Dahlia Show #1

Today was the Portland Dahlia Show in Canby Oregon. I left the house at 6:23 AM and headed north. I arrived in Canby a little after 8:00 AM and brought my 10 entries into the show and set them on the appropriate tables. Then it was time for the judge's meeting and then the judging of the entries. My team judged all 3-bloom BB entries as well as all 1-bloom and 3-bloom Orchid entries. At 11:30 I had to leave and head back home before the judging was complete. But soon I had a voice-mail with some exciting news. I had placed two entries on the head table!

My first head table entry was my 1-bloom "Martina". It won the best 1-bloom Miniature in the Show. I also later found out it was one of two blooms that battled for overall Best 1-Bloom in the Show. My entry lost by one vote! So close! But I was still really happy.

My second entry to make it on the head table was my 1-bloom entry of "Joal Louisa". It won best 1-bloom waterlily in the show. I was especially happy about this win because "Joal Louisa" isn't grown very much anymore and had fallen out of the classification book. This big win will put it back in the book for another two years.

I was also really pleased that my entry of "Majestic Kerkrade" did so well. While it fell short of making the head table, it did score a Blue and a Best of Type. This win will keep this little-grown variety in the book too. Not bad for a variety hybridized back in 1977.

On Sunday I drove back up to Canby so that I could see my entries on the head table and take a few photos.

It is always hard to get a flower on the head table and especially so at the Portland Show where there are always many, many talented growers exhibiting. This was a really terrific way to kick-off the Show Season for me. Even if I fail to make it to the head table for the rest of the year I will still be really pleased.