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Rules for Judging Pinks

Rules for Judging Pinks and Standards of Excellence
The following Rules for judging Pinks must be applied by officially appointed British National Carnation Society judges at National and Local shows.
All previous Rules and Standards for judging Pinks are hereby rescinded.
Except in classes for entire plants. Pinks must be exhibited as cut stems with blooms. They must not be disbudded. Judges must distinguish between disbudding to increase the size of remaining blooms on each stem or for the removal of dead blooms, especially at shows held late in the year.
The Standards given below apply to the best bloom/blooms on each stem. The qualities of Pinks must be judged as follows and in the order given.

1st Form and Freshness; 2nd Colour; 3rd Size

I. FORM AND FRESHNESS. The flowers should be circular in outline. The outer or guard petal should be at right-angles to the stems. There should be no gaps between the guard petals of each open flower.
Centre petals can be raised to form a crown but a crown is not essential.
Cultivars known to produce a flat type of flower must be considered equally with high crowned flowers.
Stems must be rigid and support the flowers so that they face upwards or at a slight angle Flowers that incline downwards must not be considered
A flower showing stigmas can still be fresh. An immature flower can be fresh yet lack form.
A prefect stem should have a fully opened crown flower, with the first “back” bud showing colour, with other buds to open.

2. COLOUR
Selfs. Should be one colour although a slight shading in the centre of the flower is permitted
Bi-colours. Should have two colours in concentric zones on every petal, the inner zone being distinct. High crown flowers are decorative but do not have a distinct zone, and are therefore unlikely to compete.
Fancies. May be of any ground colour, either striped, spotted or suffused with another colour or colours on every petal.
Laced Pinks. Always regarded as double historically. Maybe shown either as single with five petals or double. Laced markings must be distinct and unbroken on every petal. The lacing colour should form in the centre of the flower a well marked eye from which a narrow even band of colour should extend around each petal leaving a clear ground paler than the lacing colour. Also some flowers have a deep colour on each petal which does not show an eye but is laced with a narrow band of a paler colour on each petal which should be unbroken.

3. SIZE. A stem of Pinks should have the appearance of lightness and daintiness. Large flowers are an asset but they must not lack form or appear to be coarse.

4. TYPES. Singles must have five evenly shaped petals at right angles to the stem. The petals should overlap without gaps. Doubles consist of all other Pinks that are not single irrespective of the number of petals.

5. UNIFORMITY. In multi stemmed classes a vase containing stems of flowers that are evenly matched in size (all other qualities being equal) must take precedence over a vase containing flowers of uneven size.

6. FOLIAGE. Separate Pinks foliage must be used. Vases containing no foliage must be disqualified.

7. WIRING. Wiring of stems disqualifies an exhibit.

8. CALYX. A burst calyx must be considered a serious fault but a small, insignificant split, should not disqualify. Calyx bands remaining on an exhibit must disqualify it.

9. PRESENTATION AND STAGING. These must be considered in close competition.

10.PESTS AND DISEASES. An exhibit containing an infestation of pests or diseases must not be considered, however, isolated pests or disease do not constitute an infestation. Examples of pests and diseases are Thrips and their markings on petals, Red Spider Mite on calyx, stems, foliage, or flower. Aphids on flowers, foliage or stems, Rust, Mildew or Spot on flower foliage. All the above also includes the packing and display foliage which forms part of the exhibit.

11. NAMING EXHIBITS. All exhibits must show the name of the cultivar(s) on the cards provided. New unnamed seedlings must be marked “Seedling,” Cultivars unknown to the exhibitor must be marked “Unknown”.

12. POINTS SYSTEM. This points system must be used in all cases where there arc two or more exhibits that appear to be of equal merit as judged in accordance with the foregoing Rules and Standards. POINTS Form 7 Freshness 7 Colour 3 Size (for cultuvar) 3 20

13. SEEDLING. A seedling means an unnamed cultivar grown from seed, even if some or all the flowers exhibited are from plants grown as layers or cuttings from the original seedling. If exhibited against named cultivars they must be judged equally.

14. SPORTS. A sport means a bloom that has developed different colour(s) or other characteristics that differ from the existing cultivar on which it grew.
Sports should contain the name or part of the name of the original cultivar plus a word defining the variation, if possible. Sports should be shown in their appropriate colour classification, not in seedling classes; if the exhibitor is unsure of the correct classification he should consult the Show Superintendent or Show Secretary who will inform the judges of his decision. If the judges disagree with the classification they must move the exhibit to a new class and then judge it.