Meet The Floral Art And Horticultural Secretary
Margaret Ogle,
Flowers and vegetables have always been at the heart of Slaley Show and for Margaret Ogle, Slaley Show’s Floral Art and Horticultural Secretary, her floral art ‘hobby’ led to winnings and eventually something of a sideline.Margaret, a farmer’s daughter in the North Tyne who became a Slaley farmer’s wife belongs to Hexham and District Flower Club
“I just love flowers of all varieties” and in her role at Slaley Show, is “aiming to enthuse, encourage and simplify our shows floral art section to encourage more people to try” she says. “What I think is off-putting to new exhibitors” says Margaret “is that Floral Art is thought to be costly".
Of course, special or rare flowers are expensive to buy because they come from all over the world. "Growing your own means, you can only plan for the few days ahead of Slaley Show because the weather may ruin everything! So, we have an Arrangement class using a supermarket bunch of flowers, any variety, costing no more than £8. There are five trophies’ overall to be won so it is worth having a go!” she says.
There’s a difference between the ’Exhibit’ and ‘Arrangement’ term which needs a bit of explaining. A Floral ‘Exhibit’ is a celebratory, ornamental or symbolic display of flowers and foliage. “You take into consideration colour, texture, composition, appropriate props, interior design and measurement restrictions…it’s an experimental art form.
"An Arrangement’ is centred on the flowers whereas ‘Exhibit’ requires props to complement the flowers to tell a story” Margaret explains.
Running alongside these works of art are the traditional show flower and vegetable classes, which are prey to weather conditions perhaps even more so. These are the sweet peas, the gladioli, the dahlias, the pansies, the carnations, the pot plants, and for those not daring to attempt floral art, the vases of garden, cottage and annual flowers. The fragrance created by these exhibits means that visitors are reluctant to move on. It’s a very slow perambulation section of the tent.
The vegetable classes are often astonishing in their display methods and draw sighs of appreciation particularly with the collections of vegetables, soft fruits, salad and fresh herbs in a trug or a basket. Over the years many new vegetable varieties are now grown and the care taken to display them mirrors the care taken in the growing. This section also incorporates Farmers Classes. Closing date for entries is Friday 1st August although Margaret is happy to accept entries on the day as the weather has been known to flourish or destroy entries in equal measure!
