Eddisbury Flower Club by J Jordan

Chairman, Mrs Sheila Taylor welcomed everyone to Eddisbury Flower Club for this month’s meeting. After delivering the notices and announcing the winner of the Member’s Competition ‘Summer Colours’, she introduced our demonstrator Wendy Gravestone (Burnley).Wendy’s demonstration was ‘The Apprentice’. She defined an apprentice as someone who learns a trade or a skill.

The first skill shown was the Yorkshire swill basket makers. The basket consists of woven oak shavings which are boiled for hours to make them pliable and no nails, glue or leather is used in its construction. It was used to display an arrangement of soft ruscus, begonia, deep blue delphiniums, sun rich orange sunflowers and deep pink sweet Williams.

Sport apprenticeship was shown by a swimming trophy in red, white and blue set in a ‘Hogarth’ curve and incorporating magnificent red antheriums and manipulated aspidistra leaves.

Wendy’s next interpretation was a make-up artist, an exuberant extravaganza of purple from soft shades to very deep and was finished with purple feathers wired to steel grass.

The final piece was based on Wendy being an apprentice mother-in-law and demonstrated a wedding arrangement. She used ruscus, hosta and japonica leaves combined with mauve lisianthus, pale blue delphiniums, dusky pink roses, peonies and oriental lilies interspersed with rosemary.

The raffle was drawn for the exhibits. The next demonstration is on July 12, at 2pm St John’s Church Hall, Norley Rd, Sandiway by Heather Hayes (Bolton) ‘With Beauty in Mind’. New members always welcome.