Horticulture Division
Rules and Guidelines

Entering is easy and everyone is welcome! You do not have to be a member of a garden club or any horticultural organization. There are horticulture classes for all levels of gardener, from the weekend dabbler to the experienced horticulturist. Bring your favorite plant, your prettiest cut specimen, or plant something completely new, inspired by this year’s horticulture classes.

Each entrant to the Horticulture Division must complete one horticulture registration card plus an entry card for each container or cut specimen entered. To arrange to pick up cards in advance of the show, please email events@newportmansions.org before June 10, 2023.

On entry days, registration and entry cards will be available at the passing tables at Marble House, 596 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI. We encourage you to complete registration and entry cards in advance if possible. Completed cards should be taken to the Registration tables, where horticulture registration cards will be reviewed and marked with an “R” for “registered.”

After registering, please visit the grooming station in the passing area for a final review of your entry before proceeding to the appropriate passing table for your class number. For cut specimens, choose an appropriate vase provided by The Newport Flower Show. At the passing table, your entry will be reviewed and each entry card will be marked with a “P” for “passed.” And you’re done! Entries will then be staged in The Newport Flower Show.

Please note, entries may not be entered under a commercial or business name. Entries may be made under an estate name.

1. Entries in Divisions II: Potted Plants must have been owned and/or grown by the exhibitor for a minimum of three months before The Newport Flower Show and must be of show quality and free of all pests and diseases.

2. Entries in Division I: Creative Mixed Planters will be judged on horticultural and artistic merit, as well as interpretation of the stated theme. Entries in Divisions ll & lll will be judged on horticultural excellence only, except where stated.

3. The standard ribbons will be (1) blue awarded for first place, (1) red awarded for second place, and (1) yellow awarded for third place. White will be awarded for honorable mention. In classes where entries are exceptionally competitive, more than (1) red and/or yellow ribbon may be awarded at the discretion of the judges.

4. There is no limit as to how many different classes each exhibitor may enter – only one entry per class.

5. 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 recommended resources.

6. A photo key card is required for entries in Division I.

7. After your entry is passed, maintenance of the entry becomes the responsibility of The Newport Flower Show Committee. You may groom and/or water your entries only before they have been passed.

8. Wild-collected plants of endangered species are strictly forbidden, as are invasive plants. For a list of Rhode Island invasive plants, please visit https://riwps.org/invasives-plants

9. Entries must be well-balanced, sturdy and able to withstand inclement weather conditions.

10. Entries that exceed 100 lbs., or that cannot be lifted easily by two people, will not be accepted.

11. Containers must be clean and proportionate to their planting. In Division II: Potted Plants, terracotta or clay-colored pots are preferred but not required.

12. Pot size is measured as the longest inside dimension across the top of the pot; rectangular pots will be measured on the diagonal.

13. Disguised, double-potting is permitted. The interior pot is the one that will be measured, if necessary.

14. No dried, color-treated or artificial plant material is permitted, except for dried moss used to disguise double-potting.

15. Cut stems are not allowed in container entries.

16. The Newport Flower Show Committee may divide, subdivide, remove or combine classes at its discretion.

17. Horticulture Division entries and ribbons must be picked up between 5 pm and 6 pm on Sunday, June 25, 2023. After this pick-up period, The Newport Flower Show Committee is not responsible for entries left unattended.

18. Exhibitors are required to present an Exhibitor’s Receipt to retrieve container entries in The Newport Flower Show. Exhibitors will receive a receipt for each container entry passed.

19. Hanging planters are not allowed.

20. In Division III: Cut Specimens, your entry should be a single stem per vase, with attached foliage above the water line. No loose, accessory foliage is permitted.

21. Accessories are classified by The Newport Flower Show as non-essential decorative items, such as props. Necessary support structures and natural mulches are not considered accessories.

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.