SHOW: Opening vs. Closing Bloom (was Report from Tucson)

Gerry,

Thanks for your very interesting and instructive report on the judging at
the Tucson show. I agree with you that the appropriate decisions were
ultimately arrived at by the Judges.

You ask:

> How valid do y'all think anticipating the public's favorites is as a
judging
> criterion? It seems to me that educating the public is more important.

In theory, a concern for lay opinion should have no influence on the
Judges' decisions. Let the public express themselves by having a popularity
poll as a feature of the show.
> 
> Also, how about the almost universal judgement that an opening bloom is
better
> than a closing one? It seems to me that the handbook says that a bloom is
judged
> as it appears at that time, period. If its form is not what it should be
fully
> opened, points have to be deducted. Whether it is opening or closing is
> irrelevant. I have almost never found a judge who agreed, and you can
probably
> delete the "almost." Is this a case of tradition being stronger than the
law?

If you will refer to Section C-3 of the AIS Judges Handbook (Exhibition
Judging of Tall Bearded Irises) you will find a number of statements that
imply a more severe discrimination against closing blooms vs. opening ones.
Perhaps the most explicit is the following (p. C-20):

"A partially open bloom must be evaluated as a fully open flower. This
specimen can receive a maximum of 10 (from a possible 15) points for form
because a partially opened flower cannot be thoroughly examined.

A flower beginning to age will not be of acceptable form and will also be
heavily penalized for loss of color."

Jeff Walters in northern Utah  (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@digitalpla.net
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