On Wednesday, October 18, forty-one members of the Pershore Flower Club, together with nine visitors, were honoured to welcome national NAFAS demonstrator, Nigel Whyles, from Wellington, near Telford. His demonstration was entitled “Titanic – Ship of Dreams” and while he work he gave us a full history of this ship, of its extravagant interior, of the many prominent people who sailed on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic and of its shocking end.

His first design illustrated the size and magnificence of the liner. A galvanised trough was already partly filled with green foliage. He then used sprays of grevillea lightly sprayed with blue and bright blue delphiniums to illustrate the waterline. Tall spikes of beargrass tied together and attached to kebab sticks represented the four funnels of the ship with more blue delphiniums in between each funnel. Four red tropical anthuriums added drama to the design and heads of white oriental lilies represented the White Star company, owners of the ship. For his second design, Nigel revealed an elegant “antique” stand (from TKMaxx!) on top of which he used fig leaves and garden ferns and then one large cymbidium orchid and a sicus palm leaf which he had gently sprayed gold. He added hellibore leaves to show style and the opulence of the gilded age. The next design was to represent the lift which ran up and down the classes on the ship, using an upright mesh stand to which he had attached oasis. Fatsia and gold grevillea leaves gave a featherlike effect, together with gold euonymus, golden rod and then beautiful gold roses, golden gerberas and finally choisya ‘sundance’. Then from behind the curtain, he produced another mesh stand with two similar designs representing the three classes on board. Nigel then moved to the film “Titanic”, a love story for which he used a bronze urn. To this he added fatsia and aspidistra leaves, then tall spikes of purple liatris. Magnificent purple anthuriums trailed over the side of the urn and to add drama to the design he used red carnations and sprays of silver eucalyptus and, of course, being a love story stems of dark red roses with finally a few purple decorative brassicas. The iceberg which was hit by the Titanic on the night of the 14th April 1912 was represented by a tall silver post encircled with silver painted twigs, on top of which he added ruscus foliage and then vivid lilac oak leaves and heads of blue-toned hydrangeas. Finally, he added a purple orchid at the front to illustrate the disaster of that night. Then the distress call was sent out – Nigel used a boat-shaped bronze vase with more fatsia leaves, green laurel, marbled laurel and sprays of the snowberry bush to create the shape. Tall white lilies were the focal flowers and then blooms of the white avalanche rose to help us remember the lives lost on that fateful night. As he finished each design, we heard appropriate music being quietly played. Altogether a wonderful evening with beautiful flowers.

Pershore Flower Club’s open evening is being held at No. 8 in Pershore on Thursday, November 16. Tickets from Jill Millard on 01386 300894.

DINAH WOOD