by James Alexander-Sinclair
Today begins the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which is held in the grounds of one of the very finest royal palaces, resonant with history. It is also the biggest flower show in the world.
Today begins the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which is held in the grounds of one of the very finest royal palaces, resonant with history. It is also the biggest flower show in the world. I know this because I've read the Royal Horticultural Society advertisements and also because I've walked every inch of the show grounds on innumerable occasions over the years and still manage to get lost.
This year, as I have for the last few years, I will put on my important hat and will be judging some of the gardens. I thoroughly enjoy this process, even though I know that some people will be unhappy with their medals. I do, however, have great faith in the judging system and I think it generally works very well.
For those who wish to know, here is a simple guide to the RHS judging process…
It all begins with the brief, a document submitted (along with detailed drawings) by the designer during the selection process. The brief details exactly what the garden is supposed to achieve: who it is for, what sort of soil, what hard landscaping, which plants etc etc
On the day before the judging the gardens are visited by a team of assessors. They minutely examine the garden and award points in five categories; whether the brief has been realised, impact, design, construction and planting. The planting is the most important and carries a possible 30 marks out of 100. In order for a garden to be awarded a Gold Medal it must earn 75 points or more.
The next day the judges go round the gardens armed with the assessors' recommendations. There is then lively discussion and debate and a decision is reached. Sometimes we agree with the assessors, sometimes we do not. Then there is a vote: medals are proposed and hands are raised. You may have seen it happening in photographs or on television.
That is not the end, however, as walking around with the judges is a moderator. This is an experienced judge whose job it is to keep an eye on us and make sure that our voting is consistent. After judging we all retire to a tent to eat bacon sandwiches and go through the whole process again. At this point the moderator can question the judges' verdict and call for another vote: in which he - it is, at the moment, always a he - and the other moderators also have a vote. This can change things quite dramatically.
So that is what I am doing on this sunny Monday. Hopefully, many of you will come along to the show and see if you agree with our decisions.
(The picture, by the way, is of last year's winning Conceptual Garden, It's Hard To See by Rebecca Butterworth, Victoria Pustygina, Ludovica Ginanneschi. It was a spectacular winner and I hope to see its equal at this year's show.)
See more comments...
