Exhibitions
The American Hemerocallis Society’s mission statement includes the desire to provide the general public with education and exposure to the daylily. To help with this mission, members and local daylily groups choose to host a daylily exhibition show and are proud to have their daylilies on display for the public’s viewing pleasure.
Information For Daylily Exhibitors
Information contained here is designed to help you become a more successful daylily exhibitor and stage a fun and informational daylily show.
Resources for Useful Tips:
If You’re Visiting An Exhibition Show For The First Time:
You certainly are breathless and taken by the beauty of the display! Welcome to the wonderfully addictive world of hybrid daylilies! Although the show is somewhat an artificial environment for our favorite flower, it is our desire that you would see the diversity and initial appeal of the daylily at the show. Exhibitors chose forms, shapes, sizes and colors to expose you to some of the near 75,000 different registered varieties on the market today. Many of these plants are available for purchase from growers in the local clubs, from regional sources or on the Internet. Many members would also love to have you as a visitor in their gardens, where you can see hundreds of other cultivars!
Anyone can enter flowers in these shows. You do not need to be a member of the local club or the AHS to enter. However, in order to win an AHS rosette, you must be an AHS member, and you will be allowed to join at that time if you happen to win!
You will most likely see LOTS of ribbons awarded to the exhibits. Using the official AHS Scale of Points and judging standards, exhibits winning yellow ribbons scored at least 80 out of 100 points. Red ribbons scored at least 85 points, while blue ribbons scored at least 90 points. Purple ribbon recipients scored 95 points out of 100!
Photographs and questions are allowed and encouraged. Most exhibitors and even judges are on site today to answer your questions and help you understand what is going on.
WARNING: this is an addicting hobby! Collecting daylilies, hybridizing daylilies and showing daylilies has proven to take over the lives of more than one gardener!
Here are a few interesting facts about daylily shows that may help you understand the ins and outs of this fun event:
How Are The Flowers Organized?
There are 11 different on-scape sections required in accredited shows. These sections are based on registration information from the hybridizer of the daylilies. In an AHS-accredited show, one flower from each section wins its section and is sent to the “Head Table” to vie for “Best In Show.”
If the show you are visiting is a “display only” show and not accredited by AHS, the sections may be a bit different, but they should generally organized by size or form.
In an accredited show, the required on-scape sections are as follows, and the registration data on file with the AHS at – https://daylilies.org/DaylilyDB/ is used to determine placement of the exhibits.
Section 1: Registered, EXTRA LARGE Flowers – 7″ or more in diameter
Section 2: Registered, LARGE Flowers – 4.5″ or more but under 7″ in diameter
Section 3: Registered, SMALL Flowers – 3″ or more but under 4.5″ in diameter
Section 4: Registered, Miniature Flowers – Less than 3″ in diameter
Section 5: Registered Double, Polymerous, and Multiform Flowers
Section 6: Registered, Spider Flowers – Spider ratio 4.0:1 or greater
Section 7: Registered, Unusual Form Flowers
Section 8: Youth Exhibits – Registered cultivars, any size, form or pattern
Section 9: Seedlings
Section 10: The American Hemerocallis Society Achievement Medal
Section 11: The Ophelia Taylor Horticultural Award
The “Schedule” of the show is the law. In this Schedule, all rules, standards and procedures are clearly outlined for exhibitors. Ask for a copy of the Schedule if you visit a show. Study it. Knowing HOW the show is set up and HOW the entries are judged is the key to successful exhibiting.
Who Judges The Flowers?
All of the flowers you see with ribbons on them in an AHS-accredited show were judged by trained and certified AHS exhibition judges using the AHS scale of points. Please ask for a show schedule from any member or at the membership table for more information on judging and the scale of points. Some clubs choose to not be accredited, and can outline their own judging procedures and policies. For example, some clubs have smaller events that are judged solely by public vote!
In an accredited show, the judging panel should be made up of at least three people and the majority of the panel must hold senior status. Judges for AHS Exhibition Shows must be a member of AHS for at least three years and must attend special classes organized by AHS. It is the intention of the judges to judge each exhibit against its registered standard and against other scapes of the same cultivar shown in the event.
Judges also try to provide feedback to exhibitors. If you bring scapes to the show, please take the opportunity to talk to the panels of judges about your scores. You will learn much about standards, registrations and also grooming and selecting scapes for exhibition.