If your bloom can win at a Manawatū Rose Society show, you’ve got a good chance of winning at a national event. That’s the verdict of Peter Elliott, who will be the chief judge at the society’s 75th-anniversary show on Friday and Saturday.
Palmerston North is well known for its Dugald Mackenzie Rose Garden at Victoria Esplanade – one of the world’s best public rose gardens. The city is also known for the quality of its roses, and there are strong exhibitors in the region.
It takes five years to become a qualified national rose judge. Elliott has been qualified for nearly 30 years and has judged around the world in trials and exhibitions. It’s an absorbing and rewarding hobby, the radiographer says.
Judges are looking for fresh, vibrant, well-shaped blooms, firm rather than floppy petals, a lack of marks caused by the weather or disease, and a balance of bloom and foliage.
Judging rules specify what a perfect bloom should exhibit, and if required to select a winner, judges can give each entry points out of 100. This week’s show will have 53 classes, including some for new exhibitors.
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