EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
SHOWTIME
Ecamumclub.org
Jim Anshutz, Sec.
MEETING OF THE E.C.A. –THURSDAY October 13, 2011 at 7 PM at the Seattle
at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila. This is an important meeting as we develop plans for our annual mum show and confirm plans for our award banquet.
ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW – The E.C.A. annual flower show will held at Furney’s Nursery, 21215 International Blvd. Pacific Highway (99). Telephone: 206-878-8761.
on
• Friday October 28th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, October 29th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and
• Sunday, October 30th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Show set up will be Wednesday, October 26th at 1 p.m.
Please bring your flowers in Thursday. For late entries, Furney’s will have a staff member there at 7 a.m. Friday morning (Oct 28th) and Show judging will begin at 9 a.m.
Members: We need all members to attend & volunteer to help with the Show even if you don’t have any flowers to enter. We need Judge’s Helpers and Hosting on Fri, Sat. and Sunday. The Show provides a great way to get to know Club members and learn more about Chrysanthemums.
At our OCTOBER MEETING we will discuss details for setting up our show, entering blooms/plants and handling the mechanics of judging and staffing our event. Again, we need everyone’s help to make this year’s show a spectacular event. Assignments will be discussed and made at the Oct. meeting.
Kudos to Becky Cox for sending out a letter and flyer to 30 newspapers about the Show. Furney’s will contact Cisco a week before the show to announce it on his radio show. Lots of flyers have been distributed so we hope to have a big crowd!
If you have any questions about the show, please call Ron Elliott our Show Steward.
We’ll have copies of the show rules, entry form and name tags for the show at Furney’s (and hopefully at our Oct. meeting).
TROPHIES:
Last year’s Trophy winners please bring your clean trophies and give them to
Ron Elliott who will prepare them for this year’s Awards Banquet. If you have not given Ron Elliott your trophy yet please contact him
to make arrangements.
ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET: – The E.C.A. annual awards dinner is in lieu of the November meeting and will be held at Angelo’s, 601 SW 153rd, Burien, WA. Come at 6:00 PM for the Social Hour, Dinner at 7:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to enjoy an evening with good friends, good conversation and an excellent dinner. Put it on your Calendar Thursday November 10th 6-9 PM. Dinner choices this year are Ribeye Steak, Chicken or a Vegetable Lasagna. Dinner this year will cost $20/person (assuming that the Club will once again pick up dinner costs above $20/person plus the tip.) A sign –up sheet where you list your meal preference will be available at the October Meeting as well as at Furney’s Nursery during the Flower Show. Please pay the $20/person dinner cost to Chris Brookes at the October meeting (checks made out to ECA). Steve Backstrom will again coordinate this event and will be able accept late signups by phone or email. If you have any questions regarding the Banquet Contact Steve.
Also bring your late maturing blooms for display at the E. C. A. awards dinner.
PLANT CULTURE– The October meeting will be devoted to the care and how to prepare your mums for the show. Cultural recommendations are attached. With possible rain or showers consider your sheltering options for your Plants.
December Meeting – ELECTIONS OF NEXT YEAR’S CLUB OFFICERS:
We’re rapidly approaching the time once again to vote for 2012 ECA Board of Directors/Officers. Recent members are encouraged to fill positions and get involved; seasoned club members will provide assistance. Members will vote on new Officers during our Dec. 8th meeting.
See you at the Flower Show
Note: Don Stark has suggested that the step 3 below be modified to reflect how to cut blooms for the show from advice from Cisco Morris:
Start by cutting the flowers early in the morning. That’s when the cells in the stems contain the most water.
Cut at a slant and immediately put the stems in lukewarm water. Remove any leaves that would be under water, then recut the stem under water. That removes the air bubbles that cling to the end of the stem and impede water uptake. Some further Don Stark advice: Water your plant the night before you cut the blooms.
Don also suggests the following modifications to the material below: 2. When to cut blooms: Incurves (# 3’s), 3-4 days prior to the judging. Most others, 2 days prior to the judging.
OCTOBER TO DO LIST – (adapted from Don Stark 9/98 notes)
This month the focus is finishing the blooms, and preparing them for transport to the show, and the grooming and presentation of the blooms for the show.
1. Care and Feeding
• Get support sticks under the blooms to keep them upright. A cocked bloom is discounted severely by the judges.
• Watch for aphids. Spray blooms with a very fine mist of liquid Diazinon or Nicotine Sulfate if aphids appear. Repeat every 3 to 4 days for 3 sprayings. Do not let direct sunlight hit the blooms you have sprayed till they are dry.
• Watch for and destroy earwigs. If you see petals with holes in them, you will also see telltale small terds from the earwigs. Poke around in the bloom and you will probably find the earwig holed up inside the petals. Dig him out and crush him.
• Water and feed plants sparingly. Stark does his watering with a 1-pint coffee can. Feed at approximately ½ the recommended dosage at each watering. Note, you are not watering per se, but feeding with a half-diluted solution each time the plant needs a drink. Water sparingly, preferably around 5pm (Note Bob Walker believes plants should be watered early in the day).
2. Getting Ready for the Show
• As show time approaches, you can speed up bloom development by supplemental heat (electric heaters) in the finishing areas.
• Cut the blooms 1 to 2 days before judging. (See Don’s advice above about cutting stems). Cut the stems approximately 20 inches long and immerse the stem in a bucket of water immediately. After a few minutes, make a second cut one-inch off the end of the stem under water. Let the bloom set a few more minutes, then move to a vase or other water container for transport to the show. Following this procedure, your bloom will hold up well for up to a week. The key is the second cutting under water.
• After the stem has set in water for a few minutes, remove the stem from the water and dry with a paper towel and turn the bloom upside down. Pull out all damaged or browned off petals, reset the support stake to get the bloom upright and return to the water.
3. Show Materials
• show materials will be distributed at the October meeting. You will need entry forms, bloom tags, and a show rules book to show you how you can enter your blooms.
• The following page is a show entry outline to help guide you through the show catalog contained in the show rules. Do not be afraid to ask for help in getting your blooms ready and entered.
• Good luck
