A Question and Answer printout with questions submitted to the group throughout the past year was circulated to the group for use as a reference document and it is available on the website. The group was reminded that the session was one of collective sharing. The following additional questions arose at the session.
- Question 1: It is difficult to access the list of judges on the GardenOntario website to find judges within a specific vicinity to help find a replacement judge. How can the search be narrowed down?
Answer: There is a sorting function for the Judges List on the website. You can sort by District using the drop-down tab and it will list the judges willing to judge within that District. Be certain to check on the location of their home society to get a more accurate idea of their location. It is also possible to sort alphabetically by City or Town but it is more restrictive.
- Question 2: How do you know when you need to update your certification?
Answer: Re-certifying is required every 3 years and Sharon Nivens will send out the re-fillable form to be completed. There is a fee of $10 for recertification.
It was noted that there has been good feedback from show committee members regarding the suggestions and input judges provide both the show committee and the exhibitors.
- Question 3: Are there ways to help societies improve their show schedules?
Answer: Judges can be asked to review show schedules to for correctness. Schedules should also be clear, concise and consistent. OJES does provide details on writing show schedules which may be helpful. There will be specimen show schedules posted on the GardenOntario.org website to help provide examples which can be used as a guideline.
Note: Judges should recognize the efforts of the societies holding shows and provide helpful suggestions. Part of our role is to provide educational input to show committees and exhibitors. It is important for judges to be on time and to use their time wisely, including comment writing.
Cat McGill has been asked by groups to explain how she judges items and places them. Post-its with comments are appreciated and constructive comment writing is an important component of judging.
- Question 4: What should you do when you are in a situation when your judging is questioned?
Answer: As judges, we do not comment on other judges’ judging. If questioned, you could find somewhere private to politely explain your rationale. If an item is in the wrong class, then you can approach the show chair and ask them to move the exhibit to the correct class.
- Question 5: Who should be in the room when judging is taking place?
Answer: That depends on the show. Typically, the Show Committee (chair, clerks and statisticians) and possibly the photographer. At the OHA level it would be the Convenors who are listed on the program. The Show Chair should monitor and enforce.
- Question 6: Is it appropriate to ask the Show Chair what level of rigor they would like to see on the placings (i.e. no first placement)?
Answer: It would be acceptable to ask. Different levels of show (local vs. CNE) may have different standards.
- Question 7: There was a Solomon Seal without blooms in a class, should it have been judged?
Answer: No blooms are necessary unless the schedule states “specimen in bloom”.
- Question 8: If, according to the schedule an item should be in bloom and none of the specimens are in bloom, are they considered NAS or do you judge them “as are”?
Answer: It would depend on the rigor of the show. Be careful about pre-thinking what should or shouldn’t be. For example, local weather may be a factor.
- Question 9: What should be done if a specimen is placed in an “Any Other” class when there is a specific class for that specimen?
Answer: You could ask the Show Committee to place the specimen in the specific class and suggest for future shows, the class description be clarified to “Any other cultivar not listed above.”.
- Question 10: At one show a clear vase was required, white ones weren’t acceptable. Is that the new standard?
Answer: If a specific vessel is required then the show committee should supply the containers. Supplying the vases levels the playing field. It is possible that the show committee is looking for a certain standard by adding a layer of difficulty. The show committee consider such situations and specify in the schedule what they expect. To encourage entries, everything should be as straight forward as possible. Containers are not judged in horticulture classes, but they should not detract from the specimen.
If you would like to see the number of stems in a non-transparent vase, you can ask one of the clerks to gently lift the specimens to complete the count. As a note, it is like asking for collections to be placed on a mat or tray of a certain size and for the specimens to be labelled. Labelling specimens is important as an educational tool.
- Question 11: A Jack-in-the Pulpit was on the table in an “Any other” class. Is that acceptable? What is the standard?
Answer: The Show Schedule should specify what is acceptable on or off the table. For example, there is no law forbidding the picking of trilliums, but from an environmental standpoint, they should not be picked.
Similarly, if there is a “Pollinator” class, then it should be specified what is expected. Embedding important guidelines and definitions in the show schedule is helpful for both horticultural and design classes.
Classes for natives should have a list of the plants you would like to see (keep it short) so people know they can bring in. Or if natives are being entered in “regular” classes have the exhibitor indicate the plant is a native.
To help encourage entries in design classes you could take 10 minutes at a meeting and go through the upcoming design. Samples of the design type are also helpful for exhibitors. Offer Novice classes for “newbies”.
Suggestion: Add illustrations/pictures to OJES for clarification.
Use your imagination.
“The more you show, the more you know.”
