SUBMITTING HORTICULTURE SPECIMENS IN FLOWER SHOWS

By Submitted by Kay Hagler, Magnolia District Director, 2023-2025: Excerpts from 2023 GA National Fair Flower Show Schedule.

YOU CAN SUBMIT HORTICULTURE SPECIMENS FOR THE Georgia National Flower Show held in Perry, Georgia for the Horticulture Competition in 2024 or any Flower Show with a Horticulture Division!
I was at The Georgia National Fair Flower Show on October 6th, 2023, hosted by Camellia and Magnolia District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. I saw people bringing horticulture specimens for the horticulture competition. It is a fairly easy process but first you must have horticulture. “Horticulture includes fresh cut material, which is cut from your yard, outdoor container plants, plus indoor container plants. The specimen you enter can be a cutting from an outdoors plant, container-grown, or fruit/vegetable specimens. All specimens, whether cut, or container grown, must be fresh plant material grown by the exhibitor. The other rule is that cut annuals, biennials, and perennials must have been in the exhibitor’s possession from seeds, cuttings, or immature plants and grown to maturity. Bulbous blooms must have been in exhibitor’s possession from planting of bulb, tuber, corm, or rhizome, or it must have been cared for as a mature plant for at least 90 days. Container-grown plants must have been in the possession of the exhibitor for not less than 90 days. Exception: multiple plantings must have been grown together by the exhibitor for a minimum of six weeks.” The photo exhibit was a camellia specimen with a long stem which was placed in a specimen container for competition. An additional factor is that you must fill out the National Garden Club card with specific information. The information comes from the check in committees generally but you must know the specimen name and scientific name. All entries must have been checked by the Classification Committee. This is the committee that takes in your specimen. The Committee may relabel any incorrectly labeled entry and disqualify any entry that is not show quality or does not meet class requirements. So, when you plan to enter that beautiful plant or specimen of yours, be sure to check the rules of the flower show and ask questions so you can compete in the Horticulture Division of Flower Shows.