She's alright by me - Lily Judging School

Yesterday was part one and two of judge's training here in Minneapolis, scheduled by the North Star Lily Society. A dastardly cold and windy day, and snowy to the east. The two students from Wisconsin were not able to make it due to the weather. We were fortunate to have several of our already accredited judges attend. They added valuable information to the discussions from different perspectives that no one teacher could provide.

Our instructor was NALS Director and Classification/RHS Liason Dr. Kathy Anderson. Someone said she was 80 years old, which she could be, but very spry for that age and quick as ever.

Previously, we were given a 90 page booklet, Showing Lilies: A handbook for Judges and Exhibitors, to read as training preparation. The day (8-4:30pm) was spent expounding on the principles therein. There was much comaraderie, as we all had interests in common, and the time went quickly.

A few notable facts:
- How a cultivar is registered does not necessarily determine how it is classified at a show.
- Seedlings (crosses) are judged completely different than cultivars and species.
- Although there is a general schedule of Divisions/Sections/Classes/etc., not all lily shows need represent them all, and some categories may be further subdivided, according to the show's needs.

Of course, there were plenty of tangential subjects that came up in passing. Of interest were:
- There are 3 basic strains of Tiger Babies out there.
- There are 3 basic strains of Viva out there.
- Lilium canadense can/should be planted only an inch under the soil, as it does not produce stem roots. I suspect this is also dependent on the microclimate.

An interesting question was put forth by a student, about the "windows" between the petals at the base of a Lilium philadelphicum flower http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/51991/. She wondered how a judge would tend to grade that trait in a hybrid. Dr. Anderson said that most probably it would be looked at as a fault.
"But I think those spaces between the petals are so cool!," the student said. Both she and I were disappointed, since we tend to prefer species lilies.
Dr. Anderson replied that there are plenty of things that make the many species unique, and that this is one that makes Lilium philadelphicum cool. Everyone chuckled in agreement, as the word "cool" came out of such a wise and learned lady.

"Right on!," I exclaimed, and thinking to myself - she's alright by me.