Yard and Garden – 09-04-2010- Ted Griess/ Extension Horticulture Assistant

Last week I experienced a red-letter day. On Thursday, August 26, 2010, I had the privilege and honor to judge 4-H floriculture exhibits at the Nebraska State Fair. In past years, I’ve often assisted with judging, but never was I asked to be an official judge.

While driving to Grand Island, Nebraska, I thought of all the firsts that were about to take place. Here was my first opportunity to be an official judge at the first Nebraska State Fair held in Grand Island and the first time exhibits would be on display in the beautiful new 4H-FFA exhibit building.

Upon my arrival, the horticulture fair superintendent greeted me and quickly directed me to an area in this huge, bright, air-conditioned building to begin judging. Hundreds of and exhibits were arriving by the minute. I was assigned to judge the cut . Never had I seen so many vases of beautiful annual and perennial flowers in one place.

It did not take long to become deeply engrossed in my work. My confidence was bolstered as I carefully examined each exhibit determining whether it deserved a white, red, blue or purple ribbon. The Nebraska State Fair flower rulebook lists entries as either annuals or perennials. No matter which, a flower exhibit must meet certain criteria such as condition, uniformity, symmetry, substance, form, and color. Entrants must also list the correct name in order to achieve the highest placing.

All was going well, but then it happened. For a brief moment, I was in a state of confusion at the state fair. Bewilderment hit when I began judging a perennial group listed in the fair book as /Black-eyed Susan.

Rudbeckia is a group of flowers with the same name native to the United States. It includes twenty plus and countless varieties and hybrid . Individual flowers in this group appear daisy-like in shape with yellow to golden petals surrounding a dark center. Commonly, they are referred to as Black-eyed Susans. Some Rudbeckia are annuals, some are biennials and others are perennials. All are relatively drought tolerant and disease resistant. The plants grow from two to five feet tall depending on the variety. They require little maintenance. make great cut flowers, and they multiply rapidly. Most attract butterflies. Three species are frequently found growing in Nebraska.

One very popular perennial is ‘Goldsturm’. Goldsturm makes a bushy, upright profusely displaying two-inch golden flowers with black centers that bloom from midsummer through fall. It is a great choice for mass planting, and in 1999 was named the of the year.

Rudbeckia hirta commonly referred to as Gloriosa Daisy is another popular flower. Numerous hybrid cultivars of this species exist with names such as Irish Eyes, Prairie Sun and Cherokee Sunset. The flowers of Gloriosa are generally large, some reaching six inches in diameter. The center of this flower may be brown, red, or even green, surrounded by single or double rows of petals in shades of yellow, gold and mahogany. Gloriosa can be an annual, biennial, but yet is often classified as a short-lived perennial.

The third species is . Long ago, while helping my mother in her flowerbeds, I learned this one as Brown-eyed Susan. Triloba is a biennial that frequently grows wild in thickets and road ditches. It is multi- branched, producing multitudes of smaller, one-inch flowers. It reseeds readily, and the seeds of triloba are a favorite food source for many birds.

Therefore, placed before me were two to three dozen vases of Rudbeckia; however, not all were perennials; some were annuals, some biennials and not all were Black-eyed Susans― some were Brown-eyed Susans. How was I to judge them? What should I do?

I quickly consulted with the floriculture superintendent and the three other flower judges. We agreed that all specimens were Rudbeckias. The consensus was to judge each flower exhibit on its own merit and not whether it was labeled an annual, biennial, perennial, Gloriosa, or even Black-eyed or Brown-eyed Susan. Whew….. problem solved!

August 26, 2010, truly was a red-letter day for me. The good news — next year I will experience another. Before leaving, the superintendent asked me to return in 2011 to judge again!