Exhibitors, what's on your Autumn/Easter agenda?

So, who is showing what this season? Hey, you can tell me. My idea of exhibiting is to get the roses in water before they die, and then make all my (dwindling number of) visitors admire them and worship me.

Who, what, where and why - simples, as the Meerkat says.

Autumn State Championships around Mothers Day

What is actually involved in showing roses? Have been to a few shows and always admire the perfect blooms (or nearly) on display. Have just been reading latest booklet from Vic Rose Society which listed winners of recent shows so I am curious as to what showing entails.

Silky, go along to the Rose Soc meetings where they usually have blooms on exhibition each month and a point score for the year.
The judge, whoever will give a talk on the points allotted to each exhibit and how they could be improved. Though I'm not into exhibition can see the work and time these people put into benching perfect blooms.

I propagate (Bud) roses for some of Sydney's top exhibitors. Our best has bushes 50% higher than the documented height and covered in what appears like 100 blooms. The growth is so healthy, there isn't a weed anywhere or a fallen fungus infected leaf. Now that's dedication and one reason why I don't become involved. Budding their roses and
breeding is all I can fit into my rose time.

I notice some of the healthier HT's favoured by exhibitors.

'Tineke', 'Duet', 'Memoire', 'Kardinal', 'St Patrick', 'Moonstone',
'Fire and Ice', 'Evelyn Fison'. 'Flemington Racecourse',

Others slightly less healthy exhibited are 'Bold Seduction', 'Stainless Steel'.

I particularly like the Minature's and Mini Flora's which can be grown to perfection in pots and tubs.

Most of this will agree with what you have read but nothing like getting out there and giving it a go.

Thanks Ozeboy, one day I might get involved, but for now just trying to grow really healthy plants with LOTS of blooms and constantly extending and improving the whole garden takes all the energy and time I am able to give it. Always learning though. One day I aim to stroll through my garden, enjoying the sight and fragrance of billowing roses, each with close to 100 blooms. Yeah, one day....

Silky, there are a lot of people who just go to the rose meetings until they learn enough to improve their knowledge to grow fantastic roses. Unfortunatly the die hard exhibition members want new members to stay to share the load at exhibition time. I do go and help set up the stands and put out the tables exhibitors use for flower aranging, plastic vases and tubs of water etc. That is my contribution but I know to be successiful most other aspects of roses like propagation and growing roses other than those suitable for exhibition is best forgotten.
You would be doing yourself a favour just to get involved then make a decision yes or not to exhibit. Just start with a single bloom at the monthly meetings. If you have a very small area to grow HT's then the minatures are very intereting. I'm budding a few new minatures for some members at present. I have a policy re budding where all the grafting material and roses grown from this material is the property of the person supplying the cloning material. Should I like any then I have to get their permission to take one. It's a position of trust not to be manipulated in any way. If their material is secret or for them only I don't want to know what it is other than to have an identification number or letter. Ask John (Neptune) and Doug (Ausrose ?) for information as they are the experts in the exhibition area.

Ozeboy, at this stage attending meetings is just not possible, but I am open to possibilities down the track. I have a few HT's, most of which are perfumed. Of the ones you listed I have Kardinal and Duet. I can understand why Kardinal is a popular exhibition rose, but a bit surprised by Duet. I find it reliable and tough but nothing special in flower form, at least for me. Then again my bush has never had anything close to 100 blooms. I'm just an average suburban gardener who muddles along, certainly not in the league of experts and enthusiasts. I do enjoy gaining knowledge from those on here though.
The more you learn, the more you realise what you don't know.