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A rose show is a horticulture exhibition focusing exclusively on .
Exhibition-form roses were exhibited as cut specimens grouped in a box, and the entire collection was judged on the quality of the individual specimens and on the composition of the whole. Duplicate were not allowed. Collections were to be in multiples of 6, up to 72 for nurserymen. 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. Wiring of stems and flowers was allowed – Tea roses were popular at that time, and the flowers of many Tea roses do not stand upright on their own. Garden roses, those not possessing exhibition form, were exhibited in bouquets. Judges worked in teams of three.
The second Grand National Rose-Show was held June 23, 1859, in the Hanover Square Rooms. In addition to cut roses in boxes, bouquets, and baskets, potted roses were exhibited. Boxes for the cut rose collections were required to be standardized, with metal vases embedded in moss – no potatoes or straw or beer bottles. The boxes were required to have a cover for transporting the roses to the show. Exhibitors travelled by either train or horse-drawn vans at the time, and roses needed a sturdy box in transportation. Box with cover was only 14" tall, so the specimens inside the box had to be shorter than that. Music was provided by a strings and reeds band instead of brass. After this second show, it was decided that London did not provide rooms big enough for the crowds attending the rose show.
Accordingly, the third Grand National Rose-Show was held July 12, 1860, in the Crystal Palace in Sydenham. 16,000 people attended.
In 1861, the Royal Horticultural Society hosted the Fourth Grand National Rose-Show in Kensington on July 10. The rose show was held here every year through 1877. At that time the newly formed National Rose Society (founded 1876) took over the Grand National Rose-Show. The Very Reverend Reynolds Hole was the first president of the (Royal) National Rose Society.
The (Royal) National Rose Society set the standards for exhibition and judging of roses for the Grand National Rose-Show and for rose shows sponsored by affiliated local rose societies.
The first ARS sponsored rose show was held in March 1900, in New York City. At that time the ARS was a trade organization of professional nurserymen and florists. A second show, allowing amateurs, was held that June. Roses were displayed as 25 stems or more of the same variety. Single-stem exhibits became standard by about 1938. Show classes were divided by color. Judging was left to the tastes and inclinations of individual judges up until standards started to be developed in the 1940s. The first ARS judging school was held in 1950, and the first published judging standards appeared in 1959. The first edition of the current Guidelines for Judging Roses was published in 1971.
The ARS first allowed amateur rosarians and local societies to join as affiliates in 1914. The Syracuse Rose Society, with 300 members, was the first local rose society to join the ARS, in May 1914.
Since 1974, the American Rose Society's headquarters and gardens have been located at the American Rose Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Horticulture division of a rose show consists of (usually) single specimens of roses – one 'Rosa Peace' rose in a vase, for instance. A few Horticulture classes call for multiple specimens, for instance 3 Stems Hybrid Tea, One Variety. In US shows, the Horticulture classes can be organized either alphabetically by name, i.e. 'Peace' would be exhibited under Hybrid Teas N-R; or by ARS color classes, i.e. 'Peace' would be exhibited under Hybrid Tea Yellow Blends. In some larger shows, popular varieties with many entries, such as 'Peace', may get their own class. 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. There are five kinds of Challenge classes: multiple stems of multiple varieties of the same class; multiple stems of one variety; multiple stems of multiple classes; bloom progression (3 stems: bud, exhibition bloom, and open bloom with stamens showing); and English-style box (6 roses). Other popular Challenge classes include Most Fragrant, Rose in a Photo Frame, Rose in a Bowl, and Artist's Palette (5 roses, different colors). The Arrangements division consists of floral arrangements in which roses predominate.
The ARS offers a series of named Challenge classes, ranging in size from a single Grandiflora in an "appropriate" container, to 5 Old Garden roses in separate containers, to 6 All-American Rose Selection winners in separate containers, to 12 Miniature roses in a clear container.
Rose shows using ARS guidelines and standards are judged by ARS-accredited judges working in teams of three. Accreditation requires experience exhibiting, working as a show clerk, attending a judging school, and passing an exam and an apprenticeship. Judging schools in the US are held by the ARS Districts and are required to use the ARS-published Guidelines for Judging Roses as the text. The exam is a standardized national exam. Judges are required to audit the judging school every three years. The ARS has established standard certificates for awards at local society rose shows, for instance Queen, King, Princess; Classic Shrub, Modern Shrub. Local societies are free to use any or all of these certificates, plus other categories as desired.
Various publications are used by exhibitors to enter their roses in the right show category. 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. It includes all roses known to be in commerce worldwide. The Guidelines for Judging Roses is published by the ARS and gives the standards by which roses are to be judged: Form, Color, Substance, Stem and Foliage, Balance and Proportion, and Size.
ARS-affiliated local rose societies may host rose shows that do not use the ARS guidelines or standards; these are often called Rose Displays and often are not judged at all, merely admired. Heritage rose groups, independent of the ARS, host non-judged Celebrations of Old Roses, as well as garden tours.
The American Rose Society (US). Links to all affiliated local societies with web sites can be found here.
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