Chapter 7

Exhibiting

This chapter is not written to persuade you to exhibit, but rather to let you know what it's all about.  Though I stopped competing long ago, exhibiting strongly influenced the way I grow roses.  Only by knowing what judges look for in a given rose did I come to know an outstanding bloom when I produced one.  I still strive to grow exhibition-quality roses, even knowing that not every bloom can possibly reach that standard and that the best of varieties will yield countless blooms that should never get near a show table.

Rose shows are where you get to see the varieties you probably want to grow and the quality for which you might strive.  These events provide a wonderful means to view new cultivars that you may have heard about but can't decide if you want to plant.  Often you'll be challenged by seeing blooms of varieties you already grow that far excel what you've been able to produce.  (You'll also see blooms that aren't nearly as good as the ones you left on the bushes that very morning.)

Rules for exhibiting and divisions for entries for each competitive event are printed in a show schedule--a list of what you can and can't enter.  Some events are open to all exhibitors; others specify exhibitor status (novice, amateur, advanced amateur).  Show schedules can be very complicated, but basic to all are the exhibition blooms, and it is with these that we shall deal.  Once you know what hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras are supposed to look like, show schedules are easy to follow.

Judging Roses

As judges approach each bloom for consideration, they compare it to a picture, indelibly imprinted in their mind's eye, of the best example of that variety they have ever seen.  Occasionally, judges will encounter a bloom that is better than any of its kind they remember; this image then becomes the new standard.