It was somewhat uncertain what the weather would be like in The Hague, but the 62nd edition of the International Rose Competition took place in the rosarium of Westbroek Park while the sun came out from behind the clouds.
Golden Rose
A few times a year, a professional jury visits the rosary and judges all roses on their color, flowering and growth. At the International Rose Competition, rose experts from home and abroad also assist the professional jury. The rose with the most points is awarded as "Golden Rose" and this year it is the Phoenix of German rose grower Kordes.
Two happy winners from Kordes Roses. See here for the full photo report (in Dutch).
The Public Rose
Not only the jury, but also the public could vote for their favorite rose. This year, the public was impressed by the Blend Flower Village, an orange rose from Dutch grower Jan Spek Roses.
The public award went to Jan Spek Rozen. See here for the full photo report.
Fragrance prize
The fragrance prize went to the Anastasia, a white rose of NIRP International from France. To smell the best scent, there is a special committee that smells the roses at different times throughout the day, as there is a difference between the smell of a rose in the morning or evening.
NIRP International itself was not present to receive the fragrance award. See the full photo report here (in Dutch).
Jurjen Ilsink of Interplant was also present: "It is wonderful that the sun is shining, and that there are some beautiful roses You can see it was not the best year for roses, because unfortunately not all roses look good, mainly due to the bad weather. On the trial field, there are also a number of beautiful varieties, but they do not have name plates because they are judged without data. This way, we can really look at the rose, without advantage for a grower or breeder."
Jurjen Ilsink of Interplant, and Eana Bordon of Francis Roses from the US.
One of the organizers is Paul Boeters of The Hague Municipality. "We are glad that the 62nd edition of the rose competition is once again a success. Fortunately, the rose stems have grown a bit longer in the past two weeks. Due to the heavy rainfall, we didn't know what they would look like, but fortunately everything looks beautiful together. There are many visitors from all over the world, including New Zealand, the US, Ireland, and the rest of Europe. Of course, there are also many Dutch growers, and among the visitors are hobbyists too. We are very happy with everyone who came!"
Clockwise: Blend Flower Village (Jan Spek Roses), Sunmaid (Kordes Roses), Bettter times (Kordes Roses), Aria Babylon Eyes (Interplant). More photos of the roses can be found in our photo report.
Eana Bordon of Francis Roses from Phoenix, USA, also enjoyed the event: "There are so many beautiful roses to see, this is a nice part of my trip around Europe for Francis Roses, which I have been working for since October."
All in all, it was a successful, well-attended, 62nd edition of the International Rose Competition in The Hague. The date for next year is already known, namely 3 July 2025.
For more information: The Hague Green