BCSS - Forum

Just a question from a novice and very amateur grower, provoked by a comment in the latest journal article on Aloe. The author mentions being unable to keep a plant in show worthy condition due to the leaf tips drying out yet the article mentions the beauty of the colouring of the plants in the wild having red edged leaves grown in full sun and illustrates several lovely adult specemins from the wild.
Is this indicative of a "double standard" in the society and am I to draw from this that growing plants for the show bench means plants that are not, in fact, representative of what you'd find in habitat?

There is a great difference between being well coloured and having leaf tip dieback. it is not a case of double standards. The plants in the wild are unlikely to have leaf tip dieback as they can spread their roots far and wide to gain moisture compared to being grown in a restrictive pot in a greenhouse. They also receive water at their accustomed time of the year (usually). We, on the other hand, water our plants in the warmer months of the year on the whole irrespective of when the plants would receive water in the wild. For example Aloe plicatilis is really a winter grower here in the UK and it flowers in February or March, but how many of you who have that plant actually water it during the winter? Consequently leaf tip dieback happens and we don't get as good a head of leaves as we might.

Once upon a time, many moons ago, the Shows Committee/judges/Guide to Shows used to advocate "trueness to type", meaning that the plants exhibited were favoured if they resembled what was supposed to be the beat-up, half dead plants brought in from the wild. Thankfully this is no longer the case and plants are honoured which are grown well, in flower or have evidence of flowering and are presented well.

I don' t know if this helps you, but on the day it all depends what competition there is, not how well the plant did last week at a different show, up against different exhibits and with a different judge. That's the beauty of Shows.

Suzanne Mace
Retired BCSS Judge

Yes, your right. If you want to show plants and win prizes you need to be thinking that bit different.

Succulents aside, I smile to myself when I visit show gardens and see just how impractical they are for the everyday gardener, but then I think to myself these are "Show Gardens" for show or showing off, and that's what wins prizes.