Photo provided The American Regional Daffodil Show, presented by the Indiana Daffodil Society will be April 18 and 19 at Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena. The show will be 3 to 6 p.m. April 18 and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 19.
Shades of white, yellow and orange will fill the Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena as dozens of daffodil growers present their prized perennials for the American Regional Daffodil Show, presented by the Indiana Daffodil Society.
The show will be from 3 to 6 p.m. April 18 and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 19.
Organized in 1956, the Indiana Daffodil Society focuses on growing and collecting daffodils. Jeanne Lager, co-chairwoman of the daffodil show and scholarship chairwoman with the society, said they have areas where they let daffodils grow so they can dig and sell them, and proceeds then go towards scholarships.
The society tries to host regional daffodil shows once a year and includes members from Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and Michigan. Lager said they originally held the show in Indianapolis, but after feeling that they had outgrown that space, they moved to the Hamilton Center, where they have held shows for at least five years now.
“… one of the nice things about the ice rink is they keep the rooms cold. So after we get all the daffodils ready and out to be judged, because the rooms are cold, they stay looking nice,” Lager said. “We’ve really liked having it at the Hamilton.”
The main focus of this year’s show, titled “Daffodil Dreams,” will be the return of their daffodil competition that was last held in 2023. During the competition, judges will evaluate each daffodil and decide who has the best flowers throughout 13 divisions that encompass different kinds of daffodils, from trumpet daffodils to small cup to triandrus, Lager said.
“… there also is a part of the show which is what they call collections. So it might be for Division 7, you need five different daffodils from Division 7. Or you might need, I think a Quinn is this big collection and I believe it’s 24 different daffodils from different divisions,” Lager said. “That’s the one that the people, the real serious competitors and growers are looking to get some recognition from getting a prize in those collections.”
Lager said they have introduced a section in the competition this year for potted daffodils. Other sections of the competition include a youth division and historic daffodils, and winners in the competition can walk away with one of several ribbons. Lager said she suspects around 30 to 40 people will participate in the competition this year.
Saturday will also be the show’s Family Day, where kids can make crafts or have a chance to pot their own bulbs. Lager said they also give away free bouquets during the event. From the event, she hopes for the Indiana Daffodil Society to gain some new members from the show, but she also hopes people can enjoy the beauty of the flowers and possibly learn about daffodils.
“People are very used to what they see in their gardens or see as they drive by someone’s yard and there’s so much more to know about daffodils,” Lager said. “And we want to capitalize on the idea that daffodils, they come first in the spring and they’re kind of the symbol of new life and growth, renewal and I think to walk into a room full of beautiful flowers, it just does your soul good. I find it almost a spiritual experience. These flowers after being cold all winter, they have a few warm days and they pop out of the ground and bloom like crazy and they’re just so beautiful.”
