In advance of every horticultural show a schedule is published listing the various classes and the general rules to which the exhibits must conform.

To sort out the order of excellence among the entries is the task of some impartial person who acts as judge (and jury as well if the truth be told!). This judge must have a good knowledge and experience of the flower classes to be judged and must have confidence in his or her competence.

There is a finite time during which judging must be completed and the judge who is uncertain and dithers is at a great disadvantage. Conversely the judge who rushes and gives scant attention to each exhibit will come up with poor decisions. The person acting as judge must not only be self-confident but must also have the confidence and respect of the exhibitors. These necessary qualifications are most likely found within the ranks of former successful exhibitors.

As an exhibitor I only once encountered grossly incompetent judging. On one occasion when judging dahlias, another flower judge and I were called upon to assist an elderly vegetable judge whose eyesight was stated to be failing! This proved a very interesting and informative experience, never to be repeated! It turned out that we had to judge the vegetables, rather than to assist. I think we did quite a good job as there were no complaints afterwards. I do not think we ever had blind or poor-sighted judges at Sutton!.

Judging standards are usually stated in the show schedules to be in accordance with the rules of the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland which in turn are those of the Royal Horticultural Society of the United Kingdom. These rules are to be found in the current RHS Handbook, published for the guidance of ‘show organisers, schedule makers, exhibitors and judges’. This handbook lists for a large number of flowers and vegetables points which are meritorious and points which are defective in the various groups. These rules are most elaborate for dahlias and coincide with those specified by the National Dahlia Society (UK). Dahlias are divided into nine classes whose specifications are Closely defined. Dahlias must correspond in size and formation for the classes in which they are exhibited. Non-conformation means obligatory disqualification, the judge having no discretion. Disqualification for all flower classes results where a wrong number of blooms is staged or where the blooms have an incorrect specification.

The judge marks the entry cards NAS, ‘not according to schedule’, whenever disqualification occurs. Each judge is accompanied by some person acting as a steward whose chief duty is attaching first, second, third or highly commended stickers on the face of the entry cards when the judge has completed his or her decisions by marking 1,2,3 or HC on the reverse of the cards. The judge should not see the face side of the cards until all judging has been completed. Needless to say the steward should not have entries in any of the classes being ‘stewarded’.

The actual operation goes something like this. On entering the exhibition hall, all exhibitors having previously departed, the judge has a preliminary look around the hall to obtain a view of the general show standard. The judging of individual classes then commences. In each class obviously inferior entries are noted and then disregarded before examining the remaining ones which are in contention for awards. In most instances the rewarding of the first prize is quickly dedided while the grading of the second and third awards presents more difficulty. From my experience, all judges agree that judging high quality blooms is much easier and less contentious than judging inferior ones. Excellence stands out while the mixture of differing defects in other exhibits creates more difficulty.

With classes containing only inferior exhibits there is a problem as to whether to award only a second or a third prize or no prize at all. A high exhibition standard should be maintained, but without unduly discouraging the less-experienced exhibitors. A balance should be struck. Again reference must be made to the overall show standard.

In many shows, points are awarded , in scale, for the first, second or third prize winners in the various classes, the exhibitor with the highest total being given a special prize or trophy. Here there is a temptation for an exhibitor contending for such a prize to enter an inferior exhibit in a poorly supported class or one with only mediocre entries in the hope of gaining extra points. Where points are at stake it is therefore desirable for a judge possibly to withhold a first, second or third rating where the class in question is not on a par with similar classes in the show. It might be mentioned that dressing of blooms (usually by experienced exhibitors) is not illegal as long as such manipulation is not too obvious and does not spoil the balance or character of the blooms. This dressing normally takes the form of the removal of spent or damaged petals. For a flower stem with many individual florets, such as a floribunda rose, the removal of old and damaged florets, if not on too extensive a scale, would usually be considered as desirable.

In the final analysis judging will always be a personal matter. However rigid the quality specifications are, judging can never be an exact science, no matter how experienced the judge.

Please remember ‘Don’t shoot the judge, he is doing his best’

The Royal Horticultural Society Handbook may be obtained for a modest price from the Royal Horticultural Soeiety, 80 Vincent Square, London SW18 28E