Have you ever received an email or letter in a foreign language and thought it was spam or junk mail and promptly thrown it in the bin? Me too. But on this occasion, I asked a Spanish-speaking friend to translate it and discovered it was an invitation to judge roses at the 55th International Rose Trials which were to be held on Friday, 20th May 2011, at the Rosaleda de Madrid ‘Ramón Ortiz’, Parque del Oeste, Madrid, Spain.

Although it was short notice, less than two weeks, I decided to do something spontaneous and being in low spirits, lower funds, and lacking all sense, decided I needed a holiday and booked a flight arriving in Madrid on 19th May. A staff member from the Rosaleda, Yolanda López Sanz, greeted me at the Airport and drove me to the Gardens.

On entering the Gardens, which were bathed in sunshine, I immediately recognised three beautiful weeping standard roses lining the walkway to the office complex: New Dawn, Albertine and Ghislane de Feligonde; all roses which we grew back home at Reliable Roses, Silvan, Victoria, Australia, and which here in standard form looked stunning. I was told that the Gardens had suffered a heavy downpour the night before and there had been some damage to the roses but I observed little of that and merely enjoyed the sheer spectacle of massed blooms; a kaleidoscope of colour, shimmering and shining in the bright Spanish sunshine. Our walk led to an avenue of metal arches covered in part with an enormous specimen of R. banksiae banksiae which I paused to admire and was told it had been saved from the builders when some adjoining old buildings had to be pulled down. Further along we came upon another arch draped with American Pillar; her large deep pink single blooms with white centres making an attractive brightly coloured backdrop for photographs.

On entering the office complex, I was introduced to the Director of the Gardens, Rosa Fernandez (who had worked at the Gardens for approximately 20 years) and other members of her staff. Following lunch they had thoughtfully prepared, I took the opportunity to closely study and admire some very fine prints of Species Roses adorning their office walls and remarked on their beauty, pausing to mention the ones which we grew back home. A short time later to my utter surprise and delight Miguel Garcia (the General Manager of the Rose Garden) entered the room and presented me with a large beautifully bound folder of a complete set of those same Species Rose prints which was a tissue-protected collector’s item of the highest standard, received with due reverence, admiration, thanks and humility. Hot, dirty and dishevelled having just arrived from the Airport following a 25 hour flight, I was the surprised but happy recipient of Spanish kindness, generosity and friendship.

A tour of the Gardens followed and I was offered the opportunity to view the roses which were to be judged the next day; these were cordoned off and identified only by number. I wandered along the brick pathways admiring the mainly Modern roses, casting a keen eye over bloom, foliage and plant in anticipation of the next day’s judging and then had an opportunity to take photographs of the Garden in general.

Having spent a relaxing afternoon with my new Spanish friends, I accompanied Rosa to the Airport to meet Sheenagh Harris, a friend from South Africa with whom I corresponded, a fellow rose trial judge, and as most readers would know, President of the World Federation of Rose Societies. I had not informed Sheenagh of my visit as I wished it to be a surprise and so it was – we were both delighted to see each other as English-speaking friends would in a foreign country!

The day of the rose judging – Friday, 20th May 2011 – dawned bright, clear and sunny and full of excitement and enthusiasm and having little idea of what to expect as this was my first trip to Madrid, I headed to the Rosaleda Gardens where the judging was to take place. And what a wonderful day it turned out to be! It is amazing how a solitary day in one’s life can bring so much joy and pleasure to the exclusion of all else. Upon entering the impressive wrought-iron gates a-top which flew the flags of each country competing in the trials, we headed towards the registration tables to collect our judges’ badges and folders. After meeting and greeting the organisers of the event and friends and strangers, most of whom were present for the sole purpose of passing judgment on some 71 roses, we proceeded to follow Mr. Santiago Soria (the Deputy Director General, Green Spaces and Trees of the City Council of Madrid) and Sheenagh who he appointed Executive Chairman of the International Jury. I was one of approximately 80 judges and the only one from Australia.