluate a design, its elements and components:
o BALANCE: is the visual stability from any angle or any dimension. It should not appear to be top heavy or lopsided. Balance can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Symmetrical balance is achieved by using similar amounts of plant material on either side of and imaginary central axis to give equal visual weight to each side of the design. The elements used may be dissimilar, but balance depends on the eye being equally attracted to both sides. Asymmetrical balance is achieved by using different amounts of plant material on either side of an imaginary central axis and placed to give equal visual weight to each side. The forms are dissimilar, and balance depends on the eye being equally attracted to both sides of the design.
o DOMINANCE: is the force of one element leaving other elements in the design subordinate achieved by having an emphasis of one element of the design that draws the eye (e.g., repetition of form, line, colour or texture, etc.).
o CONTRAST: This refers to the differences within a design between elements. It is achieved by placing opposite or unlike elements together.
o RHYTHM: The exhibit should have a sense of movement which directs the eye throughout the exhibit. Rhythm is created by repetition of a design element such as line, form, colour spacing between materials or the simple repeating of curves or planes within the composition.
o PROPORTION: is the relative amount of one area to another. For example, the amount of plant material to the container size, the amount of round forms within the design to linear forms, the amount of rough texture to smooth, etc. Also, the complete design should be in proportion to the space allotted for the design if known.
o SCALE: is the size relationship of all components in the design. For example, the size of one flower in relation to another, the components to the container, the container to the base, the entire design to the area it occupies.
These are the Elements of design which are the working components that the designer uses and which, when ombined and organized, form a complete unit.
o SPACE: is the open area surrounding a design and within the design. It influences the size, form and direction of the design. Space must also be considered where the design will be seen and judged if known.
o LINE: This forms the structural framework of the design. It is the visual path along which the eye is led from one point of interest to another. It is the primary foundation of all designs and can convey interpretation, suggest a mood or and idea. Line can be vertical, horizontal diagonal and/or curved. Line may be composed of linear material, such as branches, stems or leaves, or created through the repetition of forms, sizes, textures and colours in a linear direction.
o FORM: is the three-dimensional shape of a design (height, width and depth). Each piece of plant material used has a form of its own that may be linear, round, transitional, open or closed.
o COLOUR: is the most compelling element of design appealing to the visual sense. It possesses threequalities:  Hue, the full intensity colour, Chroma, the degree of intensity or purity, used to express the difference between bright colour of dull shades, and Value that depends on the amount of white, black or grey mixed with the hue. (Pink is a light value of red.)  Other terms used to describe colour are tint, shade, tone, neutral, advancing or warm and receding or cool.
o TEXTURE: is the surface quality of materials which appeals to sight and touch and is described as rough, smooth, coarse, fine, glossy or dull. It adds interest, variety and contrast avoiding monotony.
o PATTERN: is the design formed by solids and spaces when viewed against a background.

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Copy and paste these links into your browser:    

Website:   https://www.pollinator.org/about

Map:   https://pollinator.org/mpgcmap/

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