@Casshigh - they'll have to figure that out for themselves, if they haven't already. I withdrew from the nearer of the "local" (not very) clubs (whose few meetings usually conflicted with some other activity of mine, so I ended up almost never going). They are a very small club, though, and did not run their own show(s).

I believe the other club (which I belonged to for some years, until we moved even further away) has had shows in recent years; I think I saw a picture on one of the threads here, showing off-scape blooms.

I can see the value of the off-scape bloom category, at least for the newer introductions. (I can't imagine that anybody would really want to sacrifice one of their few scapes of a newer plant for the show, particularly if they are hybridizing.) That part of it may be more educational/helpful for experienced daylily people, though... who are always looking for something "new and exciting" for their gardens/collections.

The on-scape category I think may be a better educational tool for the general public, though; it would give them a better idea of what the blooming daylily scape for that cultivar would look in the garden, than a single off-scape bloom would. JMHO.

(Of course, neither of these categories show the foliage... and between leaf streak and rust, that is becoming a feature of importance to me.)

Not to be snarky, and certainly not to diminish the value of Polymerous' exhaustive and accurate posts;

"The on-scape category I think may be a better educational tool for the general public, though; it would give them a better idea of what the blooming daylily scape for that cultivar would look in the garden."

In the average garden the blooms would touch and have ants and will be smaller, the bud scars will be brown, some blooms will be malformed and there will be pollen on the petals and there will be spent blooms hanging there from the day before.

If the purpose of shows is indeed to educate the general public, there should be a small, unjudged segment of the show, maybe behind a screen, displaying a few examples of what daylilies look like when grown in the average garden, flaws and all.

Charley (feel free to bomb away, I can take it )

Well, I can't dispute that! And let's not forget the rust, the leaf streak, the snails, the thrips, the browning lower leaves, the blooms that won't open properly...

But if we want to, er, convert the public , then the on-scape exhibits I think are the best draw.

Right you are, that's why I suggested the screen.

Charley

I can say that my first daylily show and iris show were a bid reason I became a collector.

My introduction was a little different.

I was put off by the first show I went to. The preening and strutting as scapes were moved to the head table. The disbelief and in one instance anger as scapes were not moved up. I wasn't interested in the ribbons and silver platters. Some of the attitudes were corrosive.

I was active in my club for many years, held office, published the newsletter, worked the sales tables, bus captained for a national, went to the meetings whenever possible. I went to regional meetings and made good friends through all of it.

I never went to another show.

What hooked me was a young man selling daylilies at a farmers market who told me I should visit Wilma Marley's garden (OKLAHOMA KICKINGBIRD hybridizer) bless her soul.

At that point we grew zero daylilies. Ms. Marley told us to look around and if we saw something we wanted, to tell her. It was just after peak bloom and I swear every bloom in her garden touched two other blooms.

We thought our three acres could handle a few of these and picked out three we liked (no I don't remember which) and that is when the magic started.

Her husband took a shovel and just dug up parts of the three clumps like he was digging a post hole, no careful placement of blade, just chomp chomp chomp. Ms. Marley then took the resulting pieces and whacked them next to the hole they came out of, whack whack whack, knocking dirt off the roots. Carrying them by the foliage she dumped them into a bucket if water and sloshed them around like dirty dish towels ( no I am not going to write slosh slosh slosh ... oops ) Then big shears and off went the tops. She handled them like Thalassa Cruso used to, no babying no gentle touch here or there. Of course, looking at the plants, those robust roots looked like they could walk back to our garden. Here were beautiful things full of so much promise.

And speaking of Ms. Cruso, she said;
"Once we become interested in the progress of the plants in our care, their development becomes a part of the rhythm of our own lives and we are refreshed by it."

That was it, it is about plants! Sure the blooms are fabulous but gardeners are all about plants. Ever notice there are no plants at a show?

It's just like cooking, the loaf of sourdough is the resultant but what counts is the starter, the flour, the fermentation and proofing, the oven spring, the crackling as the loaf sings fresh out of the oven, and the lovely grigne.

I celebrate the new fan, the first scape, the bursting bud, the last bloom, the ripening pod, the mysterious shiny black seed, mulching, watering, feeding, trying to decode a problem.

I love seeing other gardeners yards. Got that from Thalassa too;
"One of the pleasures of being a gardener comes from the enjoyment you get looking at other people's yards."

For me, mind you a don't say for anyone else, just me, the connection to the earth and its eternal cycle of life provided by gardening, is the ultimate place to bury so much of the tumult of the rest of the world.

For me, a scape in a bottle? Piffle. (With apologies to those who spend time and energy doing shows.)

Charley

OUTSTANDING post, Charley!

I am sorry that you had the negative show experience that you did, Charley. I guess I have been fortunate in that the shows I attended were organized and participated in by nice(r) people.

That said, I can understand the competitive drive to win a top ribbon or rosette. I can also understand the disappointment at getting a low, or no, ribbon (or rosette).

I do think that overall, shows are a nice thing to do, both for "educating the public" and also for the club members, to see new cultivars without having to travel to others' gardens, and also for a bit of friendly competition.

But as for the bulk of your post regarding the cycle of life in the garden, and the pleasures of other gardeners' yards, I can largely agree. (I only differ in that I really don't like to travel, and I especially don't like to request entrance or a visit to someone else's personal garden (something that garden judges have to do, and which I did so briefly); that makes me feel very uncomfortable. But open gardens are a different thing - you aren't foisting yourself off on someone, they want you to visit their garden, and that can be a great pleasure, both in seeing the plants and in the social event.)

And yes, plants win over scapes in a bottle. It is the plants themselves, in all of their glory (ignoring the problematic ones ), that the joy, anticipation, and fascination lies. It the progression through the year, from the emerging leaves to the fullness of foliage, followed by the emerging of scapes, first flower open, the clump at peak bloom, the wistful sadness at last flower open, and so forth, that is why we (or at least, I) grow daylilies. We anticipate the seasonal changing of the guard as irises and other plants give way to the early daylilies, and as bloom on one beloved clump is succeeded by bloom on another (for example, in my garden 'Sears Tower' follows on (and slightly overlaps) 'Osterized'), year after year. While enjoying the blooms, we make notes and scheme and plot and come the cooler weather, rearrange plants until over time, we achieve the perfect placement of clumps, in relationship to other clumps or even other plants, to maximize the harmonious blending of colors or forms. Outside the ornamental garden, the seedling patch is forever a source of excitement and anticipation (and yes, often times disappointment ), from the first emerging bit of green above soil (which may actually happen in a pot inside the house, but who cares), through the last of the maiden season's blooms.

So no arguments here.

Also no disrespect to those who organize or participate in shows. (I do not currently belong to a daylily club, but I joined a local iris club earlier in the year. I clerked for that show, and would have exhibited had there been anything in my garden to exhibit. )

My visiting other's gardens has always been of the open garden type. I too would tread very delicately when it came to a personal garden that wasn't an open garden. Best I have visited were Longwood, Marjorelle, and the public garden in Vancouver which name escapes me. Best personal garden? Yikes about twenty I've seen at regionals and club tours, each brimming with wonderful plants and designs.

Charley

That was beautifully written about gardening from Charley and Polymerous.

I had family over today to celebrate my daughter's birthday. I have quite a few daylilies blooming. Gave them a tour so they could see why I grow such "tall grass", which is what they thought my daylilies were.

They thought the flowers were pretty and what not, but none of them are gardeners so the tour was no big deal to them. They think I am a bit crazy being in the garden all the time. They totally do not get it. I agree, that only other gardeners get it. And I don't have a landscaped yard, I have what I call beautiful chaos. Which is probably what I am going to name my garden.

I have family members who don't "get it" also.