April ’25

This Month's Theme:
Size Matters!

  1. April Fools! – a miniature design (no larger than 5 inches in any direction)
  2. April Showers – a petite design (no larger than 10 inches in any direction)
  3. Easter Dinner – a horizontal design (maximum width 36 inches, maximum depth 24 inches)
  4. Earth Day – a vertical design ( 80% of the design needs to support the vertical rhythm per The Society of Horticultural and Floral Design Judges of BC, 2004)

Show Bench: Fruit, Flowers and Vegetable Section Must Be from The Member’s Gardens Not Borrowed or Purchased

  1. Narcissus – 3 stems Yellow
  2. Narcissus – 3 stems any other variety
  3. Tulips – 3 stems (CVA)
  4. African Violet – 1 plant in bloom
  5. Pansy – 3 blooms
  6. Viola – 3 blooms
  7. Hyacinth – 1 stem
  8. Muscari – 5 stems
  9. Flowering Tree or Shrub – 1 stem
  10. Camellia – 1 cut
  11. Rhododendron – 1 truss
  12. Azalea – 1 truss
  13. Hellebore – 1 stem
  14. Spring Vegetable – any variety
  15. Spring Onion – any variety
  16. Spring Garden Sampler
  17. Anything not listed above

Size Matters…. In floral art at least!

First of all, I must apologize for the omission in last month’s schedule. I did not include parameters for the miniature class.
In floral art dimensions are very important and you will often see that the judges have their measuring tapes out. You almost never see that on the horticultural bench, but in floral art there are some very specific rules.
Generally, designs must be contained within in a 24 inch x 24 inch footprint. The reason for this is so that each designer has adequate space to lay out their entry and that nothing overwhelms the other designs.

  • Horizontal Designs
    Sometimes horizontal designs may be 36 inches wide x 24 inches deep. If the extra room is being given to a horizontal design then it will say so in the schedule.
  • Miniature Designs
    If the show schedule does not specify, then miniature designs should be no larger than 5 inches (12.5 cm) in any direction according to the BC Council of Garden Clubs Floral Design Judging and Exhibiting Standards (2017). It is important that all aspects of the design are in proportion. Not just small flowers, but small leaves, containers and accessories. The show chair can relax this standard. For example there is a miniature design in the VDS Dahlia Show that allows a maximum of 12 inches because the show committee recognizes that there are very few dahlias that are tiny enough to be used in true miniature designs.
  • Petite Designs
    If the show schedule does not say otherwise, then petite designs should be no larger than 10 inches (25 cm) in any direction according to the BC Council of Garden Clubs Floral Design Judging and Exhibiting Standards (2017). Again, all components of the design should be in proportion. This is a favourite of mine, as you have a lot more latitude in the plant material you can choose but you are challenged to stay within the size limits.