You go early, once you submit your roses, you don't have to stay, but most exhibitors do. You may be 'locked out' while the judging is going on, but will be let back in when it's over. It depends on the venue. Last show I was at a bunch of us went for lunch while the judging was on. IF there are places nearby, you may want to do that.

Rookie mistakes, mislabelled roses, wrong categories, cutting off too much stem/foliage. If you can bring a list with you of your roses, their categories, and their correct spelling, that will help. If you can put in in a plastic binder, that helps to because everything gets wet. Bring a ball point pen and a small pair of scissors. Also a rag to polish the leaves. Learning how to groom and present your roses will take time. Observe the other exhibitors and see what they do. Rose people are very friendly and will help you.

Go early, the other exhibitors will coach you.
Tell the show chairman that you are willing to be a steward during judging. You tag along with a team of judges, you put ribbons on the entries and assist if they are moved. You'll learn from hearing the judges comments.

If you decide to go, see if you can get a copy of the show schedule in advance. Typical mistakes are:
1. Not knowing the exhibition name and classification of the rose (except in rare cases, you must know the name; the show chair person can help with the classification).
2. Not following the instructions in the schedule. The schedule will tell you what class of rose is to be placed in a specific section/show class. For example, Show Class 1: Exhibition Hybrid Teas. This means that ONLY roses in the hybrid tea class can be entered, and the bloom form must be what is referred to as "exhibition" form, high center, spiral, no stamens showing.

I am a Horticulture Judge, and will be happy to answer any other questions.

I want to put on a rose show in a small rural town in ky can i do that? With just regular people judjing im almost posotive no one in our county is a bonofide judge any tips!!!!! I just want a good old fashioned best lookin ,best fragrance, largest bloom contest.

you can either stay and watch the judging (like watching paint dry) or come back. Just remember to have fun and its a chance to learn. The more experinced exhibtors should be willing to help and they love to talk about roses and bet you cant get them to shut up. Only real rule is never touch another exhibit unless asked

Kygirl, I know there are rose societies in KY. Try to contact one of those societies. They will be more than happy to help you in any way they can. You can locate a society by going to the American Rose Society's wed site.

American Rose Society