The Rose & Sweet Pea Show The Rose & Sweet Pea Show has taken place on the Church Hall lawn for well over a century now – make this the year you come and partake of the traditional summer pleasures that have become part and parcel of life in Deeping St James! Always held on the last Saturday in June, this year’s show will be on 30th June, 1-4.30pm If you would like to be an active participant you might like to enter the Horticultural Show – there are categories for a vase or a bowl of cut flowers, a Fuchsia or opportunities to enter the headline rose and sweet pea categories and many more! If you decide to enter your sweet peas then the chances are that you will already have planted them outside now but if not it is still possible to do so, though they might not be ready for showing at the end of June. These are plants which benefit from companion planting and if planted with runner beans attract pollinating insects to set the beans. The best supports for your young plants are twigs or narrow netting. Bamboo is too thick for their narrow tendrils and you will have to tie them in. If you find that the plants are not thriving try a little liquid tomato seed. Once flowering the secret is to keep picking and the plant will keep
flowering! If you have bought grandiflora (also called heritage or antique varieties) sweet peas they will have smaller flowers and stems but the scent is very strong so put them in little containers or they could be shown with your three varieties of cut flowers, and tucked in with this bunch they can scent a whole room. Ollie Ryan-Moore, Head Gardener at Easton Walled Gardens, offers some top tips for the growing of your roses: ‘With already established roses, mulch, mulch, mulch. Use well rotted manure, or garden compost in a thick layer around your plants. This improves moisture retention and gives a slow release feed throughout the season, not to mention suppressing weed growth. Pruning. You don’t have to be an expert to help your roses’ health. Pruning out dead, dying, diseased or damaged growth alone will help improve their look and reduce disease. If you are looking to boost productivity and keep a good shape, then removing 1 in 3 of the oldest stems to ground level every year will do wonders. Remember to check specific pruning guidance, because different varieties do require different pruning techniques. Finally, dead head repeat flowering varieties to encourage them to keep flowering again and again. This is a therapeutic job and gets you in amongst the wonderful scents roses produce.’
ROSE & SWEET PEA
A month before the show, select blooms with a sturdy and straight stem. Spray to remove aphids and spider mites. A week before the show, cover your selected blooms with a bag at night and remove the following morning. Identify the correct name and show class and label. Two-three days before, cut the selected roses keeping the longest stem possible. Place in a bucket with wire mesh cover to separate blooms. Place in a cool dry place away from pets. Allow plenty of
time on the morning of the show. Take spare blooms in case of mishap. In the class with a single flower, stage in the centre of the vase. In the mixed vase, stage in alternate colours. Top up with water, use a soft cloth to polish the leaves and use cotton wool buds to shape the bloom. Use an artist’s brush to remove to remove any debris from blooms or leaves. Wipe the vase clean and dry and label correctly. Good luck!
Photos: Fred Cholmeley 37
