Cherry

Except me, bit of a 'Jack of all' or 'Lack of all' but not when it comes to interest The great thing about not being an 'expert' is the lovely surprise you get when you get it right ;D

Not true Merlin. You surprised me when I found you knew quite a lot about roses, but you did not let on early.

[quote author=cherry board=chat thread=1072 post=32398 time=1310237550I went to a show today and examined the sweet peas of course. There were lots of entries which were very amateur, and instead of the criticism which the judge has to make, I think they should advise the exhibitor to seek advice about staging, etc., from the experts who were already at the show. I think this advice should be offered. This is a real stumbling block for new exhibitors.[/quote]

First time I exhibited sweetpeas I got a first but also the judge drew a diagram on the back of the card showing how they should be arranged plus some words of encouragement. Indeed I may still have it somewhere.
that judge became a good friend of mine and he was also a veg. judge, sadly no longer with us.

Its generally attributed to lack of moisture at the roots by which i mean 'Rainwater'.
When the temp. gets hot there is usually a noticable shortening of the stems and even watering full time doesn't seem to be any good but when it rains it usually corrects itself.
Anothr factor is lack of water retentive material dug in at ground preparation time, ie manure, compost etc.
That does help to see the plants through any dry spells.
Also choice of varieties can come into play as some are better than others in this regard. Might even be a little of all three.
all I can really say from experience is that hot hot weather can and does tend to exacerbate the problem.