I've been growing White Pearl Celebration for 5 years and Ed Hodgson for 3 years. I am a grower who is particularly fond of white cultivars as they suit my allotment growing as the re is no electricity on site for fans to keep down summer temperatures.

They both grow well in bags which in my opinion helps to keep them clean and free of aphids and other pests. White Pearl Celebration can be very prone to rising shoulder petals, and there are various stocks of Ed Hodgson about. I am constantly striving to try and find best stock of this cultivar which suits my simple growing methods.

Forfar Show is usually my first show and is normally the last Saturday in August therefore I root my cuttings hopefully in the first three weeks in December aiming for plants to be in the frame and stopped before the end of March in order to be ready for the show.

Both varieties are good at throwing cutting material and I box them up in October in any proprietary peat based compost after trimming stools and dipping in Jeyes fluid solution one teaspoon to one gallon of water before placing in cold frame till late November.

Propagation
Cuttings are rooted in trays of thirty in a mixture 50% Pe at, 25% Sand, 25% Perlite and set on a hot bed with undersoil cables for three weeks then on to bench for one week prior to potting into three inch square plastic pots containing John Innes no. 1 compost.

Potting on and frames
Plants are then potted into four inch square plastic pots in John Innes no.1 compost and into frames by mid March approximately. Frost is very much in evidence at this time and covers are fitted every evening to provide protection. Square pots are used at all times to save space, and due to my small 6ft x 4ft greenhouse and small area available at rear of my house for frames, which I erect in March and dismantle in May. The three frames between them contain 215 four inch pots and make it particularly difficult for my wife to clean the window for two months due to the space they occupy being immediately in front of the dining room window.

Stopping
When stopping I remove only the top tip if the plant is smallish but have no reservations re removing larger portion on a larger plant. Previously I used to Alar tall growing cultivars (e.g. White Rachel Knowles) in three inch port stage but now leave until end of April in four inch pot stage. I am not a believer in using unnecessarily and only Alar once.

Plot preparation
Ground preparation digging is done in November and farmyard manure added yearly plus Beech leaves from previous years mulch. Beds are mulched each year with beech leaves to try and keep soil cool at the allotment as it is positioned in full sun during dayt ime.

The beds are limed as necessary in January and a pre planting base dressing is applied first of May and is normally four to six ounces of Vitax Q4, followed by a further one ounce per square yard applied in mid June.

Planting out
Planting is n ormally done around 10th May, unless wet ground conditions make this impracticable, and consists of eight rows of eighteen plants. I am inclined to grow too many different varieties as I like too many types for the small grower and I know this lessens my choice at show time. I would welcome any advice which would persuade me to cut down on varieties.

With growing at an allotment, one hundred and forty four plants I find is an ample amount as I have to travel approximately one mile to get there. But allotment growing can be very rewarding and cheery with the good humoured banter of the other gardeners on the site, except I may add when you are trying to bag a large number of flowers and can only spare two hours to do it! I use timber stakes for support, two per plant, (as I have a pet hate for canes which in my opinion are dangerous), and tie plants regularly with soft twine in figure of eight pattern.

Plants are all grown two up and breaks are reduced to this approx. two weeks after planting. I hav e tried odd plants one up on occasion and size can be slightly increased but I am convinced, rightly or wrongly, that if you can acquire first class stock two good sized flowers can be grown on the majority of varieties.

Obtaining good stock is very difficult, but in my opinion all growers strive to collect first class stock every year but seldom do we achieve our goal.

Spraying programme
Spraying is carried out at the allotment on ten day cycle using e.g. Tumlebug, Metasystox, Sybol, Fenitron, Gammacol in no particular order and is changed to Pirimor after the buds are secured. I find that Fenitron is useful for Capsid Bug in June which I always find is a problem at this time, and have to be extra vigilant with this particular pest. I also use S ybol Dust at bud time to keep clear of aphids etc. as I am unable to be at the allotment every day to check for infestations. This does create extra work at show time cleaning foliage. but I still feel it is worthwhile. Dust is also used on buds prior to fitting small and large bags.

Exhibition
Cutting for shows needs quite an effort and I try to keep holidays for two days before shows to transport cut blooms in my car from the allotment to my garage, where I can spend time selecting and tidying flower s prior to transporting to shows on the second day. I am very fortunate that Neil Scott is always willing to help me with the cutting and transporting flowers to my garage, and assisting at staging time. The shows can be an exhilarating, but on occasi ons a tiring time due to all the work and travelling, but where would we all be without them? And of course when one has some success it makes all the years effort worthwhile, and gives us the impetus to think ahead to the following year.

One tip about Ed Hodgson is that in my opinion it needs to be cut slightly young as it is prone to spotting at the base if grown on for an extra two to three days.

If you would like further information or wish to comment on this publication please send your e-mail to: paul.barlow@chrysanthemums.info

Last updated on 20 December, 2001