Dutchess County Fair Amateur Cut Flower Competition

The Amateur Cut Flower Competition at the Dutchess County Fair is Back! Add a Ribbon or Two to Your Prized Flowers.

Thanks to volunteers Judy and Mike Derario, the Dutchess County Fair Amateur Cut Flower Competition will be taking place this August. Entering is easy, and competing with other flower enthusiasts is fun! And you don’t have to be from Dutchess County to enter! The Amateur Cut Flower has two competitions, one on Tuesday, August 19th and the other on Friday, August 22, 2025. Children & adults can enter. Have an old boot or wondering what to do with an empty plastic milk of water gallon? Then the recycled competition is for you! For the list of categories, check out the List of Competitions.  Or go to the Dutchess County Fair website, under “Get Involved” and “Exhibitors and Competitions’. Then click the ‘enter online’ button. Entries open June 23, 2025.

New for 2025:

Tuesday

• Rose Hybrid Tea – one bloom, any color
• Old Fashioned Flower Collection – I asked Judy, “What is old-fashioned?” She replied, “Perfect flowers in a nice display.”
• Houseplant – any succulent

Friday

• Houseplant – any green foliage
• Traditional Flower Collection in a Mason Jar (perfect flowers in a nice display)
• Rose – Floribunda – 1 spray, any color

Entering the cut flower competition has been a family tradition, starting with my daughter Becky when she was fourteen years old. Her daughter Priya took over when she turned fourteen. Our family gets together one evening to plant the seeds for the garden, then in June we plant, then we all pitch in to pick and label the contenders. Here are tips from our family to you:

Choosing the Flowers – General Tips

• Follow competition guidelines set forth by the fair.
• Perfection is key. Choose flowers that are in excellent condition. We even look at the underside of the blossom. Petals should be unblemished and foliage healthy and blooms well formed and visually appealing. If instructions say three stems, choose flowers that are close in size.
• Cut flowers at the peak of maturity for show purposes. Cut the stems with a clean, angled cut, longer than what you’ll be entering, as you will cut again before placing in a vase at the fair. An angled cut encourages the uptake of more water for hydration. Strip all leaves from the bottom half to two-thirds of each stem to prevent rotting in the water.
• Look for any insect or mechanical damage. Spent flowers or damaged leaves should be removed as inconspicuously as possible.
• Place prepared stems in a container of cool water immediately after cutting and leave in a cool place two to three hours to allow the flowers to drink before bring brought into a warmer environment.
• If possible, pick an extra stem or spray in case of physical damage during transit. Too many extra stems will result in frustration and extra work.

Image: Here I am, prepping flowers.

Zinnias

• Remove flower buds. This was a comment made by the judges on Becky’s entries when she first started competing. There are three zinnia categories – Baby or Pom Pom, Under 2”, and Over 3”. Display the same color and look for flowers that are at their peak and similar in size. When picking we all carry rulers in our pockets. There is also “Collection of Zinnias,” so we keep that one in mine when picking.

Image: Zinnias in cups with water the day before competition

Gladiolas

Arthur Tiedemann, former superintendent of the Horticulture Show grows lots of gladiolas and has great advice on picking for the fair.

• The stem must be 20-21” from the bottom flower. Pick a little longer as you’ll do another angled cut when you get to the fair. You’re allowed to take off one spent or bad flower.
  If your gladiola has 20 buds, your entry should have 4 to 5 open flowers.
• If only two flowers are open, pick the gladiola the night before and place in pretty warm water overnight, and the buds should open.
• Gladiolas are displayed in big green bottles provided by the fair.

Image: Becky’s daughter Ambika with her winning gladiola, and she grew only 12

Dahlias

• You can pull off undesirable petals as long as your grooming is inconspicuous.
• Make sure there are no bugs.
• Choose bottles with a small neck so that your entry will look its best. You can use a wood block to anchor the stem so that it’ll stay straight and shine against the completion.

Potted Pepper

• Don’t bother cheating. Judges will disqualify your entry if it hasn’t been grown in a terracotta pot for at least six weeks. Same for any entry that is to be grown in a pot. Believe us, judges notice.

Coleus

Advice from the Coleus Champion (Becky)

• Pinch the plants back on a regular basis so that the stems’ growth is even.
• Always remove the flowers to promote healthier leaf growth and to maintain the plant’s vibrant color. Blooms can draw energy away from the leaves, making them look less vibrant and full.
• Fertilize regularly.

Image: Becky prepping her coleus at the fair. She’s removing unbecoming leaves – very carefully.

What to Bring with You to the Fair

• Clippers
• Ruler
• Pen
• Rubber bands (the fair provides them, but Priya and I like the ones we choose better)
• A check or cash to pay for your entries
• Optional: celery to use as a wedge to make your flowers stand up straight. A little more flexible than the wooden blocks provided by the fair.

Grooming Your Entries

• Do not show plants with damaged or spent flowers. Those should be removed inconspicuously as possible, or trimmed if removal would destroy the symmetry. Trimming should follow the natural line of the leaf.
  There should be no dirt, pollen or spray on the leaves.
• Specimens should be free of evidence of pests and diseases.

Packing for the Fair

• We check off flowers on the form as they’re packed. We use large plastic cups for most of the entries, but some which are taller are put into jars or vases. Collections of flowers are arranged ahead of time and packed carefully.
• Large entries like coleus are packed carefully so the plant doesn’t move or fall over during transit.

Image: Top photo is of flowers in the van. Bottom photo shows flowers packed in a plastic storage bin.

Exhibiting at the Fair

• First time and nervous? Don’t be! Volunteers are on hand to help. And veterans are available to answer questions.
• Pick up your packet of forms that will be attached to your entries.
• Gather the vases you think you’ll need and grab a spot at a table.
• Choose the flowers (if you’ve brought extra, you’ll select the best).
• Use clippers to make a new angled cut and be sure the stem is visibly submerged in water. There should be no foliage below the water line.
• The flower or plant should be properly labeled.
• Categories showing where your entries go are clearly marked, but there are volunteers on hand to help place them.

Registering to Enter the Amateur Cut Flower Competition

• You must register three days before the completion. Day of entries will not be accepted. Deadline for Tuesday is August 16, 2025. Deadline for Friday is August 20, 2025.
• You don’t pay until the day of entry, so it’s okay to have extra entries. Remember – you can’t add a class on the day of, but you can switch from one class to another. Enter all the classes you have flowers for. For example, if you think you might have a sunflower ready for the fair, go ahead and register it. If the flower doesn’t make it, you can just cross that one off your entry list. If you can, list the flower variety in the description area so that this will print on your entry tag for judging.
• Vases will be provided unless otherwise noted in the class description.

Check in Dates & Times, Upstairs in the Horticulture Building

• Tuesday competition – entries are to be brought on Monday, 08/18/25 between 5 pm and 7 pm. Enter through the Parsonage St. Gate, drive to the Horticulture Building. Please don’t block vendors setting up or the barns.
• Friday competition – entries are to be brought on Friday, 08/22/25 between 7 am and 9 am. Park in the Well Lot Gate 4, entering through the Main Gate.

Picking up Entries after the Competitions

• Cut flowers will not be kept. Potted containers can be picked up on Thursday evening, after 7 pm or on Friday morning when new entries are brought.
• Potted containers from Friday’s completion can be picked up on Sunday after 7 pm.

Winning Entries, Ribbons

Ribbons will not be mailed. But you will receive a check for winning entries. Ribbons can be picked up at the desk in the Horticulture Building during the fair or at the Administration Office after the fair.

Boost about your winning flowers!

• Take pictures, and post everywhere!

After you’ve checked your entries for ribbons:

• Go downstairs and vote on new flowers that are being introduced for 2026!