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Rose Show? Why Bother?
By Jeri Jennings, Ed., The Ventura Rose, Ventura County (CA) Rose Society
I said: “HEY! See you next weekend at the rose show!” You replied: “Rose show? Oh, no! I don’t
go to rose shows. I’m not interested.”
Not interested? You’re a member of a rose society, and you’re “not interested” in rose shows? I
don’t understand how that can be.
Without waxing poetical, there are two simple reasons why you should “bother” with rose shows. You go to rose
shows, or take part in them, either to do good for yourself, or to do good to others. Some of you might go for both of those
reasons.
I assume that you joined a rose society because you LIKE roses. You probably grow some roses. Perhaps you even grow a great
many roses. You enjoy seeing roses and being around people who share your interest in roses. You do, of course, find the
requisite roses and lovers of roses at our monthly meetings, but that opens only a very small door to a very small sampling
of the greater world of roses.
At a rose show, you will see, smell, touch, and enjoy roses that, in all probability, you will never see in your neighborhood
nursery. At a rose show, you will have the opportunity to pick the brains of the folks who grow those unfamiliar, tantalizingly
lovely roses. With the beauty that a rose show rolls out in front of you, I can’t see why any lover of roses would
not want to take advantage of the opportunity to take part, or at least to go, to a rose show!
What’s that you say? OH! Some of the roses you see at a rose show won’t do well in your garden? I still don’t
understand! Why wouldn’t you still want to see and enjoy them, after someone else did the work? I’m an artist
of sorts, but I haven’t the talent to paint like Monet. I enjoy Monet’s work, though; and I wouldn’t miss
an opportunity to attend an exhibit of it (especially if there was no charge for the privilege!). Besides, you’ll find
if you ask some questions, that many of the roses you’ll see at a rose show will do well for you. With just a little
detective work, you’ll quickly learn which is which.
When the doors open on a rose show, I walk into the room hoping to fall in love. Roses seduce me. I’m as vulnerable
to their beauty as a lonely cowgirl on Saturday night … so I’ve learned to slow down, take a deep breath, and
make sure I’m not dancing with the wrong beau. When I see a rose that’s new to me, a rose that fills my eye and
makes my heart flutter … I take myself sternly in hand, and open the entry tag. I look to see who grew it and where
it was grown. I look at the foliage. …And I ask! Go to the exhibitors, and ask them about the roses they brought.
They don’t mind! In fact, they’re pleased to have been asked. (They love roses, too, y’know.) “Does
this rose mildew?” “Does it rust?” “Will it handle a cool, coastal climate?” I ask, and if
I’m lucky, I may find roses that flourish in the conditions my garden offers.
If I’m not lucky and that handsome cowboy wasn’t the fella for me, no harm done. I can still admire the fit
of his jeans and the tip of his hat. After all, it didn’t cost me a thing to be there. I’ve done something good
for myself by taking a few hours to visit a rose show.
The matter of doing unto others. I grow quite a few roses that you won’t find at the corner nursery. I’ve helped
some of you discover some of those roses, and now you grow them or others like them. (And by the way, you've learned to grow
them very well.) Now, I ask that you repay that debt. Look around your garden the day or so before the next rose show, and
look at your roses. Pick some with the longest stem you can. Wash the foliage off with warm water. Bring your roses to
the rose show and enter them so that others can see and enjoy them and maybe even fall a little bit in love.
What’s that you say? Your roses won’t win? True, they might not. So what? How badly, after all, do you need
a [trophy catching dust in your house]? It’s fun to win. We’d all rather win at whatever games we play than
lose at them; but at a rose show, you can’t lose.
How’s that? Right, that’s what I said. YOU CAN’T LOSE at this game. You enter your rose, and the worst
thing that can happen is you make an error and it’s disqualified. That doesn’t happen often (yes, we’ve
been DQ’d through my own error); but even if it should happen to your entry, the rose is still out there on the exhibition
table. People who come to see the show still get to see it and enjoy it. That is what is important. Not the ribbons, not
the trophies, but the sharing of something beautiful.
There are roses that Clay and I enter at every opportunity. Some of these roses don’t please the judges. They haven’t
won anything—ever (and we don’t expect them to), but we continue to show them. We do this because these roses
invariably catch the eye of people who come to see the show. In showing them, even when we don’t win, we lose nothing.
In sharing them, we gain immeasurably.
So, come to a rose show, whether to help, to enter, or simply to enjoy the beauty of the show.
Oh, yeah, if you “fall in love”, I want to be the first to hear about it.
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Beginner's Guide to Rose Shows
Rose Show—A major activity of rose societies worldwide. Sponsored by international, national (American Rose Society),
district (NYS RS), and local (Syracuse Rose Society, SRS) groups to educate and inspire the public about the joys of growing
roses. Shows are timed to coincide with peak rose bloom periods, thus hoping to garner as many wonderful flowers as possible.
Our society usually sponsors two shows a year in summer and fall. This year our 93rd spring show will be Saturday, June
23 at the
Lord & Taylor wing of the Carousel Center. Mark this on your calendar!
Schedule—the program listing for the show, detailing the various classes in which blooms can be entered and the prize
offered for each class. The schedule is divided into sections, depending on the type of rose (floribunda, miniature, etc.),
type of exhibitor (novice, judge, etc.), or special types of display (three or four blooms in a vase, blooms in picture frames
or bowls, etc.). The schedule describes the two main divisions of the show, Horticulture (mainly single specimens) and Artistic
Design (modern, traditional, etc. rose arrangements). The schedule is distributed well before the show so that exhibitors
can decide which classes to enter. Our schedule for the June show will be available at the June 10 meeting.
Registration—Exhibitors pay $5 to enter the show, no matter how many entries they bring. This helps defray our costs.
Non-members are welcome to exhibit and win “keeper” trophies.
Judges—SRS’s Chairman of Judges invites eight to twelve ARS accredited judges from around the northeast area to
examine the entries and decide those worthy of recognition. Judges are assigned to work in pairs, each pair judging specified
sections. Judges attend a special school and apprenticeship in preparation for their duties. Contrary to popular opinion
neither their vision nor their judgment is markedly impaired—and besides, “The opinion of the judges is final!”
The judges’ main recompense is the chance to commune with the glorious shapes, hues, and fragrances of the roses; but
the breakfast and lunch provided by the show committee certainly augment the experience.
Clerks—Two clerks from our society follow along with each pair of judges, helping them find their way expeditiously
around the show, attaching ribbons to entries designated by the judges, generally helping to speed up the judging process,
and peeking to see if their own entries have won a prize. Perks to the clerks include the opportunity to eavesdrop on the
deliberations, tips on exhibiting dispensed by friendly judges if there’s time, and a chance to see parts of the show
before it opens. If you haven’t tried clerking before, please think about volunteering your services next time. It’s
fun!
Prep room—where rosarians sweat it out before the show. Usually bustling from the wee hours of the morning (7 a.m.)
but a ghost room by the time the judging begins at 11 a.m. This is a room near the show where blooms (many with projecting
Q-tips to separate the petals) are groomed, warmed or chilled as seems necessary, and generally agonized over before they
are placed on the exhibition tables. Entry tags are completed here and attached to each bloom, and the registration table
is here, too
Containers—The SRS owns cases and cases of vases from teeny-weeny to giant sizes which are brought out on the evening
before the show and filled with water so as to be ready for everyone’s exhibit in the morning. Special picture frames
equipped with test tubes and English box displays are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Exhibitors in the Artistic
Design Division use their own containers (or borrow them) to complement the theme of each class.
Setup—The night before the show, an SRS crew rents a truck and brings all the show equipment to the show site—this
year the Carousel Mall. There more crew members make sure all is in readiness for the next day—prep room set up with
filled vases, show tables covered and arranged properly, etc.
Takedown—This is when the SRS makes a lot of mall shoppers delirious with happiness by selling them beautiful show roses
for a few dollars donation—another way we defray show costs. After the sale, all the vases are emptied and equipment
trucked back to its storage spot. Many hands are welcome to join in after the show, because the feet are sure saying they
want to go home.
Roses—Let’s not forget the most important part of any show. Start planning your entries now and making sure your
spring care will assure a bountiful crop. Even if you don’t consider yourself an exhibitor, please plan on carrying
along a few blooms just to contribute to the magnificence and show the public what rose growing is all about. We hope to
see you and your roses on June 23rd.
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