Restoring Roses to Southern Gardens Rose Show – June 3rd
The show schedule is one of, if not, the most extensive show schedules in the Pacific Southwest District. There are 80 classes in which to place entries for horticulture and another 31 arrangement classes plus 2 Commercial Arrangement classes. Off hand, I believe only the Desert Rose Society and the District Convention have an arrangement schedule approaching that of the RRS arrangement schedule.
The arrangement schedule has been approved by the District Arrangement Judges Chairman and Pacific Southwest District Director elect, Kreg Hill and the horticulture division (is being) has been approved by Sally Long, Show Chairman of Judges and District Horticulture Judges Chairman designee.
There is no reason not to enter an arrangement! If you are new to arranging, try the Novice Section that has 3 classes. Check out the articles on the Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) website. Go to www.pswdistrict.org then click on the “Rose Articles” button, then scroll down to the Arrangement Articles. These articles are written by some of the top exhibitors in the country and should give one a starting point. Bonnie and I went around and around on this arrangement schedule to encourage entries and not have a bunch of empty tables.
There are arrangement classes for standard and miniature sizes, fresh roses, dried roses and table settings called “Court of Etiquette.” There are classes for Junior arrangers, as well as Novices who have won less than four blue ribbons in an ARS rose show. There is a special Challenge Class for those that wish to use a tea pot in the arrangement. The Rosecraft sections (Standard and Miniature) use a woman’s hat or a glove with dried roses. In addition, there are Traditional, Modern, Oriental Manner, Keepsake, Princess, and Duchess classes, even one for an underwater arrangement. So please check out the schedule and make your arrangement reservations with Fran Lowry at 951-780-2203 or email her at: qualibear@sbcglobal.net.
The horticulture division is one of the most detailed in the District. I venture to say that some of the readers never thought there were 80 ways to stick a rose in a vase! And yes, there are even more classes that could have been added. One of the primary purposes of rose shows is to educate people about roses. An exhibitor needs to know the difference between a polyantha and a miniature, or a floribunda from a mini-flora, or a miniature from a mini-flora, or the difference between a Dowager and Victorian Old Garden Rose, among others. All this adds to the love and fascination about “the Rose.”
There are three ARS royalty courts; they are the hybrid teas, miniatures, and mini-floras. Each of these receives their own Queen, King and Princess awards. The mini-flora is the newest of these ARS royalty courts beginning last year. I am proud to say that I was one of the original schedule writers to separate the mini-floras from the miniatures two years ago in an effort to encourage ARS to give the mini-flora its own court. Donna and I were also one of the first two exhibitors in the country to receive the Mini-Flora Queen ARS certificate last year!
This is now the opportunity to try your hand at exhibiting. Trust me, it’s “catching.” There are entire sections just for a rose in a bowl and for English boxes. There are classes for the youth as well as the novice exhibitor. Each of these have their own subset of major classes. Further there is a RRS Only section. This includes the Zelda Lloyd Founder’s Trophy, the President’s Trophy, and the Show Chairman’s Trophy. Each of these require three stems, but each classes’ specifications are different. Every RRS member should make it a point to enter this section!
In the Challenge Class Section, there are “Big and Little Look-a-likes”, Picture Frames, and Rainbow of Colors. The Rainbow of Colors contains contrasting styles of entries for large and miniature roses. For example, an exhibitor may enter a bouquet in one container as well as an entry of five separate containers, each with a different specimen. There are big differences in how to stage the blooms in these classes. The results will be quite dramatic.
This year ARS revised its rules by re-defining the “single” and “semi-double” classifications which pertains to the number of pedals that a bloom contains. This re-definition removed some of the previously defined “singles” from competition in a traditional show. As a result, I separated the two types of classifications into different classes. To my knowledge, this has not been done before. There are now classes to exhibit “singles” as well as “semi-doubles.” Aside from separating the minis from the large roses, there are classes for one bloom as well as sprays of these beautiful specimens. Maybe this will start a trend among the local societies to give a spot for many of these formerly defined “singles” before they are shovel pruned out of the exhibitors’ garden. Maybe ARS will take note.
That is the overview of the show schedule, and quite a schedule it is! Please plan to attend and exhibit! Check out the schedule and plan to exhibit in both horticulture and arrangements.
See you all at the ROSE Show!
