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weldontx

Help for an Newby

weldontx
16 years ago

I don't mind the lists--those are great for those of you who know what you are doing. The books and articles are good. but how about some one on one comment to someone who has NEVER even been to a rose show, but wants to try his hand at an entry or two. I have seen one demonstration on selecting and preping a rose for show. Would some of you "old hats" mind giving a little personal advice? SORRY, "stay at home" is NOT acceptable!! I really am interested, but by no means am I knowledgeable. help

Weldon

Comments (5)

  • dan_keil_cr Keil
    16 years ago

    Just cut your roses and take them. Someone will help you.
    Try to cut a good long stem, the blooms should have good form,disease free, must be named,straignt stems and nice leaves. All shows have classes for Ht's minis,etc. There will be a schedule and all of the classes will be listed in it. If they have a novice class enter your roses there.
    A number of years ago a member of our Rose Society brought a Pristine. Someone helped her enter it and that rose won the Queen!
    Good luck and have fun!

  • phil_schorr
    16 years ago

    If you have some specific questions, I'm sure we can answer them for you. However, you don't want to overthink this. You will drive yourself crazy and not accomplish a great deal. You would do better to follow Dan's advice above, enter some roses, and then talk to some of the exhibitors after the show is judged to see what you could have done better, things to look for, and some real life examples of good things and bad things in the exhibits that are there. That's the best way to learn.

  • diane_nj 6b/7a
    16 years ago

    Yep, cut them and take them in. Make sure you know the variety names. Someone will help. That's how I started. Volunteer to clerk, that is an excellent way to learn as well.

  • weldontx
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks folks....I feel better already. AND am sorry to be so slow getting back here. Computer had a virus and I had sinus infection...so we were both down. I'll let you know if and how things work out. Bad weather has taken it's toll to some degree, but still lots of blooms and buds.
    The show is May 5.
    Weldon

  • cristinaoslo
    16 years ago

    The Norwegian rules are possibly a bit different from yours, but from what I see, the basics are fairly similar.

    In 2005 a friend who had participated in rose exhibitions for a long time pushed me into entering. "But what if my roses are laughed right out of the exhibition", said I. "Don't be redicolous", he said."Nobody will laugh at your roses."

    So at 5 o clock in the morning I got up, and picked all the roses that looked healthy, with no damages to the leaves. I put them in a bucket of water, wrapped newspaper around each rose, so that the thorns of one rose would not hurt the leaves of another rose, wrote the name of the rose on the newspaper sheet, and went to the exhibition. Once I arrived I was told which categories there were (Hybrid Teas, old garden roses, Austins, modern bush roses, floribundas, climbers and Kordes roses). There was also a novice class. I only had OGRs and Austins, so I exhibited in only those two classes, pluss the novice class. I was then given directions how to present the rose in the vase.

    The result:
    1. prize in the OGR class (Leda)
    1. prize in the Austin class (Mary Rose)
    1., 2., and 3. prize in the novice class (Rose de Rescht, Great Western and .. (ok. I don't remember the third. LOL)

    Leda also became best rose of the show, gaining a blue ribbon (the only one given for the last 3 years) and I became best exhibitor of the show.

    And I was not even going to participate...

    The point being: Go for it!!!

    I imagine the competition is a lot fiercer in the US than here, where there was approximately 15 exhibitors, with about 200 roses exhibited. However the other exhibitors had grown roses for many years, and had exhibited for many years, so I was still quite satisfied.

    My "secret edge" is that I tend to cut the roses when they are just before perfect, instead of when they are at the perfect stage. With the heat and transport, the rose always loses somewhat of its freshness, and if it in its prime in the garden, it will be past its prime before the judges get to see it. Good luck!

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