Search results

I've been growing since the 90s and didn't submit a plant for judging until 2020 because of the judging system's reputation. Luckily the Carolinas Center has a fantastic group of judges that uphold the ideal of fair and impartial judging but I've seen plenty of complaints regarding other centers...

I don't know that we could have a judging system without commercial growers involved, who else has the dedication to orchids and the financial freedom to participate? I don't see many people being deep enough into the hobby that they want to become a judge without also growing enough plants to...

Point scores could be second guessed and debated all day long but I would think that nullifying or correcting awards with clear taxonomic errors should not be controversial at all.

So what value is there in a judging system where identification of the plants involved is diregarded and nothing can ever be questioned?

It's not a Hung Sheng Eagle, it's a Chiu Hua Dancer and it should have been obvious to the judging team that they weren't looking at the right grex when they did their research. Somewhere between three and five people who each spent a decade or more training couldn't spot one of the most famous...

Peer review of every award is overkill, but there should be some way to challenge an obviously incorrect award. It is embarrassing that something like this is allowed to stand:

Wössner Favourite is likely my last Paph of 2023 unless Mustafa's Mucho Gusto picks up the pace to slide in under the wire. Wössner Black Wings are leading the charge into Paph Season 2024, with a couple other anitum crosses and platyphyllum following closely.

As long as you're around nobody can call me the mean Tony.

No fun

I'm sure the judges don't see many multiflorals in the northwest, the cold dark climate is not suited to growing them well and any blooming multi is going to be impressive from that frame of reference. I could easily see a team of newer judges that haven't traveled much being overly impressed by...

Maybe the Dollgoldi was a make-up award for the hangianum they screwed up earlier this year.

If my comments came across as derogatory to growers receiving HCCs that wasn't my intent, I'm always happy to see other growers succeed. That being said, some of the commentary here has mentioned the feeling that if a plant gets nominated the judges have to give it SOMETHING, which has in turn...

One thing I learned in buying from Krull-Smith is that you have to specifically request unbloomed plants if you're buying blooming size, otherwise you will get their culls. I bought a Catt lueddemanniana over the summer that was advertised as a blooming size seedling but it was a thrice bloomed...

Every time I go to judging they push me to join up, right now I have too many conflicts with my work schedule but I'm hoping next year when one of the guys retires I can get his schedule and start training as a student.

Of course there is no guarantee but my eyeballs are pretty well calibrated to what the judges at my center want to see, every plant I've submitted has come back with an AM or FCC save for two which were both scuttled by the same judge when the rest of the team was in AM range.

I think someone at the AOS secretly agrees too, why else would an HCC break the precious metals theme and get a clearance tag green sticker rather than copper/bronze? 😂

It's just my personal preference, if I think I have an HCC quality flower I'm happy to hold it back until it's ready for the higher award. I've been told by several judges that it is a wiser strategy as well to have a higher floor for when seeking an upgrade, they're going to be more willing to...

My New Horizon x Raptor were both huge plants for first bloomers, around 36" ls, and the flowers were trash. I've had a number of good first blooms on 16-24" plants of various other parentages. They should improve as they grow larger but there definitely isn't a simple correlation between plant...

It has been my experience as an exhibitor/observer that an undersized flower is unlikely to get any of those first 10 points because it simply won't be nominated and scored. I tend to agree on passing the plant in question but encouraging the grower to show it again on a more mature and better...

The things you find when you start researching prior awards lol