Best in Show

Best in Show and Exhibitions

Beauty, Competition, Education-A Many Faceted Event

Herbaceous Hybrid ‘Pastelegance’

Each year the American Peony Society sponsors and organizes a peony flower exhibition, in conjunction with the annual convention.  Growers, gardeners and peony enthusiast gather to have their best flowers evaluated and viewed by the public during the show.   Flowers from a wide range of peony plant groups can typically be seen, as well as blooms from some of the newest and most unique introductions. Exhibitors bring their flowers from many locations in North America, allowing show visitors to view many different peony cultivars at one time, though in their own gardens they may bloom weeks apart.

With great anticipation and excitement, the exhibitors prepare their flowers for judging the evening before judging.  Judges evaluate each bloom in various divisions and award worthy flowers that meet definitive criteria.   The best flowers from each division are selected and further awarded, and further selections are made to determine a number of other awards.

The Court of Honor contains the best from each class group regardless of Schedule Division. Thus it is made up of the best of the best, and it is from the Court of Honor that the ultimate “best of the best” is selected to be the Grand Champion of the show. This award is the highest honor a peony can receive in our annual flower exhibition.

To receive the Best In Show award, a peony must receive a 1st place award in its exhibited class of those classes presenting single blooms. Judges then select from all of the 1st place winners of the single bloom classes for representation on the Court of Honor. The Court of Honor will consist of winners according to color and type (Lactiflora, Hybrid, Itoh Group, Suffruticosa, Lutea Hybrid). The Court of Honor is then evaluated to determine the single flower representing the most outstanding judged show qualities.