Once again I am asking for guidance, and once again I do not want this to be seen as a c-index criticism. Like most people I am more critical of my own pictures than those of others, but I am beginning to wonder If I am fit to judge others' as I seem to be failing miserably in my opinions of my own.
Two of my recent uploads Lemon Drops (42)
and Sunshine (61) ,to my jaded eye, are an example. I see one as far better than the other but I seem to have it wrong. I know it is a personal choice but to me Lemon Drops is a better picture than Sunshine and also than my Liverpool Echo which currently rates at 92.

I am totally puzzled and my faith in my own judgement is at zero.

I have been helped before here and I hope someone may be able to help again. I do want to improve and your views will help me to do this. If you can spare the time I will be very grateful.

If you tell me to steer clear of the Voting Booth because I am unfit to vote then that is ok too :)
I guess I am asking what is wrong about Lemon Drops and how can I improve it to make it more acceptable.

Forgive me .. I will shoot from the hip

Lemon drops ... Centered composition down into the flower's face shows very little thought, you raised your camera and snapped ... you felt the need to show me that this is a flower instead of letting me FEEL it intuitively. ... there are a LOT of flower shots and people (ok, ME) grow weary of all but the most cleverly composed and executed .... the flower is a touch past its prime ... and ... the photoshop framing is not helping matters .. framing is a love-it or leave-it for some people .. and should only be attempted by the masters ... instead, try to compose your shot with a natural setting (like Liverpool Echo .. although it has a center vignetting)

Sunshine ... offcenter composition and a more lively flower specimen featuring shadow play go along way for this shot .. no pretenses ..... having a nice smooth BOKEH region for this shot would have helped it greatly ... mmmmm, creamy smooth bokeh

Liverpool Echo ... What "Lemon Drops" should have been .. a nice, naturally surrounded flower that makes you want to lay your head on it without fear of cooties .. off center composition (although some disagree with this view) ... and a framing that isn't really "in your face"

:o) .. just my .02 .. I feel they all deserve their current marks ..

Creamy Smooth BOKEH ..

Thank you Keith, most enlightening, and I will take all that on board.Just the sort of advice I appreciate.
Liverpool Echo was shot in a second with no thought whatsoever for composition and a one off shot (it was raining and cold :) )whereas Lemon Drops I gave considerable thought to and was one of 5 attempts. The framing is actually the same for both LD and Lpool Echo - a plugin in PSP, except one is white and the other is black.
I take your point about framing being left to the masters but will probably continue to experiment (and upset many no doubt) as practice makes perfect and I hope to have a few years left in me yet lol. although like Lemon drops I am well past my prime. Maybe that is why I have an affection for it. Perhaps I will become a 'mistress', given long enough.On second thoughts, maybe not.
I would rate your opinion as more than two cents worth - thank you :)

Creamy smooth BOKEH is way beyond my capabilities. :)

BOKEH is a product of Aperture .. and Depth of Field .. (as you prolly know) .. let's say F4, maybe, for enough depth to get the important bits of the flower, but yet throw the background out of focus ....

a telephoto lens will give you the effect easier due to the way the optics work .. the shot by Noranda probably uses a Tele .. and the distance to the "Next Color" plays a big part

if you are a "purist" .. then cover your eyes ... you can always "help" an image by reaching in and pushing it (a flower, for example) into a more favorable location\angle .. into the sun, or out of it ... etc

I tend to disagree with the c-index scores. I think "Lemon Drops" sound have a better score than "Sunshine." Why?

The lighting in "Lemon Drops" is much better. Also note that the light reflects off the droplets, etc etc etc. On "Sunshine," the flower looks like it's about to die, has cobwebs on it, the leaves dont look exactly...pretty...and the color of the flower is off...not to mention i'm not into the lighting on it.

"Liverpool Echo" is better than "Lemon Drops" IMHO because...because...well there's more in the image. There's a blooming flower AND some little buds in the background. Also, i'm not really crazy about the white haze on the side of "Lemon Drops"...looks cheesy, but black is ok.

Thanks Noah :)
The colour is exactly as is in the real flower though - I tested it by printing the pic and taking it out to compare lol and it is not dead yet.Just as a matter of interest I did notice the cobweb and could have removed it but chose to leave it because I like it. Maybe thats odd but I do :)

I realize I'm coming into this discussion really late, but I seldom have time to check the discussion boards. Of the two yellows, I like Sunshine the best, though the cobweb is slightly distracting. If there were more cobwebs, it would work better, but with only one it just takes away from the beautiful rosebud. I tend to agree with Keith's comments about Lemon Drop. Liverpool Echo is a truly gorgeous shot in every way, even though as a rose nut myself, I'm not terribly fond of this particular rose (sorry). The depth of field and perspective are lovely and the rose with its raindrops is flawless, as are the plethora of buds surrounding it. BTW, I share your frustration at some of the ratings on flower pics. I realize there are tons of them, but why does that mean that good work on a flower must be judged more harshly? It seems to be that there are only so many ways to photograph a flower well. Or maybe I just haven't learned them yet? Also, as to frames, I have decided that they are usually distracting from the photo unless they are very subtle.