Hi Ho Silver — it’s the Rose Arranger !
Well, maybe not at first, but with practice you can wear a cape and arrange your garden roses like a superhero.
Below is an article by my friend and mentor Jo Martin of the Tacoma Rose Society which addresses the stages we all go through to break into creating some arrangements worthy of a rose show. Once again, kudos to Jo for her insight.
Plonking, Plunking, or Arranging?
PLONK Have you plonked lately ?
We first heard this word on the Rose Forums a few years ago. It didn’t sound like a real word until we checked the dictionary where it’s defined as a variation of PLUNK. So, if one plonks flowers into a vase, bottle,container, or receptacle, then she is a plonker – a happy soul who loves roses and other companion flowers plonked in a fruit jar or whatever is handy.
The act of plonking is effortless and satisfying. It can be done with little or no training & there are no rules or guidelines. The results can be quite wonderful decorations for home and cheerful gifts for friends.
The only place plonked, plunked or thrown together bouquets might not fare well is in the arrangement division of a rose show. It happens quite often when beginners try their hand without some guidance or research.
The schedule may call for a mass or a line mass design, but the entry is an unplanned bouquet quite often in a crystal vase. Perhaps there is a sad Plonker after judging when the bouquet has earned no ribbon . . .
PLONKER vs ARRANGER.
Is it possible for a plonker to become a designer or arranger & a real competitor? Absolutely!
The American Rose Society has a PDF publication called Guidelines for Judging Rose Arrangements which is available from their website. It includes many tips on converting a PLONK style into a PRO style.
Important ingredients include the PRINCIPLES and ELEMENTS of design that are the backbone of all art forms.
They include: balance, dominance, contrast, rhythm, proportion, & scale. The elements add: space, line, form, size, texture, pattern, and color.
When an arrangement is planned around these important items, a PLONK bouquet becomes a design of beauty with expression, harmony, & distinction.
Furthermore, the arrangement may be constructed to interpret a particular theme. Interpretation is not too easy with a PLONKED bouquet.
So you see, with a little effort, a PLONKER can indeed become a happy blue ribbon ARRANGER, too . .
Article by Jo Martin, ARS Rose Judge, Consulting Rosarian, and Award-winning Arranger; pictures are mine.
