So You Want To Win The Blue Ribbon at the Flower Show This is a presentation by James Pavelka, NCG, Life Flower Show Judge & Advanced Master Gardener

Get & Read Your Schedule !! 1.It tells you when the shows are. 2.It tells you where to bring you entries. 3.It tells you what time to enter. 4.It tells you who to call for questions. 5.It tells you all of the rules !!!! 6.It tells you how to register & fill out entry tags. 7. It tells you when to pick up your entries.

So When Do I Pick & Prepare My Entries ?? 1. The night before ( late afternoon ) or the early morning of the show !!! Take a container of fresh hot water and cut your specimens with a sharp scissor or blade. Recut when you have all of your specimens picked ( always take extras for backup) and let them harden to get ready to exhibit.

How Do I Groom My Entries? WOULD YOU GO TO GET JUDGED NOT CLEANED UP AND LOOKING YOUR BEST ?? 1. Wash your specimen so it is free of all dirt, debris, visitors. 2. Clean off all old blooms, diseased leaves, any disfiguring spots, etc.

So How Do I Pose My Entries ? 1.MAKE SURE YOUR ENTRY TAG SHOWS ON THE SIDE OF THE ENTRY YOU WANT SEEN. 2. WEDGING MAY BE USED TO MAKE SURE IT STANDS STRAIGHT. 3. MAKE SURE IT CONFORMS TO SCHEDULE AS # OF STEMS, BLOOMS, LEAVES & LENGTH. 4. DON’T HAVE ANYTHING BUT STEM SHOWING UNDER WATER. 5. IF YOU INCLUDE BOTONICAL AND LOCAL VARIETY NAME, THAT’S A PLUS.

Lets Talk About Judging Remember :1. Judges are human and make mistakes. You enter the show for fun and a good learning experience. 2. They follow point schedules and judge entries at the time of show. Some entries might look better when opened to public and people think “ What were they thinking ? ” A good judge will leave a comment if possible.

Scale Of Points For Horticulture Not looking So Good !! CULTURAL PERFECTION…………….. 60 pts. is it healthy, prime maturity, peak of perfection,: color pure, clear, bright, attractive, fresh: form & size characteristic for variety: stem & foliage characteristic & proportional CONDITION & GROOMING…………… 25 pts. is it free of blemishes, groomed & staged to present the best appearance, and is the container clean & appropriate DISTINCTION (color, size, substance).. 15 pts. superiority in all respects and also includes correct botanical name as well as common variety name if possible TOTAL…………………… ……………. 100 pts. Nice prepared entries !!

Scale Of Points For Roses FORM………………………… ………….25 pts. looking straight down, do petals unfurl with perfect spiral & no split centers COLOR ……………..…………………… 20 pts. made up of 3 elements: hue, chroma, & brightness ( is color fresh – judges cannot be preferential to color ) SUBSTANCE pts. does it look and feel fresh STEM & FOLIAGE.…………………….. 20 pts. long straight stem with clean intact, disease free leaves ( at least 2-3 sets of 3-5 leaves : no stem on stem BALANCE & PROPORTION.……….. 10 pts. bloom to stem ratio 1:6 ( miniatures should be about 6-7” long if possible ) SIZE pts. the bigger the better, but miniatures should be petite Blooms should be ½ to ¾ open if possible ( extra buds remove except for spray which shows cycle- bud- prime-full open bloom TOTAL …………………………………. 100 pts. BAD !! GOOD OKAY BESTBEST

Scale Of Points For Design CONFORMANCE…………………. …20 pts. does it say what schedule says about material used, colors, & size DESIGN …………….. ………………..40 pts. does it use the elements –light, space, line, form, size, pattern, texture & color principles – balance, proportion, rhythm, contrast, dominance,& scale ARTISTIC CONCEPT ………………. 20 pts. selection and organization EXPRESSION ………….……………..10 pts. does this interpret the class in any shape or form DISTINCTION…………………….……10 pts. is there marked superiority in all respects TOTAL……………………………… pts. bouquet LINELINE MASSMASS

IN CONCLUSION Have fun and be a good winner !! Share your knowledge with others. Don’t be a sore loser !! It’s just a flower show !!! If you did your best – then You’re a winner already !!!! Everyone has to experience Losing at some time in order to win !! Rotten Bad Judge