By Joy Kraft
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Delhi Landscape Services' "Fellowship of the Shire" won Best of Show, the event's top award, at the 14th annual Cincinnati Flower Show. (Gary Landers photos) | ZOOM |

Getting a gold medal for an entry at the Cincinnati Flower Show, continuing through Sunday at Coney Island, isn't just a matter of luck.

And awarding medals isn't just a matter of taste.

Judges, in fact, put their personal tastes aside.

"A good judge should be completely objective," says Janet Meakin Poor, a Garden Club of America judge and former chairman of the Board of the Chicago Botanical Garden. She headed judging Tuesday of the exhibits in the flower show's main tent.

| ZOOM |

Two window boxes, one entered by members of the Terrace Park Garden Club, the other by floral designer Jayna Reckers, tied in the number of points awarded by judges. Both received a gold medal, but for "Best of Show" judges chose Reckers' window box (top) "because of innovative use of plant materials," says judge Joseph Hillenmeyer of Lexington. | ZOOM |

"Whether you like pink or blue or not, you don't let your personal taste interfere," says Poor.

"Sometimes an exhibit may not be the soft beauty to your liking, but something innovative and exciting. You have to be flexible and appreciate what's being done."

Flower show judges, who differ from category to category, have a point system to follow. Each entry is judged on its own merits and is not compared with other entries. It's called "judging against par."

"If you judge three rose gardens or three wildflowers, then you have to try very hard not to judge one against another," Poor says.

Points are awarded for different criteria, then totaled. As a result, often more than one gold or silver or bronze medal will be awarded within the same category.

"The only time you get into comparison is when you give special awards, like 'Best of Show,' " Poor says. "Then you are taking into account all the other gardens."

Criteria considered by flower show judges include:

• Originality and creativity of the concept: the composition and execution of the design.

• Staging: how the exhibitor accomplished the set goal in a neat, attractive and uncluttered manner.

• Plant material: the vigor and condition of the plants, the vibrancy of color and peak freshness.

IF YOU GO

What: Cincinnati Flower Show, presented by Provident Bank When: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. today-Saturday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Where: Coney Island, Kellogg Avenue at I-275. Tickets: $15 adults, $3 ages 3-12. After 4 p.m. at the gate: $11 adults. Parking: $5; valet parking $9. Information: 872-5194, (800) 670-6808, Web site. Miscellaneous: End-of-show sale of some props and plants will start 6 p.m. Sunday.

SHOW WINNERS

• Cincinnati Flower Show winners

• Principles of design: Scale and proportion, balance, rhythm, dominance and contrast.

• Color and texture: whether it's effective and varied.

• New and proven plant material: the research and selection and use of new and unusual plants.

• Labeling: Correct and clear identification of plants.

• Mechanics: the way the exhibit is assembled; the mechanics holding plants in place shouldn't show.

"No. 1 in what we do is help the exhibitor," says Poor. "I'm a big believer in making written comments on all the gardens. For example, in mechanics, which should not show, we try to tactfully explain how they can better cover things.

"I think it's important for the visitor and the exhibitor to find the whole experience an educational one."