TIPS for a Daylily SHOW
Nervous Novice or Fearless Exhibitor
Jack Bilson, Salisbury, NC
Years ago I was a Nervous Novice. Heck, competing against George Yeld, John Eiseman, Lee Pickles and Dr. Arlo Stout would make anyone nervous including yours truly.
Later, after becoming a member of the Delaware Valley Daylily Society (SE Pennsylvania and New Jersey) the nervousness disappeared. They provided much of the following information to their members. Some of the information is from the AHS Judging Manual; DVDS member Beth Creveling edited material from other clubs and this author has added some material.
What is a Perfect Bloom?
A typical daylily flower has three petals, three sepals, six stamens and a pistil. All of these parts must be present and intact. The flower should also be clean–after all; this beauty is going to a show. If there is dirt or pollen sprinkled on the bloom remove it by blowing gently or using a very fine artist’s brush. The key here is not to damage the surface of the bloom in your cleaning attempts. Easy does it! Bug damage, broken petals, rips; tears–all will eliminate your flower from serious consideration.
Showing the Single Bloom
Typically single blooms are displayed in flower picks. If they are not supplied by the club, check your local flower shop–picks are inexpensive. Flower picks are plastic vials with a pointed end for insertion in the show display boards. The semi soft plastic caps on the picks are manufactured with a tiny hole. Before using your pick, take a small sharp knife and slice a small “X” through the top to accommodate the bulky base of your daylily bloom.
To remove the bloom from the scape, carefully snap the base of the bloom from the plant and insert the base into the pick using a gentle twisting motion. To save time on the morning of the show, the night before the show fill a bucket with water, fill and cap your picks and leave them in the bucket. On the morning of the show, you’ll be glad to have more time inspecting your show prospects rather than filling flower picks.
Transporting Single Blooms to the Show
Some exhibitors use rigid foam insulation boards to safely carry their entries to the show. Others use overturned cardboard boxes. Ensure you space your blooms and picks far enough apart, in whatever container you use, so they are not touching each other. This will prevent the blooms from damaging each other during the ride to the show.
Showing the Scape
Showing scapes requires more work and ultimately greater sacrifice on the part of the exhibitor. After all, you are removing an entire scape with all its buds, everything you waited an entire winter for. For this pain, however, a winning exhibitor merits the AHS rosette.
You should select your potential prospects at least the day before the show, choosing those scapes that have the best branching, bud count and well spaced blooms possible for that cultivar. Blooms that touch each other can hinder the form.
It’s up early the morning of the show to make your final selection. When the weather forecast calls for rain, sleet, or very high winds, some of us cut our scapes the evening before a show and place them in water. You need to pick the daylilies that look like they will open before the show’s entry time. Some exhibitors always pick their scapes the evening before–but this takes the experience of knowing that a particular cultivar is going to open the next morning. In addition to grooming the blooms, scape grooming requires removal of brown tips, bug damage and seed pods.
Tools
Your exhibitor’s box can be a small fishing tackle box. Include: a pair of nail scissors, needle-nose scissors, an Exacto knife and extra blades or single edge razor blades, que-tips, pruners, entry tags, pre-printed address labels, two pens and two pencils (you’ll need the second one when your buddy borrows one), two fine camel hair or soft bristle artists brushes, a soft pure cotton handkerchief or piece of a T-shirt for wiping pollen from the brushes and cleaning the scape, show schedule, band-aids, change for the coffee/soda machine or a pay phone if the cell phone runs out of juice. Don’t forget the plastic wrap such as Saran Wrap for stuffing in the necks of bottles, test tubes or whatever the society uses for exhibition scapes. Plastic wrap will ensure the scape is in an upright position.
Include a small plastic/foam cereal bowl. At your grooming table, fill it with water. Prior to placing the scape in its exhibition container, use your pruners to snip off ½ -1 inch from its bottom while under water. This should also be done prior to placing the scape in the bucket you are using to transport it to the show. Making this cut will ensure there are no air bubbles to impede the flow of moisture up the scape to keep the bloom fresh.
Optional items could include flower preservative for the water that will keep your scape fresh, aspirin, anti-acid meds, and notes for Lamaze deep breathing.
Brown tipped leaflets can be carved to remove the discolored portion, but should remain pointed like their original form. Slice off old flower stubs, buds that are branched, small discolored buds, and buds that are deformed, damaged or touching flowers.
Transporting Scapes to the Show
Getting scapes to the show can be a real feat. The container used may be a 5-gallon bucket, waste basket, mop bucket, Styrofoam cooler, or other large watertight container. Put some water in your clean container. Three to four inches of water should keep the container stable. To keep a scape separate from another in your container either of the methods below work well. (1) Using a good quality florist or masking tape, make a grid across the top of the container. Tape the scape in place within the grid so it cannot spin or turn. (2) Tape each scape to the side of the container. Take care not to scar the scape with either of these methods.
There are no hard and fast rules in transporting your scapes but common sense should prevail. Be sure your containers are safely positioned and cushioned in your car so they do not slide or turn over in case of an unexpected quick stop.
Final Thoughts…
Do not be afraid to enter. Daylily people are pretty friendly folks. You will enjoy meeting some new friends. If you have questions, the Show Chair is a good place to start. It is considered good manners to ask another exhibitor when they would have time for your question. If you think you have a good bloom or scape, bring it to the show. You will be contributing to the educational value of the show. If we exhibit as many different cultivars as we can, we are showing the diversity and beauty of our favorite flower.
Most experienced exhibitors have had the experience of clerking for one of the judges. Volunteer to be a clerk. Clerking allows you to listen and learn what the judges use to evaluate an entry. And, do not be hesitant to help your club’s PR person publicize your show. The more people we can get to view a show the better our chances are of educating the general public as to what a Hemerocallis plant (daylily) is. They are just not orange and yellow anymore.
May be reprinted if credit given to author.
