2013 Show Arrangement Classes

2013 Events, Arrangements, Rose Shows, SRS Rose Shows No Responses »

May 202013

Here is the sheet music that is the inspiration for the ‘Roses in Song’ Arrangement Classes. Look over these beautiful pictures; they are sure to stimulate your creativity. In addition to the arrangement class prizes, we will be holding a prize raffle for just entering the show and another for simply showing up, so come on out and show your support for the Spokane Rose Society.

For the complete rules please consult the 2013 Spokane Rose Show Schedule.

For most of the classes there is a Standard sized rose class and its Miniature counterpart. I have displayed them here with the Standard size in the left column and the Miniature in the right column, so the numbers may not be exactly in order.

Traditional Arrangements
Traditional Line Arrangements Line and Line-Mass Traditional arrangements are “open” forms in which the plant material does not completely fill the geometric form on which the arrangement is based. This year the Line Design for both Standard and Miniature classes requires a Hogarth curve.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a Hogarth curve- Don’t Panic! There is an illustration of a Hogarth curve for purposes of rose arrangements to the right. The dotted lines depict the two ovals upon which the Hogarth curve is based. The top oval is larger than the lower one; this is usually a 5:3 ratio in height. Illustration and information from the article “What is Traditional?” by Kathy Noble in the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin Late Summer/Fall 2010.
Traditional Line-Mass Arrangements This year’s Line-Mass arrangement for both Standard and Miniature classes specifies a Crescent shaped arrangement.

On the right is an illustration of a Crescent shaped line mass arrangement. This is just one example. For more articles and information on Traditional rose arrangements visit How To Create Traditional Rose Arrangements. This illustration is from the same article by Kathy Noble. See the link above.
Traditional Mass Arrangements Traditional Mass arrangements are “closed” geometric forms, completely filled with plant material, and are usually based on the sphere or pyramid. Mass arrangements, therefore, require a great quantity of plant material, usually a minimum of two dozen fresh roses in addition to filler material.

For more articles and information on Traditional rose arrangements visit this link How To Create Traditional Rose Arrangements
Modern/Creative or Abstract Arrangements
If you are considering a Modern Creative or Abstract design, a good place to start is the article Modern Design —Free-form or Abstract? by Kathy Noble. You may also want to pay a visit to our friends and neighbors at the Tri-City Rose Society to view Rose Arranging 101 – Modern Arrangements by Jane Melville, ARS Accredited Arrangement Judge and TCRS Member.
Modern/Creative Arrangements

Abstract Arrangements

Arrangements in the Oriental Manner
If you would like to try your hand at an arrangement in the Oriental manner you might be interested in this article by Julie A. Matlin, Moribana: An Arrangement “In the Oriental Manner” or the Fall 2011 issue of the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin which contains three articles on Oriental arrangements. Both articles are in PDF format. ~ By the way, take a look at the Rose of China (Class 14.) The lyrics to this song were written by P.G. Wodehouse, one of the best comedy writers of all time. If you have never read a book by Wodehouse, you’ve been missing out on some fun. Read one of his ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ books, listen to one from Audible, or watch the series available on Netflix starring Hugh Laurie – witty and light British comedy at its best with absolutely nothing serious about it.
Arrangements in the Oriental Manner in a Tall Container

Arrangements in the Oriental Manner in a Low Container Showing Water

Arrangements with Roses and Rose Foliage Only As the title indicates, you may only use rose plant material. That means you can use rose hips, rose stems, and rose roots. Be creative here. You can choose your favorite design style, just remember to state it on the entry tag.

Arrangements with Fresh Roses and Dried and/or Treated Materials In this class roses are the only fresh plant material allowed. All other plant material must be fried or treated fresh plant material other than roses. You may select your choice of design style; be sure to state the design style on the entry tag.

Dried Arrangements All dried arrangements must have dried roses as a dominant factor. Natural dried material may be used, such as dried and/or treated foliage, cones, or pods. Classes 19 and 20 allow for a broad range of entries: a wreath or plaque; or a door, picture, or wall hanging – with suitable ribbon, or bows if for holiday.

Classes 21 and 22 simply specify a dried arrangement in a suitable container.

Table Class
This year the Table Class calls for a functional table setting with rose arrangement. For guidance in creating a table class entry consult Let’s Do Tables by Lois Wier with illustrations by Kathy Noble, also available in pdf format here: Let’s Do Tables.Look at the notation on the sheet music for the Miniature class (Class 24.) It was released in a smaller Patriotic War Edition to conserve paper during World War I. The sheet music for both Classes 23 and 24 reflects the longing for a simpler, peaceful time. How would you create a table class that evokes the mood of the era?

Personal Adornment Those of you who attended our July 2011 hands-on corsage-making class taught by Steve Nokes should have no problem with the personal adornment class. Craft your favorite rose boutonniere or corsage and belt out a chorus of “Mother, Pin a Rose on Me.”

Designer’s Choice Arrangements Designer’s Choice Arrangements allow the Exhibitor to select a design style or type, but you must state the style/type on your entry tag. All plant material must be fresh and garden grown. Accessories are permitted. Class 26 is open to all, but there are certain limitations on who can enter the remaining classes, so see the Show schedule.


	All of the sheet music displayed here was published so long ago (1920 and earlier) that it is now in the public domain.

SRS 2012 Rose Show Arrangements

2012 Events, Arrangements, SRS Rose Shows No Responses »

Sep 102012

Here are some of the prize-winning arrangements from the 2012 Spokane Rose Society Rose Show.

Standard Arrangement Class Winners:

‘The Grand Canyon, AZ,’
a line design;
ARS Royalty Award and
ARS Silver Medal Certificate,
arrangement by Donna Dowell,
Rose: Cherry Parfait

Bridge Arches National Park, UT,’
a Modern/Creative design
ARS Artist Award and
ARS Bronze Medal Certificate
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose:Dick Clark

‘Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Siuslaw National Forest, OR’
ARS Duchess of Arrangements and
ARS Gold Medal Certificate
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose: Just Joey

‘Denali National Park & Preserve, AK’
ARS Princess of Arrangements
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose: Olympiad

Miniature Arrangement Class Winners:

‘Mount St. Helens,’ Miniature Traditional Arrangement,
Miniature Royalty Award and
ARS Miniature Gold Medal Certificate
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose: Lo and Behold

‘Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada,’
Modern/Creative Miniature Arrangement
ARS Mini Artist Award and
Miniature Silver Medal Certificate,
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose: Cupcake

Additional entries included:

‘The Grand Canyon, AZ,’
Traditional Line
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson

‘Redwoods National Park, CA,’
Traditional Line Mass
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson

‘Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, CA,’
Oriental Manner in low container
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson

‘Bryce Canyon, UT’
Dried Miniature arrangement with Dried and/or Treated Plant Material
arrangement by
Sharon Askelson,
Rose: Busy Bee

Ikebana and Moribana – An Arrangement in the Oriental Manner

Arrangements No Responses »

Jun 252012

One of the American Rose Society (ARS) classes for rose arranging is “Design in the Oriental Manner.” If this is something you’d like to know a little more about then check out this ARS article,Moribana: An Arrangement “In the Oriental Manner”

Here’s a clip of the article:

My beginning started with a deep respect for and interest in Ikebana, the centuries old art of Japanese flower arrangement. Ikebana is the floral art form of Japan, first introduced and practiced by Buddhist monks when they brought Buddhism to Japan from China in the sixth century. The Japanese aristocracy would later adopt the practice and eventually influential and important schools of flower arrangement emerged. By the Fifteenth Century, Ikebana had become a genuine and disciplined art form…

…The ARS honors and recognizes Ikebana with “Arrangements in the Oriental Manner” as described and detailed in the ARS Guidelines for Arranging Rose Arrangements…

The complete article is a pdf file, so you can read it online and save the file to your computer.

If you want to give this style of arranging a shot in our Rose Show then this page will give you the location and show details. There are a lot of classes available, so let your imagination run with this. Here’s a .pdf map to the show. Here’s the Google map to the show.

Modern Rose Arrangements

Arrangements No Responses »

Jun 132012

2001 Tri-City Rose Show "The Twist"

Perhaps a good place to start when studying up on Modern rose arrangements is the article Modern Design —Free-form or Abstract? by Kathy Noble.

You may think that Modern design means you are free of all constraints, but that is not quite true. Ms Noble reminds us that we still must adhere to six design principles, which she ably explains. This article is also available in pdf format, so that you may save it for future reference.

We’ll visit our friends and neighbors at the Tri-City Rose Society to view Rose Arranging 101 – Modern Arrangements by Jane Melville, ARS Accredited Arrangement Judge and TCRS Member. Ms Melville treats us to an excellent discussion on the differences between modern and traditional line and line-mass arrangements.

Gary Barlow

We turn now to the Winter 2010 issue of the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin for Modern Design – Forms, Lines, Space . . . and Other Things, Too! by Gary Barlow of the Buckeye District, where we find no fewer than fifteen inspirational color photos that demonstrate the use of containers, color, shapes, and forms in creating striking Modern designs. He uses minimal material, striking color contrast, and some very unique containers to great effect. (Oh, how I wish I had some of those containers in my collection!)

This same issue of RAB also contains an article by Jim Harrell of the Deep South District titled Creating Contrived Containers. This is for those of you who are not content with simply growing and arranging roses, but who want to go one step further and make your container for a truly unique presentation. Mr. Harrell shows how he uses plaster of Paris and a few items from the Dollar Store to make his containers, so now you can, too.

The Winter 2010 RAB issue contains other useful information on Modern design with photos, so be sure to look all the way through it.

I highly recommend that you visit the California Coastal Rose Society website for a very interesting article by expert arranger Kreg Hill on Modern Arrangements that describes the characteristics of several distinct types of Modern arrangements including such interesting types as hanging designs, illuminary designs that incorporate light for special effect, motorized designs that incorporate motorized movement, transparency designs, and underwater designs.

Now that you have many ideas, you may be wondering how to hold all of these distinctively different Modern designs together. Let’s turn to Kreg Hill’s article Modern Mechanics. He makes some excellent suggestions for utilizing items such as pipe cleaners, fishing line, magnets, and Velcro (among others) to make Modern rose magic.

So get in your best creative/McGyver mode and create a Modern arrangement for the 2012 Spokane Rose Show. Look over the titles from the 2012 Spokane Rose Show Schedule and see which one sparks your creative fires:

For standard sized roses you can enter your creation in SECTION B – Modern/Creative or Abstract, which is eligible for the Artist’s Award. Imagine what you could create for:

Class 4. Rainbow Bridge, Arches National Park, UT – a Modern/Creative design, or

Class 5. The Aurora Borealis – an Abstract design

If you find you have more miniature roses available, or you just like working on a smaller scale, enter your work of art in SECTION I – for roses designated as Miniatures or Minifloras used in a Modern/ Creative or Abstract design. Remember that the arrangement will be judged at eye level. These classes are eligible for the Miniature Artist’s Award. Search online for pictures of these Natural Wonders and see what you are inspired to create for:

Class 17. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, ID, MT, WY – An Abstract Miniature or Miniflora rose arrangement not to exceed ten (10) inches in height, width, and depth.

Class 18. Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada – A Modern/Creative Miniature or Miniflora Rose arrangement not to exceed seven (7) inches in height, width, and depth.

See the articles referenced here on using miniature roses in designs and keep in mind the height, width, and depth restrictions. Take on the challenge!

Remember that there is also SECTION M – Designer’s Choice. You can certainly enter a Modern design here. This class is open to amateur men and women and judges. All plant material must be fresh and garden grown.

Class 23. Everglades National Park, FL .

Remember to state the design style on the tag! This class is eligible for the Virginia Featherman Master Arranger Award.

Give Your Arrangement Some Wow!

Arrangements No Responses »

Jun 122012

Sandy Dixon’s article It’s All About the Wow! – Ten Ways to Elevate Your Arrangement to Super Status is entertaining and informative. Ms. Dixon knows her material well; she is an ARS Horticulture and Arrangement Judge in Jacksonville, Florida.

Her ten points include topics such as originality/uniqueness, clever interpretation of title/theme, and drama, as well as expert mechanics, high quality components, and principles of design.

This is a well-written article that is well worth reading. If nothing else, as Ms. Dixon says, it will “serve as fodder for arguments among arrangers.”

Proper Use of Floral Foam

Arrangements, Flower Arranging for Everyone No Responses »

Jun 122012

Here’s a good article to add to your rose arranging tips collection: Best-Kept Secrets of Floral Foam, by Kathy Noble of Austin, TX. (The article is available also in pdf format.)

Ms. Noble writes a great article explaining the correct way to use floral foam (you may know it by the brand name Oasis TM.) As she notes, floral foam “seldom comes with instructions and is easily misused, with disappointing (if not disastrous) results.”

Believe it or not, there are some secrets and tricks to using floral foam that will lengthen the life and enhance the look of your arrangements. These tips will be helpful to the home arranger and show arranger alike. Proper use of floral foam can help arrangements stay together and extend the life of the flowers and filler you use.

For those who would like to enter roses in both the horticulture and arrangement divisions at rose shows, floral foam can help ease the pressure. Master the techniques Ms. Noble explains and you, too, will be able to “build designs the day before a show, and have them look just as fresh the next day.” That’s bound to relieve some of the stress!

How To Create Traditional Rose Arrangements

Arrangements 1 Response »

Jun 112012

Linda Boland - Traditional Mass Arrangement

June is here, and it’s time to start thinking about Rose Shows. For many of us that means not only the chance to see beautiful roses grown in local gardens, but also the chance to see what unique and interesting arrangements we can make that feature our favorite flower – the rose.

To whet your appetite for arranging take a look at photos of rose arrangements from various rose shows here and around the country. Use your favorite search engine and search for rose show arrangements and you will find many beautiful examples. If you are using Google, enter the search term and click the word Images in the left hand column to get right to the photos. Those photos will lead you to sites where you can find even more.

Okay- now you have been inspired by the rose arrangement photos, and you would like to try your hand at an arrangement or two but, you feel that you still need a little more guidance. Not to worry- I will be reviewing an assortment of articles I found with a Google search on the art of rose arranging that should give you the extra information you need to go forth and conquer those arrangement jitters.

I will start here with traditional arrangements, but you will find additional reviews and links about other types of arrangements among our posts in the Arrangements category.

Traditional Arrangement Articles

One of my favorites is an article by Kathy Noble from Austin, TX in the late summer/fall issue of the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin titled What IS Traditional? Ms. Noble’s illustrations and explanations are very clear and easy to follow. If you have any questions or concerns about traditional arrangements this is a great place to start. You can also save this article in pdf format for future reference.

Once you have digested Ms. Noble’s article, you should follow-up with the Summer 2011 issue of the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin. This issue has three extremely helpful articles on traditional arrangements.

Traditional Mass Arrangements For Beginners, by Linda Boland (Carolina District) is a step-by-step walk through of creating a traditional mass arrangement in a basket with a handle. This is a great “how to” discussion illustrated with photos throughout the process.

Traditional Round Arrangements, by Linda Boland is another great step-by-step walk through, this time showing and describing the creation of a round mass arrangement. This is another marvelous resource for the novice arranger.

Traditional Mass Arrangements – An Overview, by Jim Harrell (Deep South District) describes the traditional mass arrangement in greater detail covering such subjects as containers, quantity of roses, and focal area. He also discusses the issues faced when creating miniature mass designs.

Additional informative articles in this issue of the RAB include: Weathered Wood in Arrangements, by Carol Macon, Rocky Mountain District, and Putting Metal to the Petal, Cutting Roses that Last, by Elizabeth Churchill.

Another good article Traditional Arrangements , by Kreg Hill is on the ARS website, also available in a downloadable pdf format. Mr, Hill discusses the historical development of this type of arrangement and describes the three forms: Line, Line-Mass, and Mass. He also gives helpful hints for creating traditional arrangements.

Miniature Rose Arrangements

Arrangements, Flower Arranging for Everyone No Responses »

Jun 112012

SRS 2011 Mini Royalty Award

For those of you who want to enter an arrangement in the 2012 Spokane Rose Show, or simply want to make something nice to show off your mini roses indoors, here are a couple of articles you may want to take a look at.

The Tri-City Rose Society website (Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick, WA) has an excellent article Rose Arranging 101 – Miniature Rose Arrangements written by by Linda Kerkof, ARS accredited arrangement judge and Tri-City Rose Society member.

Ms. Kerkof succinctly describes the requirements for all arrangements and the all-important aspects of scale and proportion with very helpful illustration. The article is rounded out with several photographs of miniature arrangements from Tri-City’s 2000 and 2001 shows.

Another good article is Creating Arrangements Using Miniature Roses, by Robin Rosenberg, also available as in pdf format . Ms. Rosenberg discusses the versatility of miniature arrangements, the importance of scale, selecting appropriately sized mini roses, and containers.

Rose Arrangment Materials

Arrangements, Cutting & Conditioning Roses, Cutting and Conditioning Roses, Flower Arranging for Everyone No Responses »

Jun 102012

What goes into a good rose arrangement? How do you select the right roses? What sort of line and filler material should you use? What dried materials can you use in arrangements?

While Googling around for good articles on rose arrangements I came upon the Rose Arranger’s Bulletin for Fall 2009. This helpful pdf answers the above questions. It is chock full of color photographs for inspiration and useful information for those who want to know more about rose arranging, specifically about selecting roses, line and filler material, and dried material.

Contents include:

Choosing Roses For Arrangements
By Norma Booty, ARS Arrangement and Horticulture Judge,Director, Region 5, Apple Valley, MN

Line and Filler Material All Arrangers Should Grow
By Kreg Hill

Dried Plant Material In Designs
By Doug Helberg , Chairman National Arrangement Judges Committee

In the article Choosing Roses For Arrangements, Norma Booty discusses how to select roses for arrangements, things one should keep in mind when choosing a container, and helpful hints for the best way to cut and condition roses.

She also gives suggestions for specific roses to use in Modern and Oriental Designs or Traditional Designs. Something I found most intriguing was her comment that the single roses (4 to 8 petals) work better in Modern and Oriental Designs, while roses with more petals are better for Traditional Designs.

In the article Line and Filler Material All Arrangers Should Grow, Kreg Hill tells us just exactly that. I started my garden from scratch – nothing but an anemic lawn surrounded by an empty border – and I have planted many roses, but I am always looking out for more plants to add to my garden that will make suitable line and filler material in arrangements. This article is right on point.

In the article Dried Plant Material In Designs, Doug Helberg discusses various dried plant materials for use in arrangements, what makes them attractive, and how best to use them. He also includes photos of three of his creative arrangements.

If you are interested in creating rose arrangements to enter in our upcoming 2012 Spokane Rose Show (hint, hint) or just for your own enjoyment in your home, you will find something of interest in these articles.

July 2011 Meeting: Steve Nokes Teaches a Hands-on Class in Making Corsages

2011 Events, Arrangements, Flower Arranging for Everyone, Meetings 1 Response »

Aug 112011

Steve Nokes explains the finer points of making a beautiful corsage.

For our July meeting we had a tasty potluck and a hands-on class in making corsages and buttoneers, taught by Steve Nokes, a friend to many of us.

We brought an assortment of flowers, mainly roses, and Steve supplied the rest.

Corsage are fairly straight-forward to create. Corsages and buttoneers can be worn on special occasions, given as gifts, and entered in Rose Shows in the Arrangements class! This is quite a useful skill to learn.

We had a fun night and created some lovely corsages and buttoneers. This was something new for me and I truly enjoyed it.

Some of our efforts are displayed below.

Buttoneer		Buttoneer
Corsage	Corsage	Corsage

Older Entries

Arrangements with Roses and Rose Foliage Only

Standard Arrangement Class Winners:

Miniature Arrangement Class Winners:

Additional entries included: