American Rose Society

A rose show is a horticultural exhibition focusing exclusively on roses.

Initially in the UK roses were exhibited in general flower shows such as those run by the Royal Horticultural Society. Judges were appointed by whoever sponsored the show, and were not necessarily rosarians themselves. The first Grand National specialty rose show was held July 1, 1858, in St. James Hall, London. It was organized by S. Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester Cathedral and a prominent rosarian, Thomas Rivers, a nurseryman and publisher of the first catalog of roses (1834) in the UK, Charles Turner, a rosarian, and William Paul, a writer and nurseryman. Exhibitors were divided into three classes: nurserymen, amateur rosarians with hired gardeners, and amateur rosarians without hired gardeners (avid exhibitors included many working-class men and farmers). Prizes were 36 silver cups engraved with roses. John Edwards was in charge of setting up the show, which entailed clearing away the chairs and benches from the previous night’s concert, and constructing tables for the exhibits. Subscription fee for exhibitors was 5 pounds, admission for the general public was 1 shilling. More than 2000 people attended the first Grand National Rose-Show. Music was provided by a brass band, which proved to be too loud for the venue.

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 cultivars 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 traveled 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.

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