All About Daylily Shows

I didn't know anything about these shows until I became a member of our local Daylily Club. I'm sure many people throughout the years have seen roses displayed at malls for Rose shows. I know that when I was growing up, I saw these numerous times while at the mall. Well, we daylily folks do the same thing.

These various shows are put on by daylily clubs throughout the United States and they are held in May, June, or July, depending on the zone the states are in. Some shows are held at malls, while others may be held at churches or garden centers. Of course, I had no idea about this until I became a member of our local daylily club. Even then, I had no intention of trying to enter any flowers in a show!


Daylilies on display waiting to be judged


I assumed that the flowers/scapes had to be absolutely perfect, with no imperfections whatsoever. Boy, was I wrong! To say the least, the flowers and scapes do not have to be perfect. "Clean and green" is the saying you will hear most often if you ever attend a daylily show grooming clinic, but you will never hear "it needs to be perfect." Naturally, you wouldn't want to enter something that looked like the insects had an eating contest on the bloom or scape, but little imperfections will not keep someone from winning a purple ribbon or even from getting on the head table for a chance to win "Best In Show." We have accredited judges come and judge the flowers that are entered and they determine who goes home with the "Best in Section/Show" ribbons.

The head table, where the best of the best will go once they have been chosen


Daylily shows are meant to be fun and provide a way to help educate the general public about the daylilies. Comments I hear often at shows by people stopping to look at the displays are: "Is that an Iris?" or "Is that an Amaryllis?" So many people are unaware of how far daylilies have come, and this is why we put on shows. You do not need to be a member of a daylily club to enter or have the "latest and greatest" to win. I have entered daylilies that were hybridized back in the 60s and even won "Best Miniature" with one of those.


We have an educational table set up to give out daylily catalogs, growing information, and club information and to answer any questions people may have. We also have a sales table set up to sell daylilies to the general public. Putting on a daylily show is a lot of work for those behind the scenes, but it is very rewarding and enjoyable. So if you grow daylilies, come and join us in a show or come check out a show. You may just find a few daylilies that you'll want to add to your garden.

A few of our judges


Sales table


To find out more about a daylily show in your area, check with your local daylily club (clubs can be found here: http://www.daylilies.org/AHSre... ), or once the shows are approved, they are posted here (usually starting late April or early May): http://www.daylilies.org/Exhib...

Information on entering a daylily show can be found here: http://www.daylilies.org/Enter...