rose varieties that were submitted to the society's test gardens by rose breeders from around the world. A committee of twenty judges evaluated the rose cultivars periodically throughout the season from June to September over two or three successive years. The Gold Medal was generally awarded each year to two or three roses of exceptional quality. There were several years when no roses would meet the strict guidelines for the award and no gold medal is awarded. Royal patronage In acknowledgement of the Society's important work, Queen Alexandra established the first Royal Patronage in 1888. The society's membership grew steadily from 900 in 1888 to 16,000 in 1926. The annual journal sponsored by the society, The Rose Annual was first published in 1907, and was issued yearly until 1984. In 1925, Queen Mary was appointed Royal Patron of the society. Membership dropped to 11,500 during World War II, but increased to 15,000 by 1947. When Queen Mary died in 1953, the Princess Mary became the society's Royal patron. The society's headquarters was moved from London to its new location at Bone Hill, Chiswell Green, near St Albans, Hertfordshire in 1959. The society created new rose gardens designed to accommodate the International Rose Trials at the eight acre property. The gardens were named the Royal National Rose Society Gardens. The rose gardens grew to a collection of 30,000 rose bushes and gained an international reputation. The rose society grew quickly to 100,000 members by the 1960s. In 1965, Queen Elizabeth issued a command to add the "Royal" pretext to the society's title, and the name was changed to the "Royal National Rose Society" (RNRS). After the death of Princess Mary, the Queen Mother became the RNRS patron and held the position until her death in 2002. The golden years The 1960s and the 1970s were the rose society's best years. In 1968, an International Rose Conference was held by the RNRS in London. A decision was made at the conference to create a coalition of national rose societies. From that meeting, the World Federation of Rose Societies was established. In 1976 The Queen Mother attended the society's centenary reception at St. James's Palace. To celebrate the occasion, ten thousand rose boutonnières were distributed to the general public in Trafalgar Square; The Post Office in Britain issued a new commemorative set of rose stamps. In 1978, the traditional Westminster rose exhibition was