Re: AIS: Judges work load, etc

I have a few questions regarding judging etc....

 

1)  What are the requirements to be an AIS judge?

2)  How much training is required to become a judge?

 

In talking about how to select and get good plants out there for all to
see I have followed the test garden thread with interest.  This sort of
thing reminds me of the All-American Selections program and how it is
setup.  Various gardens around the country apply for status as an AAS
display garden, affording them the opportunity to trial candidates for
introduction, showcase old winners, and act as a preview for upcoming
introductions.  The AAS is a non-profit organization that freely
distributes the plant material (usually seeds) to these various gardens
that in turn are responsible for growing the plants and working them
into a suitable display.  At each garden a "resident" judge is present
and that person assesses the qualities of the entered plants.  These
people are volunteers and may have to go through some kind of "are you
sure you are the right person for the job" kind of thing before they can
judge.  Here in the Midwest we can AAS Display gardens at Bluebird
Nursery in Clarkson, Nebraska where nursery owner Harlan Hammernik is
the person who scores things there.  He then submits his report on all
cultivars he has judged to the national office.  The national office
compiles the results and averages the scores and whoever has the highest
score etc. wins the award.  This however can lead to cultivars being
disseminated that aren't sure fire performers in all regions (though no
worse than some of the Dykes winners have been known to be ).  This sort
of system also requires a lot of work on behalf of the "manager" of the
display garden.  I am not sure how well this system could easily be
applied to iris (which maybe aren't as easily propagated as are
1,000,000 petunia seeds or something) but thought I would share just in
case it sparked anyone else's mind.

 

The only way things can get better is if we have intelligent,
well-organized discussions as such.  Keep it coming!

 

Botanically,

 

Kelly D. Norris

Master Gardener/Freelance Writer

Bedford, Iowa USA

Zone 4b/5a

www.rainbowfarms.net

http://kellydn03.tripod.com

List owner rare-plants

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Bluebird Conservationists

 

The love of knowledge is a sort of madness.
C. S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet

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