Roses for Exhibition

Natural ambition

Most gardeners who have grown roses in their own gardens for a few years with tolerable success, pine to exhibit them at shows.  They long to find out whether their friends’ notes of admiration at the sight of them will be echoed by the judge, and they have observed with envy the silver cup resting on some sideboard, and feel no rest until they can point to at least as fine a one at home.

Growing roses for decoration of a garden is one thing and growing roses for exhibition is another.  This should be more clearly understood than it is at present, I think.  Most people like a quantity of fair sized rose blooms, whereas, in growing for exhibition, quality is the end in view.

Disbudding

Disbudding has to be done to a heart-rending extent, and the trees must have as much attention as a baby!  Certain practices are resorted to which are never required in the ordinary way, and the rules must be strictly adhered to, or the blooms will be disqualified.

Competition, however, is a most vitalising thing, and helps to keep up a good standard, so that I will just give a few hints here.

Special treatment

To begin with, if the rose trees have been well planted in the autumn, they should receive a thoroughly good mulch in early spring.  In March the chief pruning should be done, leaving the delicate varieties until the end of the month, and those which are apt to come in too soon for the shows until even the first week of April.

In the case of bush roses (the best way of growing them for a beginner) every shoot should be pruned almost down to the ground, and where there are more than four shoots the rest should be cut right out, especially if they are at all weak.  Then in early May, or late in April if the season is a forward one the shoots that have sprouted out must be well thinned, and last of all the flower buds themselves must submit to this thinning.  It seems a heartless method of treating them, but we are “cruel only to be kind” in doing so.  The central bud of each cluster as a general rule alone is saved, but if the variety is known to be a difficult one to flower satisfactorily, one extra bud may be left on two or three of the shoots.

Gardeners often leave the business of disbudding until too late, and so get neither quantity nor quality.  They must be thinned when only just visible, and it requires a little knack to do it properly and a gentle touch.  Don't leave it until the buds show color: the trees have been exhausting themselves all that time to provide sap for many, which rightly should have been limited to about six or nine blooms.

Protection

When the buds we have reserved show color, and the weather is at all stormy, they must be protected if they are to be fit for exhibition.  Special waterproof protectors should be at hand, so that they can be put on at any time.  Now and then the blooms have to be shaded from the sun, and occasional frosts in June are not unknown.  One should think twice before shading from the sun, as, though burning sometimes takes place, the advantages of exposure to its rays far outweigh the disadvantages.

General and particular attention

All the routine of watering, staking and ridding the trees of pests has, of course, to be most regularly attended to.  Heavy blooms must be tied each to a separate stick or they will break off with the least gust of wind.  Hand picking with the finger and thumb must often be done to rid the trees of aphids, and enthusiastic rosarians will take a lantern round at 9.00 pm rather than allow the buds a chance of being spoilt.

Study the Show Rules

It is always safest to get the most up-to-date schedule a short time before showing.