1 Photo
An arrangement from the 2014 annual Rose Show. COURTESY SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY
Don’t spray! One point is deducted for each rose spotted by a water drop!
Contestants start out with 100 points for their arrangements at the Southampton Rose Society’s Rose Show, which will be held on Saturday at the Rogers Memorial Library from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Judges subtract points for flaws like the dreaded water spots, and at least 90 points need to stay intact to earn a blue ribbon.
Lillian Walsh, aka “The Rose Lady,” recently offered tips on creating arrangements in Dune Rose, the Rose Society’s newsletter. Among them: Cut roses with a straight stem at least 16 inches long early on the morning of the show, clean the leaves gently with your hands, and make the arrangement at home before transporting it in a milk crate. Use a backdrop like insulation foam, and bear in mind that judges look at the proportion and condition of roses as well as rhythm—how the eye travels through the arrangement.
There will be other categories in Saturday’s contest, including Queen of Show, which sounds like a beauty pageant and just may have contestants with names like Marilyn Monroe, Uncle Joe, Hot Princess, Touch of Class and Let Freedom Ring.
The public can drink in all the beauty and fragrance beginning at 1 p.m. Roses need to be “placed” for competition by 9:30 a.m., and judging will be from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Rose Society’s benefit Garden Tour is just around the corner as well. Featuring five stops, the self-guided tour runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 27 and raises money for beautification projects in Southampton Village, including the rose garden at the Rogers Memorial Library, where tickets can be purchased the day of the tour.
Among the stops will be the garden of Adeline Christie, former president of the Southampton Rose Society, which has been restored by a new owner, Kirk Basnight.
on Jun 15, 2015