Rounding and stuffing is not appealing to me. In fact the very idea make me reconsider showing. I am a relatively small grower. I have to cut many of my entries a week or more before a show and store them in order to compete in the large collections of compete for the silver ribbon. I do not have the time to round and stuff. Because of a heart attack in each of 2008 and 2009 I did not order any new daffodils or iris (I show them, too) in either year. You cannot round and stuff an iris. I was going to order some more daffs in order to have some new ones to show in Jackson next year. Now I am not sure I am going to spend the money. The world seems to be going mad with all the debt, the Greeks rioting, and the Euro collapsing.
I have been reading some of the e-mails of determining blue ribbon specimens. I have found it very interesting. However my biggest concern with judging is the selection of the best in show or the best three It seems over the years that some very good daffodils are left on the table without being considered. Sometimes when I have won or the other, I thought that I had better entries that were left on the table. Then one time I won the white ribbon with Magic Lantern. The best specimen from that 3 was put up for the gold ribbon. But I had a better one in a collection of five that was not brought up. I am sure this has happened to others. I have also seen entries by others that should have been considered but were not.
I guess there is no good solution. You obviously cannot let a judge send up his own entries. It would be two time consuming and impossible logistically to send up all blue ribbons. (This is done in any iris show I judge). It does seem that it would be helpful if we in the United States selected the best division flower in each division. I still don’t know how to get the best flowers out of the collections. I think in the future that I will just send up more specimens from the collections.
I know that from my reference to my heart attacks that some of you will be very concerned. Don’t be. They were minor attacks, though I had to have open heart surgery in 2008 to do some bypasses. My heart is very good. It is my arteries that are clogged, basically due to heredity. I just have to live with it. Someday it will get me. But we all have to face that day. My knees give me more day to day problems than my heart does.
Jim Russell
arks about looking not looking at cup
when judging I thought you might like to see these two pictures I took
at The Daffodil Society Show this year.
Two exhibitors from the North of England (John Peace & Barry Hogg)
travelled down to Warwick with both cups and perianth protected with
cotton wool and card.
Although I had seen the card behind the perianth to help stop it
reflexing, this was the first time I had seen the cup filled with
cotton wool to help it keep its shape.
It is this attention to detail that helps make an exhibit stand out
and catch the judge’s eye.
Just in case, I can reassure you that both card and cotton wool were
removed before judging!
Today sunning my self in 25C (77F) sun and light breeze, the UK today
one of the hottest countries in Europe, now that does make a change!
Regards to all,
Ian
