Rose show
Initially in the UK roses were exhibited in general flower shows such as those run by the Royal Horticultural Society.
The first Grand National specialty rose show was held July 1, 1858, in St. James Hall, London.
[1] It was organized by S. Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester Cathedral and a prominent rosarian, Thomas Rivers, a nurseryman and publisher of the first catalog of roses (1834) in the UK, Charles Turner, a rosarian, and William Paul, a writer and nurseryman.
Exhibitors were divided into three classes: nurserymen, amateur rosarians with hired gardeners, and amateur rosarians without hired gardeners (avid exhibitors included many working-class men and farmers).
John Edwards was in charge of setting up the show, which entailed clearing away the chairs and benches from the previous night's concert, and constructing tables for the exhibits.
Most exhibitors put their rose stems in vases or bottles nestled in moss inside a box of some kind, but some exhibitors inserted their cut stems into potatoes in straw to keep the roses hydrated.
Boxes for the cut rose collections were required to be standardized, with metal vases embedded in moss – no potatoes or straw or beer bottles.
Exhibitors travelled by either train or horse-drawn vans at the time, and roses needed a sturdy box in transportation.
In 1861, the Royal Horticultural Society hosted the Fourth Grand National Rose-Show in Kensington on July 10.
[4] Initially, in contrast to the (Royal) National Rose Society in Great Britain, ARS membership was limited to professional nurserymen and florists.
[6] The first ARS sponsored rose show was held in March 1900, in New York City.
[8] It facilitates a world conference with a rose exhibition every three years, sponsored by a national society.
Founding member national societies were Australia, Belgium, Israel, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Great Britain and the US.
All three levels of rose show generally offer three divisions: Challenge Classes, Horticulture, and Arrangements.
A few Horticulture classes call for multiple specimens, for instance 3 Stems Hybrid Tea, One Variety.
The Challenge Classes division imposes special criteria on the exhibit, for instance Five Floribunda Sprays, Five Varieties, judged on both individual bloom quality and composition of the whole.
Accreditation requires experience exhibiting, working as a show clerk, attending a judging school, and passing an exam and an apprenticeship.
The ARS publishes the Handbook for Selecting Roses, mailed to members annually, which lists most roses in commerce in North America and gives the official Exhibition Name, color class, petal count, year of introduction, and classification.
The Combined Rose List is published annually and is used by exhibitors and judges as a reference for official cultivar names and unofficial synonyms, color category and classification, and year of introduction.
Queen of Show, the highest award, is generally reserved for roses of exhibition form.
In 19th century rose shows, exhibition cultivars were mostly Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas.
