The R H S joint Sweet Pea Trials at Wisley with the National Sweet Pea Society are held annually at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden, Wisley. These trials are judged by a combined committee of judges, six representing the RHS and six the NSPS plus a chairman from each Society ‘taking the chair’ in alternate years. Mrs Linda Jones, Trials Officer (e-mail lindaj@rhs.org.uk) and her staff at Wisley are responsible for the organisation and administration.
The object of the trials is to grow and inspect cultivars submitted by amateurs and professionals to decide whether they are as good as or an improvement on cultivars already in commerce.
Entry forms for the trials are available from the Trials Office at Wisley with a separate form being used for each entry. All entries will be grown on the bush for assessment for the prestigious Award of Garden Merit and entrants may request that their cultivars be grown on the cordon as well for consideration for an Exhibition award. There is a £3.50 fee for each entry payable to the NSPS via the Hon Secretary.
Completed entry forms should be returned to -
The Trials Office
RHS Garden
Wisley
Woking
Surrey
GU23 6QB
together with 50 seeds of each cultivar for trial by early September to allow for planning and sowing in mid October. The planning enables control cultivars of similar colour description to the entries to be obtained for comparison purposes.
Taken into consideration when judging for exhibition awards are quality of blooms, i.e. form, poise, balance, frill, texture and size, colour, vigour, stem length and substance in proportion to size of bloom and different colours. Bush grown cultivars are judged for garden decoration and not exhibition so that stem length and form and size of bloom are less important. The impact of the cultivar is important, its length of flowering and the amount of flower and side shoots, not just at the top of the bush but overall. Good healthy foliage on vigorous plants not particularly susceptible to any pest or disease make the cultivar excellent for garden decoration.
From a mid October sowing the plants are over wintered and gradually hardened off in cold frames. Seeds of the bush grown entries are sown seven or eight seeds in a 15cm (5 inch) pot and subsequently thinned to six at the first leaf stage. Seeds of those cultivars for cordon growing and dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivars are sown in seed trays and potted on singly into 9cm (3 inch) pots.
Twelve plants of each entry for bush growing are planted out, two groups of six plants, one metre between and two metres between each entry, being supported by a column of canes and wire netting and allowed to grow naturally, i.e. without removal of tendrils and side shoots.
Plants for cordon culture are set out singly, being spaced 30cm apart in parallel rows of 8 feet canes. Twelve plants of each entry submitted are grown single cordon. The dwarf and semi-dwarf entries are set out singly in rows, usually unsupported.
The trials are judged on three separate occasions during June / July. This judging is carried out on an individual points system, without consultation between members and after the final judging the marks are collated by the Trials Officer and her staff and an average mark for each entry obtained.
More than one rogue in an entry disqualifies it but the Committee can ask senders to resubmit the cultivar if considered worthy. No rogues are allowed in cultivars in commerce being judged for the Award of Garden Merit.
The following Exhibition awards, with a maximum of 20 points, are recommended:
First Class Certificate 17 - 20 points
Award of Merit 15 - 16 points
Preliminary Commendation 13 - 14 points
To decide, the voting by members must be twice as many for, as against.
For the Award of Garden Merit there is a minimum of 15 points subject to a further assessment on borderline decisions. The voting by members in this case must be three times as many for, as against. Apart from the quality assessment of the cultivars on trial, it should be already or likely to become available.
Whether being judged for garden decoration (AGM) or Exhibition, to receive any award the cultivar must be named, such name being acceptable to the RHS.
The RHS website can be visited at www.rhs.org.uk
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| RHS Trials, Wisley 2003 |
Trials are no longer currently held at RHS Garden Harlow Carr but it is hoped these will recommence in 2008
The Scottish Sweet Pea Trials
Hybridisers are invited to submit seeds to the Secretary of the Scottish Sweet Pea Trials. Seeds are germinated and grown on - with meticulous care - by the Glasgow Parks Daldowie Nursery staff.
The seedlings are planted out at the beginning of May in the Trial grounds within the walled garden at Bellahouston Park - tended throughout by experienced staff and regularly visited by the Secretary and occasionally by judges. The garden is open to the public.
The blooms are judged over a period of three weeks by a panel of seven experienced judges. The first two judgings are on the bush, the third in water, having been cut the previous evening.
A points system is used - each judge awarding up to twelve points per variety at each judging. Awards are made after the final points are calculated as follows:
Certificate of Merit 18 - 20 points
First Class Certificate 21 - 24 points
Silver Medal 25 - 30 points
Gold Medal 31 - 36 points
The flowers (showing award gained and name of hybridiser) are on display to the public at the Society’s Annual Show which usually takes place on the last weekend in July and is held at The Botanic Gardens, Great Western Road, Glasgow. Entry to the Show is free.
If any variety has two or more rogues it will not be judged - but if in the judges’ opinion it is an outstanding variety, the hybridiser will be asked to resubmit the variety the following year.
Applications to submit seeds for Trial should be forwarded to -
Mrs Jean Reid
Trials Secretary
72 West George Street
Coatbridge
Lanarkshire
ML5 2DD
Telephone 01236 429166
A minimum of 30 seeds per variety should arrive by 30 January of every year and the cost per variety is £4.50 - cheque payable to Scottish National Sweet Pea, Rose and Carnation Society. Entries have been falling over the last few years so please do feel free to apply for an entry form.
Hybridisers are invited to visit the Trials at Bellahouston Park - situated beside the Glasgow Ski Centre and the Charles Rennie MacIntosh House of Culture - junction 23 on the M8. When the results of the trials are known they are posted on the Scottish Society's website.
The Scottish National Sweet Pea, Rose and Carnation Society website can be visited at www.snsprcs.org.uk
George Neil (President of the Society) can be contacted on 01292 551526.
The following are a few tips for ‘trialers’ -
1. Try to ensure your seedling is fixed.
2. Ensure that the envelope containing seed is well labelled with details of the contents, i.e. code number (if appropriate) and colour of seedling.
3. Send the best quality seed.
4. If there are special germination requirements e.g. ‘chipping’ - state this on the envelope.
5. A few extra seeds are always appreciated.
6. The seed merchants also have their own trials and if you feel your seedling may be commercially viable, this is another option open to you. Merchants usually require 30 seeds per variety but no trial fee is necessary. They generally prefer easy seeding varieties and will be looking for novelty and saleability value.
7. If you believe you have a good seedling do not be too disheartened if no award is received. Remember that occasionally good peas do not gain awards but still succeed commercially - for example Alice Hardwicke.