2018 American Peony Society Convention Banquet

2018 APS Banquet Coffee & Dessert
Lemon Blueberry Bars
The best thing about the American Peony Society Banquet this year? Dessert! We had scrumptious bars of lemon, blueberry (and maybe cream cheese?) for dessert this year, and they were delicious! I (unfortunately) had to help myself to two of them! Yum! Dinner was tasty as well with salmon, beef, green leaf salad, fingerling potatoes, rice with onions, and baby broccoli. It seemed everyone enjoyed the meal (and dessert) while we listened in on the annual APS Member Meeting. Our outgoing President, Scott Parker, conducted the meeting. Several new APS Directors were nominated and elected. The results of the APS Flower Exhibtion were announced, and all of the rosette ribbons were presented to each recipient in person.
2018 APS Banquet Buffet

Adelman Peony Gardens
Wins 2018 APS Sweepstakes Award
Jim and Carol Adelman of Adelman Peony Gardens won the 2018 APS Sweepstakes Award this year, which is awarded to the entrant with the most blue ribbons in the entire show. They won 29 blue 1st Place Ribbons. They also earned rosettes for Reserve Champion (blue/light blue ribbon) for Peony 'Old Faithful', Allan Rogers Memorial Award (red/white ribbon), Best Intersectional Award (yellow/white ribbon), and the Ben Gowen Memorial Award (green/light green ribbon). I'd love to see their award wall after they've finished framing all of their ribbons! Therese Sprauer of Brooks Gardens won the Grand Champion rosette ribbon for 2018 Peony 'Lavon' APS 2018 Best in Show.

APS Rosette Ribbons More than a Handful!	Jim & Carol Adelman Look Very Happy!

Scott Parker, APS President, Looks on as Carol Adelman
Presents Linette Sorrentino
with the Bertrand H. Farr Lifetime Achievement Award
Another great personal award was presented during the APS Banquet to Linette Sorrentino for her "years of unmatched and exemplary" service to the APS especially in the areas of "floral exhibitions, fund raising, educational programs and workshops, ... mentorship of new members, and her promotion of Paeonia". Linette seemed very surprised and emotionally touched when her award was announced, even sharing a hug with the presenter, Carol Adelman. What a sweet moment!
Carol and Linette Share a Hug

Carol Reads the Inscription
of the Lifetime Achievement Award

2018 American Peony Society Judges Select Court of Honor and Best In Show

APS Judges Select Grand Champion / Best In Show

American Peony Society 2018 Court of Honor
After what probably seems like forever for all of the APS Members and members of the public patiently waiting outside the Exhibition room, the judges finalize their class decisions, everything is recorded, and the final judging to select the American Peony Society 2018 Exhibition Court of Honor is completed. All of the hard work from all of the show participants, volunteers, and Exhibition Co-Chairs - the transportation of flowers to the show, the prepping and tagging of peony specimens, the classifying of flowers, the judging of each class, the recording of awardees, and the placement of ribbons - is finally realized, resulting in the Court of Honor. The whole thing is like a symphony with the Exhibition Co-Chairs, David and Linette, serving as the conductors. The exhibitors, volunteers, and judges are the musicians who carefully play their instruments, the peonies. The Exhibition Chairs skillfully conduct this floral symphony, which each phase of the exhibition carefully played as if a movement in a sonata. When the flower show opens, we have reached the finale! The doors of the Exhibition Room are thrown open, and everyone is invited inside to find out who's won, to see what curious new peonies on the entry tables pique their interest, and chat with all of the fellow peony enthusiasts about our favorite flower!
Photo Collage
American Peony Society 2018
Reserve Champion, Grand Champion, Best Novice

Peony 'Pastelegance' Best White / Blush / Yellow Hybrid	Peony 'Theresa Ann' Best Pink Lutea Hybrd	Peony 'Sonoma YeDo' Best Intersectional Best Yellow / Yellow Blend Intersectional
Peony 'Marchioness' Best Yellow Lutea Hybrid	Peony 'Kansas' Best Red Lactiflora	Peony 'Bowl of Cream' Best White Lactiflora
Peony 'Class Act' Best Blush Lactiflora	Peony 'Angel Choir' Best White Suffruticosa	Peony 'Ezra Pound' Best Pink Suffruticosa
Peony 'Raspberry Charm' Best Pink / Coral Hybrid
Peony 'Old Faithful' Reserve Champion Best Red Hybrid	Peony 'Lavon' Best In Show Grand Champion Best Pink Lactiflora	Peony 'Boreas' Best Novice Best Red Lutea Hybrid

2018 Southern Peony Ribbons Won at Last Year's 2017 APS Convention

While I actually won more ribbons last year at the 2017 APS Convention, I'm pretty sure I didn't do as well as my first time showing 2 years prior, 2015 American Peony Society Southern Peony Winners. I actually received more ribbons total in 2017 (25 ribbons), but the peony flowers themselves just weren't as good as they were in 2015 (18 ribbons). The flowers were smaller and the petals on several of the varieties were krinkled. My garden had a rough year last year, weather wise. Plus the APS flower show was 2 weeks later in May in 2017 than it was in 2015. That's 2 more weeks for my flowers to sit in the refrigerator (which is not a professional flower cooler). Aside from all of that, I actually won a Court of Honor ribbon in 2015, 2015 APS Southern Peony Court of Honor Winner - 'Keiko'. However none of my show flowers from 2017 seemed to be of that caliber. I was basically trying to get as many varieties into the show as I could for the public to see.

Peony 'Sonoma Amethyst' First Award	Peony 'Little Darlin'' Honorable Mention	Peony 'Julia Rose' First Award
Peony 'Yellow Emperor' First Award	Peony 'Cora Louise' First Award	Peony 'Cora Louise' Honorable Mention
Peony 'White Emperor' Honorable Mention	Peony 'Canary Brilliants' Second Award	Peony 'Canary Brilliants' Honorable Mention
Peony 'Bartzella' Third Award	Peony 'Takara' Second Award	Peony 'Keiko' Third Award
Peony 'Many Happy Returns' First Award	Peony 'Coral Charm' Honorable Mention	Peony 'Topeka Garnet' First Award
Peony 'Top Hat' First Award	Peony 'Angel Cheeks' First Award	Peony 'Topeka Garnet' Second Award
Peony 'Candy Stripe' Second Award	Peony 'Paul M. Wild' Honorable Mention	Peony 'Raspberry Clown' Third Award
Peony 'Raspberry Clown' Second Award	Peony 'Bowl of Cream' Third Award	Peony 'Festiva Maxima' Second Award

Also there are 24 flowers pictured here that were awarded some sort of ribbon. I won 25 ribbons, so apparently I missed photographing one more peony bloom entry. It was a 2nd place ribbon for another entry of Peony 'Many Happy Returns'. As for the counts on the ribbon types, in 2017 there were 8 First Place, 4 Second Place, 3 Third Place, and 6 Honorable Mentions. In 2015 I earned 4 First Place, 9 Second Place, 3 Third Place, and 2 Honorable Mentions. So they really gave out many more Honorable Mentions in 2017. I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to show flowers again. It looks like they may not have a convention within driving distance for me for several years...

Looking over the photos of all of the peonies I entered in 2017, Peony 'Yellow Emperor', Peony 'Canary Brilliants', Peony 'Many Happy Returns', Peony 'Top Hat', Peony 'Angel Cheeks', and Peony 'Bowl of Cream' are my favorites. There's just something about a nice, round, symmetrical peony you just can't beat. Which ones are your favorites?