A Guide to Enjoying the Show

A rose show is not just a competition among serious rose growers. Its purpose is to exhibit for all to see the beauty and variety of our national flower. As you walk through the show, you will see two divisions: Horticulture and Design.

Design Division: This division presents arrangements using roses and other plant materials, interpreting a theme

Horticultural Division: In this division, the Judges seek to reward good horticultural practice and beauty. To that end, the roses are judged based on the following point scores:

Form: 25 points
Substance: 15 points
Color: 20 points
Balance & proportion: 10 points
Size: 10 points
Stem & Foliage: 20 points

Form: The symmetry and configuration of the actual blooms(s) is the most important single element. The most perfect phase of possible beauty is generally 1/2-3/4 open (not a bud and not fully opened).
Color: The trueness, freshness, and brightness, the hue and chroma of the bloom.
Substance: This is closely associated with color and concerns the freshness and crispness of the bloom.
A straight stem and well-proportioned foliage: These should be free of disease, insects, and foreign matter to show off a fresh, symmetrical bloom to its fullest.
Balance and Proportion: The overall appearance of the specimen, and how the size of the bloom and stem/foliage relate to one another.
Size: This is how it relates to what is typical of the variety.
Size carries the smaller number of points, and therefore is not as important overall as most people think.