I read what Loyce McKenzie wrote and I have to agree with her on several very important points.
Some flowers were never meant to be show bench ribbon winners. And you can’t show up at a poker table and expect people to play by gin rummy rules. In this game we play here in the USA, meeting all the criteria spelled out by the show schedule is just as much a part of winning the ribbon as walking through the door with a beautiful flower. You can’t just show up with a good horse for the race. You have to ride him to the finish. And in the USA that means putting him in the right class with the correct name.
I agree with Bill Pannill when he says we’d be there all day if we tried to groom every flower that is brought in and find a place for them all on the bench. Here in the United States, we have a hard enough time finding venues that will hold the named entries.
The chances of someone walking in the door as a stranger with a FABULOUS unnamed flower is just not likely. They are mostly poor quality historics or seedling rejects that were purchased in a mix. If we ever decide that those flowers are just as good or better than what we’ve previously been willing to spend $50-$75 a bulb for, then we can kiss the catalog business goodbye.
Everybody does not have to win to have a good time or feel welcome, or want to come again next year. You can learn a lot from losing. ….like HOW to win. … next time.
Chriss Rainey
Dear all
I wrote a week ago that I was disappointed with daffnet because no-one from Texas had commented on the length of foliage on a tazetta down-under.
I look forward now with great anticipation to the response to Chris Rainey’s posting where she mentions
“poor quality historics” (surely in some people’s eyes there aren’t any such things)
and
“If we ever decide that those flowers are just as good or better than what we’ve previously been willing to spend $50-$75 a bulb for, then we can kiss the catalog business goodbye.” (In the UK we have some judges who believe that if it is new and cost a lot of money then it must be the best in the class – Surely you don’t have judges like that in the USA – or perhaps you do and that is why you need to have the names on every flower)
James Akers