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                2025 Rock Garden Plant Show Schedule and Rules
 

Schedule
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Entries received by show committee
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Plant sale and show open to public
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Judging of exhibits

Plant Show Rules

1.  Nonmembers of the Allegheny Chapter of NARGS are encouraged to enter but will not qualify for high cumulative score monies or trophies.

2.  There are no limits on the number of entries per class.

3.  The term "rock garden plant" shall mean any plant suitable for the rock garden – be it a bog garden, shade garden, native garden, or alpine house.

4.  All plants entered for competition must be hardy to Zone 6 or lower.  

5.  All plants entered for competition must be the property of the entrant and must be in their possession for at least two months (60 days).  

6.  All plants entered for competition shall be identified on the entry card. Inaccurate identification shall not be grounds for disqualification.

7.  The judges are the final authority for awards.

8.  No exhibit shall be removed from the floor from the time of judging to the close of the show without express permission of the show chair.

9.  The Allegheny Chapter will not assume responsibility for exhibits left on the tables after the show ends. 

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Classes of Entries
A committee will be available to assist exhibitors in the proper identification and placement of their entries.
Class #1   One pan rock garden plant in flower
Class #2   One pan native plant in flower, suitable for the rock garden
Class #3   One pan primulaceae in flower, including primula and androsace
Class #4   One pan bulbous or rhizomatous plant in flower, suitable for the rock garden
Class #5   One pan succulent including sempervivum, sedum, cactus, and
crassulaceae
Class #6   One pan rock garden plant grown primarily for foliage, including hosta, saxifrage and ferns
Class #7   One pan dwarf shrub, tree, or conifer
Class #8   One bowl of cut flowers of rock garden plants, to be judged for quality, delicacy and artistic arrangement
Class #9   A trough of three or more distinct species rock garden suitable plants arranged for effect
Class #10   Miniature Garden: A trough of three or more distinct species rock garden suitable plants along with accessories arranged to create a miniature garden landscape

Class #11  Chair's Choice: One pan Chair's Choice plant grown by Allegheny Chapter member for current year's plant show. 2025 Chair's Choice plant: Iris cristata

Definition: A pan is any container; a trough is a container that simulates a stone trough.


Awards

Ribbons – 1st (blue), 2nd (red), 3rd (yellow) if merited in each class.  Honorable Mention may be given at the judges’ discretion.  More than one 1st (blue), 2nd (red), 3rd (yellow), or Honorable Mention ribbon may be given in a class depending on the specific merit of each plant.  Best in class shall be awarded to the 1st place entry judged as best within each class.

High Cumulative Scores Awards – Soergel’s gift certificates:  1st ($25), 2nd ($20), 3rd ($15).  Total is based on 5 points for 1st place ribbons, 3 points for 2nd place ribbons, and 1 point for 3rd place ribbons.  Also, 5 additional points for best in class plus an additional 5 points for best in show.

 

Specialty Awards

Best Plant in Show – Clare Williamson Award

Entry judged best in show classes 1-6.  Sponsored by Dennis James, this award is presented in honor of a former Allegheny Chapter member.  Winner will receive Best in Show ribbon, traveling trophy at Annual Awards Banquet, and $25 gift certificate. Best Fern - Len Lehman Award

Best fern entry in class 6.  Sponsored by Lyn Lang, this award is presented in honor of a former Allegheny Chapter member for his leadership, mentorship and generously shared expertise as an educator.  Winner will receive a traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

Best Primrose - Al Deurbrouck Award

Primrose judged best in class 3. Sponsored by Nancy Knauss, this award is presented in honor of a former Allegheny Chapter member for his outstanding leadership and service as chair multiple terms. Winner will receive a traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

Best Dwarf Tree, Shrub, or Conifer in Show – Connie McKeever Award

Entry judged best in class 7.  Sponsored by Judy and Jim Adams, this award is presented in honor of an Allegheny Chapter member who grew choice dwarf conifers for many years.  Winner will receive traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

Best Cut Flower Arrangement – Judy Adams/Trish Abrams Award

Entry judged best in class 8.  Sponsored by Debra Meyer, this award is presented in honor of Allegheny Chapter members for the artistic skill they have displayed and inspired in the cut flower class.  Winner will receive traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

Best Trough in Show - Audrey Rauch Award

Selected from classes 9-10.  Sponsored by Patty McGuire, this award is presented in honor of an Allegheny Chapter member who pioneered the building and planting of troughs in the tri-state area.  Winner will receive traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

Chair's Choice Award - 2025 Plant:  Iris cristata

Entry judged best in class 11, plants distributed to Allegheny Chapter members by the Chair. Winner will receive traveling trophy and $25 gift certificate.

The Daffodil and Hosta Society of Western PA Award

Sponsored by the Daffodil and Hosta Society of Western PA.  This award is given for the Best Hosta or Bulbous Plant in the Show.  Winner will receive a traveling trophy and a $25 gift certificate.

 

Awards Table - Comprised of all Best in Class awards and Specialty Awards.

 

All gift certificate awards will be given at the conclusion of the Show.  All trophies will be presented at the Allegheny Chapter’s Annual Awards Banquet. Traveling trophies will be held for one year and then passed on to the next winner.

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Photography Contest Rules

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1) An exhibitor must be an active member of the NARGS Allegheny Chapter.

2) An exhibitor may submit only one entry per class.

3) A photograph previously entered in any NARGS contest may not be entered again even with slight alterations and/or reprinting.

4) Each photograph must be the work of the exhibitor under whose name it is registered. Any editing must be the work of the exhibitor. This includes enhancement for color or clarity, removal of a part of the image, combining images, or distorting the original subject. In manipulated photographs, any added imagery must be the work of the exhibitor.

5) Photographs must be flush mounted on foam core and may not be over-matted. The overall dimension of entry must be 8”x 10”. Matte or luster finish printing is preferred. Glass and framing are not permitted. Mounting and printing may be done professionally. All photographs must be two-dimensional and printed on paper unless otherwise specified.

6) Each entry must have the entry form properly completed and affixed to the back of the photograph. The top of the photograph must be indicated. A title must be included on the entry form.

7) The photography chair will provide an entry card to be staged with each photograph. Identification of plant material on the entry card is required.

8) Printed and mounted photographs must be submitted to the photography chair by April 25.

9) Only the photography committee may reclassify an entry with the exhibitor’s permission.

10) The photography committee and/or the judges may subdivide a class that has many entries.

11) Point Scale for Judging Photography: 

Creativity 25, Composition 25, Technical Skill 20 (focus, sharpness of objects), Conformance: 20 (follows class requirements), Distinction 10 (creative, unique photo). Total 100

 

Photography Classes

Class 1 Single plant or several of one variety in bloom or not.

Class 2 Wide shot of a rock garden in a natural habitat or cultivated setting.

Class 3 Close-up of a rock garden plant in bloom.

Class 4 Container/trough with multiple plants in bloom or not.

Class 5 An artistic interpretation of any one of the above categories but with Photoshop editing.

 

Entry Form

Name

Email

Photo Title

Class

Plant Material

 

Awards

1st, 2nd, 3rd for each class, and Best in Show

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