I always consider bud counts as listed in the registration data as only anecdotal information, as they only reflect how a plant performed in the breeder's garden. Some of those gardens that sell commercially water daily and use more fertilizer than the average gardener, so the plants are pumped up beyond normal gardens. Also, I've found a comment made by Melanie Mason years ago to be very helpful. If the plant was bred several zones south of my zone, I deduct five buds for every zone north of that where I live. If a plant was bred in zone 9 and registered with 35 buds there, I might realistically expect it to have only 20-25 buds here on the edge of zone 6-7.
Most of the plant breeders I know try for at least 15 buds as a minimum for selecting to be registered. If the bloom is an 11" bloom, a bud count of 15 would be far more acceptable than bud count of 15 would be for a 3" bloom. Abundant water in the weeks prior to bloom time will help with bud count and rebloom in the climate where I live. In those years when my garden has been on Regional tour , if we hit a dry spell in the weeks leading up to bloom season, I'd always pour the water on if I expected the bloom to be abundant.
As a garden judges instructor, I always like to refer to "bud placement" rather than bud count, and will ask students to look for scapes that have both good and bad bud placement when we are doing part 2 of the GJ workshop in the garden. If buds are not placed so they can open well, a high bud count is virtually useless ( at least to me.) One plant from a northern breeder some years ago was advertised as having a 30+ bud count so everyone wanted it. Yes it was a beautiful bloom and yes, it had a high bud count, but when the buds opened, at least half of them - let's say of 6 blooms on a scape, only 3 of them could fully open because the buds hit each other. I eventually got rid of that plant it my garden although it won an AM, because this trait bothered me so much! Be sure to note bud placement when you are viewing your plants, if you have 4-5 way branching, that of course helps with the bud placement.
