The Show Program

This is an added, second article this week needed to complete the series.

The Show Program

A discussion of showing is not complete without a discussion of the show program that tells you how to enter flowers.

The key to exhibiting daffodils, therefore, is the show program. The program will contain show rules, entry categories, and usually, points of contact. There will be a category listed in the program for all flowers that can be entered into the show.

When first exhibiting and learning the game, pick the flowers you have and fit them into that "confounded" show program. It is a grinding experience, and exhausting to find places to enter the flowers, usually resulting in having too many flowers in too few categories, and being frustrated with what to do with "all" the flowers. The flip side of that same coin is that for some shows you are not going to have a wide selection of flowers from your gardens to select. For instance, the show may be early and your flowers are not yet in bloom, or late and your flowers have bloomed and are old, and/or "over the hill." In those cases, pick what you have and show them.

After gaining more experience, the Show Program will become a friend, as it tells you what type flowers are needed for each of the various categories. Determine the categories you would like to enter, and pick flowers more discriminating so they can support the Show Program's categories. This method will result in more flowers in the show, and more ribbons awarded.

I pick for collections first, including the various mixes of divisions and categories. All my remaining "beautiful" flowers go into categories of one stem, and if enough flowers, vases of three stems.

The name of the entry, and show categories must be entered on the entry cards for each separate "entry" at the show. Note: The data has to be entered on both the top and the bottom section of the entry card, as well as your name and address on both the top and bottom.

Show Categories

All those flowers that you have groomed and hardened can go into the show program according to pre-set categories. So where do you obtain a show program? Write or call the Show Chairperson, they will be happy to send you a show program.

To fit all daffodil flowers into the show, the show program will have the categories established according to the RHS Daffodil Classification, Division 1 Trumpets, to Division 13 Species Narcissus. The entries are usually numbered such as 1 to . . . 360 (or some chosen number), with an alphabetical category A to Z.

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