Horticulture Division
Jim Donahue (401) 683-1267
jdonahue@newportmansions.org
Brookie McColloch (401) 846-8384
scm1228@cox.net
Entering is easy and everyone is welcome! You do not have to be a member of a garden club or horticultural organization. There are horticulture classes for all levels of gardener – from the weekend dabbler to the experienced horticulturist. So bring your favorite plant, your prettiest cut specimen, or plant something completely new, inspired by this year's Flower Show theme.
When to Enter
Horticulture Divisions I and II: Container Plants
Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
All container entries must be brought to the Passing Tent on the back lawn of Rosecliff, adjacent to the parking lot. Exhibitors with multiple entries should arrive no later than 11:30 am. Passing for Divisions I and II closes promptly at 12:30 pm. Assistance will be available to move large containers.
Horticulture Division III: Cut Specimens
Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm
All cut specimen entries must be brought to the Passing Tent, on the back lawn of Rosecliff, adjacent to the parking lot. Exhibitors with multiple entries should arrive no later than 3:00 pm. Cut specimen passing closes promptly at 4:00 pm. Please, cut specimens must be properly conditioned if they are to survive the entire (un-air conditioned ) run of the show. For complete instructions on cutting and conditioning garden flowers, please visit The Royal Horticultural Society website.
The Newport Flower Show reserves the right to remove cut flower entries which have wilted.
The Passing Process
Registration and Entry Cards
Each person entering the Horticulture Division must complete one registration card, and an entry card for each container or cut specimen entered. Cards are available in advance at the front desk of The Preservation Society of Newport County at 424 Bellevue Ave., Newport, and at Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, or by calling the Special Events Office at 401 847-1000 ext. 140 before June 19. On Thursday, June 25, cards are available in the Passing Tent at the Show.
All cards should be taken to the Registration Desk in the Passing Tent, where Horticulture Registration cards will be collected and entry cards will be reviewed and marked with an “R”.
Having registered, please visit the grooming station and, for cut specimens, choose an appropriate vase provided by The Newport Flower Show. Be sure to give each cut specimen or container entry one last, thorough inspection before proceeding to the appropriate passing table for your class number. Here your entry card and entry will be reviewed, and each entry card marked with a “P”. All entries will be given to runners to be staged in the Show.
Thank you for competing in The Newport Flower Show!
Horticulture Division Rules
1. Amateurs and professionals are eligible to enter any class; however, entries may not be entered under a commercial or business name. There is no entry fee.
• Amateur: An exhibitor who does not derive any income from horticulture.
• Professional: An exhibitor who derives income from horticulture.
• Novice: An exhibitor who has never won a blue ribbon in a major flower show.
• Newcomer: A first-time exhibitor who has never entered Horticulture Divisions I or II of The Newport Flower Show.
2. Entries in Divisions II & III must have been owned and/or grown by the exhibitor for a minimum of three months prior to the Flower Show and must be of show quality and free of disease and pests.
3. There is no limit to how many classes each exhibitor may enter; however, only three entries are allowed in each class. Multiple entries must represent different species or varieties (except where noted).
4. Exhibitors are responsible for identifying entries with correct botanical and common names. The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and The New Royal Horticultural Society Index of Garden Plants are two excellent resources.
5. A plant list is required (4” x 6” white index card) with botanical and common names of each species when entering a class with 3 or more rooted plants in a single container. Please make an effort to identify your plants in advance. Botanical reference books and assistance will be available in the Passing Tent.
6. Once your entry is passed and staged, any required maintenance becomes the responsibility of the Newport Flower Show Committee. There is no need for you to maintain your horticulture entry during the course of the Show.
7. Wild-collected plants of endangered or threatened species are strictly forbidden.
8. Entries must be well-balanced (sturdy) to withstand any weather conditions as well as movement when staging.
9. The Flower Show Committee may divide, subdivide, withdraw or combine classes at their discretion.
10. No dried, treated or artificial plant material is permitted, with one exception: when dried moss is needed to disguise double potting.
11. Containers must be clean, compatible and proportionate to plant material. You may groom and/or water your entries only before they have been passed.
12. Pot size is measured as the longest inside dimension across the top of the pot; rectangular pots are measured on the diagonal. We will allow one-half (1/2) inch leeway only. Disguised double potting is permitted (outside container must be in proportion to the plant size). When double potting, the inside pot is the one to be measured.
13. Entries in Divisions II and III will be judged for horticulture achievement and excellence.
14. The standard ribbon awards are one first (blue), one second (red), one third (yellow) and one or more honorable mention (white). In classes where entries are exceptional, more than one second and/or third will be awarded at the judges’ discretion.
15. The Newport Flower Show, Garden Club of America and National Garden Club Awards for outstanding entries of exceptional merit will be given at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 3:30 pm.
16. Horticulture entries and ribbons must be picked up between 5:00 pm and 5:30 pm on Sunday, June 28, 2009.
17. All hanging containers must be pre-registered by June 12, 2009.
General
How to properly measure a container: Size is measured as the longest inside dimension across the top of the pot; rectangular pots are measured on the diagonal. Disguised double potting is permitted. The inside pot is the one to be measured.
Horticulture Plant Classification and Labeling Resources
American Rose Society www.ars.org/about_roses/classification.htm
Rhode Island Rose Society www.rirs.og
American Hydrangea Society www.americanhydrangeasociety.org
North American Lily Society www.lilies.org/types.html
Rhode Island Wild Plant Society www.riwps.org
New England Wildflower Society www.newfs.org
Royal Horticulture Society www.hrs.org.uk
American Horticulture Society www.ahs.org
American Begonia Society www.begonias.org
The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants
Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk
The New Royal Horticultural Society Index of Garden Plants
Mark Griffiths
Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines
William Cullina
Herbaceous Perennial Plants
Allan M. Armitage
Flower Show "Lingo"
Passing: Passers check to make sure exhibits are of show quality, properly groomed, pest and disease free, are in appropriate containers, meet class specifications and are labeled correctly.
Grooming: Cleaning flowers and plants to remove dirt and spray residue as well as dead foliage or flowers. Grooming should not alter the typical features on the plants or flowers.
Staging: Designing the show layout of horticulture exhibits.
Labeling: Identifying all flower and plant entries with correct botanical names. Include the common name, botanical name and species or variety.
Examples: Lily Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’
Lavender Lavendula angustifolia ‘Hidcoat’
Horticulture "Talk"
Foliage Plant: Plants exhibited primarily for effective foliage. A few flowers on the plants are acceptable unless noted.
Annual Plant: A plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year. (cannot naturally winter over)
Perennial Plant (Herbaceous): A plant with non-woody stems that lives for more than 2 years, flowering over many seasons. (hardy)
Biennial Plant: A plant that takes between 12 and 24 months to complete its life cycle. Can self-seed. (ie: Foxglove)
Native Plant: A plant naturally occurring in an environment: essential to providing food and shelter for wildlife.
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs: Shed the majority of their leaves at the same time annually. (ie:winter)
Modern Garden Roses: The predominant roses of today in active development by hybridists. Class of roses not in existence before 1867.
Old Garden Roses: Those classes of roses that were established prior to 1867.
Species Roses (Wild Roses): The classes of roses which include both the truly wild species and those garden forms associated with them.
Botanical Family: A group of one or more genera that share a set of underlying features. Family names end in –aceae.
Genus (Genera (pl)): Group of one or more plants that share a wide range of characteristics.
Species: Group of plants that are capable of producing off- spring similar to themselves.
Cultivars: Group of plant selected or artificially raised, distinct variants of species.
Judging "Jargon"
Cultural Perfection: Vigorous healthy growth, general appearance resulting from growing in the correct environment.
Form: The shape that is the true or characteristic form of a flower or plant.
Substance: The material of which the flower is made. It should be strong, firm, crisp and fresh. The stem supporting the blooms should be strong and in proportion to the flower. The leaves should be in good condition and in proportional size to the bloom and stem.
Symmetry: Beauty due to a balanced proportion of parts on a flower or plant.
Distinctiveness: Form, design originality, aesthetic appeal, proportion and relationship to the container are all factors.
Maturity: Plants should exhibit mature characteristics as can reasonably be expected of growing conditions( ie: greenhouse, under lights, outside).
Division Tips
Division I - Creative Outdoor Containers - This is the division where you can stretch your creativity, imagination and horticulture legs. Remember, containers will be viewed from all sides where staging allows.
Division II - Ornamental Plants Grown in Containers - Simple unglazed, unpainted terra-cotta pots are strongly recommended, but not required. If supports are needed, they should be inconspicuous and neat. Use the space marked “Grower’s Notes” for information that makes your entry special. Check germination, days to maturity and flowering date if starting entry from seed, bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber. Buy seedlings or young plants no later than mid-March. Plants must have been grown by exhibitor for a minimum of 3 months.
Division III - Cut Specimens - Stems and branches should be cut in the evening or early morning. Always cut longer than necessary so you can give it a fresh cut. Proper “conditioning” promotes quick water uptake for longer flower life. Woody stems do best when cut at a sharp angle, the stem is split about half-inch, all lower leaves removed and placed in water up to remaining foliage. Cut specimen must be cut from exhibitor’s garden.
How to Enter the Horticulture Division
