2026 Flower Show:
Heirlooms

Held every other year, the biennial Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show is a three-day horticultural event featuring floral and educational displays and judged floral and floral-related competitions. 

The Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show is organized into five major flower show disciplines or categories, which are referred to as divisions. The show also includes a display of Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral design. 

Classes are judged categories/competitions within a division where exhibits/entries are presented. Each class is different. In Floral Design, Photography, and Botanical Arts, exhibitors in each class are provided with the same set of guidelines and instructions to follow, props or staging items, and inspiration to interpret in their exhibits. Most Horticulture classes are individual species or categories of plants. Each class is judged separately and awards are given in each class.

An exhibit, also referred to as an entry, is a design, cutting, plant or photograph that has been entered into a class in the show.

The 2026 Flower Show will be open to the public Feb. 20-22, 2026, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The Exhibitor’s Guide includes a timetable of events leading up to the show and a map of exhibit locations within the Garden.

Buy Tickets HERE

Information about the Garden, directions, parking, and visiting hours can be found here.

Division I: Floral Design 

Six registered classes. Entries are artistic arrangements designed with flowers. 

Division II: Horticulture

Two registered classes, 39 classes that do not require registration. Entries generally fall into the categories of potted plants or cuttings from plants that are owned by exhibitors. 

Division III: Photography 

Eight registered classes. NOTE: Unlike other registered classes that are filled on a first-come basis, Photography is a juried division. Potential exhibitors register, entering photographs into a juried pool for each class. Judges then choose the finalists in each class that will be entered into competition and exhibited at the show. 

Division IV: Botanical Arts

Six registered classes. Botanical Arts entries are artistic sculptures and structures meticulously crafted from – or embellished with – dried plant materials.

Division V: Education Exhibit 

The 2026 Education Exhibit, Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Orchid Conservation: Promoting International Orchid Awareness, Education and Conservation, offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy the renowned orchid displays and collections housed at the Atlanta Botanical Garden while taking a look into the role the Garden plays in orchid preservation and conservation.

Ikebana Display

In addition to the five major divisions, the Flower Show includes a non-judged display of Ikebana designs. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Exhibitors are invited to participate by the Flower Show Committee.

You do not need to be a member of a garden club, plant society or other horticultural organization to enter the Flower Show! The Flower Show is open to all, unless specifically outlined in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Please review the class description and division guidelines for any class before entering. 

Some divisions and classes may have specific requirements for exhibitors. Both Floral Design and Photography are intended for amateur exhibitors (as defined in the registration guidelines for those divisions in the Exhibitor’s Guide) rather than professional floral designers or photographers. In addition, class descriptions will indicate those select classes that are reserved for novice exhibitors (as defined in the General Information section of the Exhibitor’s Guide.) 

Registration

Classes in the Floral Design, Botanical Arts and Photography divisions of the Flower Show, as well as 2 of the 41 classes in the Horticulture Division, accept a limited number of entries and require exhibitors to register online well in advance of the show. Registration dates can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide’s Timetable for Exhibitors. 

The show also includes 39 Horticulture classes that do not require registration. These classes can accept an unlimited number of entries in the days leading up to the Flower Show. Specific dates and times when entries into those classes will be accepted can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide’s Timetable for Exhibitors.

In Floral Design, Botanical Arts, and pre-registered Horticulture classes, registration for entries that will be entered into competition at the show is accepted on a first-come basis. Unlike other Divisions, Photography is a juried division. Potential photography exhibitors register, entering photographs into a juried pool for each class. Judges then choose the finalists in each photography class that will be entered into competition at the show. More details can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide.

Registration must be completed online and can be accessed at abgflowershow.org. Note that as of this date, all registered classes are full, but exhibitors can still enter the 39 classes in the Horticulture Division that do not require registration. 

Entering/Mailing/Delivering your Exhibit

Timing and instructions for entering, mailing or delivering your exhibit vary from division to division. Please refer to each division’s guidelines in the Exhibitor’s Guide for details. If you have registered for a class, details for entering can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Please direct specific questions to your class consultant or division chair. More information for entering the Horticulture Division can be found in the Horticulture FAQs below.

There is no fee to register to exhibit at the Flower Show. The Flower Show will provide required props for the exhibitors, but exhibitors are expected to cover any other costs associated with creating, delivering, or returning their exhibits.

Each class is judged by a panel of judges with experience and expertise in the division and discipline they are judging. Judging panels consist primarily of individuals who are approved judges in the Garden Club of America’s (GCA) rigorous judging program. Where appropriate, panels are augmented with GCA prospective judges, judges from other respectable programs, and professionals in the fields of floral design, horticulture, photography and the botanical arts.

Judges have a limited amount of time to study each design and award the placement ribbons. Judging criteria varies by division and at times by class and can be found in the judging section of each division’s guidelines in the Exhibitor’s Guide. 

Some additional thoughts related to judging the Horticulture Division can be found in the horticulture FAQs below.

Guidelines for the awards given by judges in each class vary by division and can be found in the judging section of each division’s guidelines in the Exhibitor’s Guide. 

The Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show also offers a number of Special Awards that may be given by the judging panels. Special Awards are awarded based on the criteria written for each award and are judged by separate panels of experienced judges. Details about these awards can be found in the Special Awards section of the Exhibitor’s Guide.

The People’s Choice Awards are voted on by the viewing public and awarded in all classes of the Floral Design, Photography, and Botanical Arts divisions, and Classes 24 and 39 of the Horticulture Division. Visitors can scan a QR code to vote on their smart phones during the Flower Show.

In 2024, The Garden Club of America (GCA) awarded the biennial Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show with the status of Sanctioned non-GCA Major Flower Show. 

While GCA member clubs present flower shows across the country each year, this non-GCA status is reserved for organizations such as horticultural or preservation societies whose flower shows meet set criteria and rise to the caliber of a GCA Major Flower Show. The process of earning this designation takes time, requiring GCA evaluations over three consecutive shows. 

The Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show took its first steps toward GCA sanctioning with its second show in 2020. Over the following years, the partnership among the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Cherokee and Peachtree Garden Clubs was instrumental in building a show that would meet the standards of excellence set by The Garden Club of America and broaden knowledge in the areas of horticulture, floral design, photography, botanical arts and conservation. 

The Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show now joins the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, the Newport Flower Show, and the New England Fall Flower Show as one of only four Sanctioned non-GCA Flower Shows in the country. This distinction allows the Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show to present prestigious GCA awards and elevates the show’s profile both nationally and internationally, making it an important destination for garden enthusiasts, lovers of the visual arts, floral designers, flower show judges, and exhibitors alike.

Join us for a special night of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a sneak peek at the Flower Show before it opens to the public at the Flower Show Preview Party!

MORE INFO AND TICKETS

Sponsorship levels and associated benefits can be found here. Gifts underwrite the Flower Show, ensuring it will return to Atlanta every other year, and proceeds benefit the Garden’s International Plant Explorer Program (IPEP).

Horticulture classes can be found in the show’s Exhibitor’s Guide. Classes in the horticulture division fall into the categories of:

• “cut specimens” – clippings from plants, or
• “container-grown plants” – typically potted plants or terrariums

The Flower Show Committee determines the classes that will be included in the Horticulture Division based on the time of year and region of the show to highlight categories and species of plants that are in season locally. 

Unless specifically stated in the Exhibitor’s Guide, entries must be owned and grown by the exhibitor for a minimum of three months as defined in the Timetable found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Some classes have longer ownership requirements, and ownership requirements are waived for others. Please refer to the Exhibitor’s Guide for ownership deadlines and details of each class. 

Other rules, such as the number of entries you may submit and acceptable pot sizes, can be found in the Horticulture Entry Requirements & Considerations section of the Exhibitor’s Guide.

Potted plants of exceptional merit (with the exception hanging baskets) that do not qualify for entry elsewhere in the Horticulture Division and that meet the class ownership requirements outlined in the Exhibitor’s Guide may be entered into the Par Class (Class 41). Entries in this class are judged on a “par” basis, meaning each entry is judged against the standard of perfection for that plant species, rather than against other entries in the Par Class. There is not a par class for cut specimens in this show. 

Because each class in horticulture is different, most representing specific botanical species, each is judged based on different criteria and based on its own scale of points. The following (gathered from information provided by the Philadelphia Flower Show Schedule and the Newport Flower Show) will provide a glimpse into qualities Horticulture judges may consider: 

• Cultural Perfection: Vigorous, healthy appearance including foliage, flowers or fruit, and form characteristic of a well-grown plant. There should be no indication of pests or disease.
• Distinctiveness: Meritorious in aesthetic appeal; noteworthy in size and relationship to container.
• Bloom: Quality and quantity of bloom, including freshness and substance; mass effect if appropriate to the class.
• Fruit: Quality and abundance of fruit, if appropriate to the class, including color and mass effect.
• Difficulty: Challenging to grow (and bring to bloom, if applicable to the class); requiring specialized growing conditions, skill, and care.
• Maturity: Size of plant and foliage characteristic of a mature specimen.
• Rarity: Seldom grown and exhibited by amateur horticultural enthusiasts.
• Form: Shape that is the true or characteristic form of a flower or plant.
• Symmetry: Beauty due to a balanced proportion of parts on a flower or plant.

Before choosing your entries, refer to the Exhibitor’s Guide to make sure your plants and cuttings fall into one of the classes offered in the show and to understand specific requirements regarding length of ownership, pot type and size, etc.. You can find more information in the “What plants can I enter in the Horticulture Division” section of these FAQs.

The following suggestions are inspired by two helpful blog posts from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and New England Fall Flower Show… The full blog posts can be found here and here.

Choosing Cut Specimens to Enter

• Select and mark the potential flowers, leaves or branches you are planning to enter in the show 24–48 hours before cutting. (Note: you should cut your specimens as near as possible to show entry date, ideally the morning of entry or late in the day before.)

• Choose your best specimens in each class, plus a few backups, just in case. Check them for insects, disease, or damage.

Cutting and Preparing Cut Specimens 

• Cut your stems in the early morning the day of entry after dew dries; if it is cooler, you may choose to cut at sundown the day before when plants retain more moisture as their stomata will be closed.
• Use a sharp pair of scissors or a knife.
• Take as much stem as possible at first cut. You can trim it at entry to fit the display container. 
• Cut at an angle so stems can absorb water. Remove any leaves below the water line to prevent bacteria from forming. 
• Place cuttings immediately in lukewarm water.
• Check cuttings again for insects, disease, or damage.
• If you cut your entries in the days before the show, change the water every 24 hours until the show drop off. Conditioning your plants in this way will greatly increase their appearance during the show.
• Place your plant material in a cool dark location. Be cautious about putting them into a refrigerator as it can be too cold and damage your plant material. 
• Begin grooming and fill out your Entry Card at home if you can. Time and tools will be available for both at entry, but we suggest doing some preparation before arriving at the Garden to avoid stress at entry.
• For transport, separate your entries and put them in individual vessels. Use heavy cardboard boxes with separators, drink carriers, or other containers with padding (such as newspaper, plastic bags or bubble wrap) between individual vessels to keep specimens from bumping, toppling, or breaking.

Choosing Potted Plants to Enter

• Begin assessing your container-grown plants several weeks prior to the entry date. Identify specimens within your collection that are rare, exhibit exemplary form, or demonstrate significant size and maturity.
• Carefully inspect each plant for signs of insect infestation and ensure any necessary treatments are administered well in advance of the exhibition. 

Preparing Potted Plants

• Wash the foliage gently by running it lightly under water or finely misting it with a water bottle.
• Determine whether selective pruning would enhance the plant’s appearance; if so, carefully do so, removing any dead or discolored stems or leaves. Consider completing all grooming procedures well before the event to allow adequate healing time. 
• Remove any outdated top dressing covering the soil, and ensure you have fresh material available. Choose a top dressing that is neat, clean and compatible. It is best to apply the new top dressing after the plant has arrived at the show, however if you choose to do this at home, bring a ziplock bag with additional topdressing to ensure you have replacement if needed. 
• Check your pots for overall appearance, and review the show rules to ensure they meet requirements as outlined in the Exhibitor’s Guide (for example, terracotta pots are required, double potting is permitted, and there are pot size limitations.) You will want to avoid using damaged, unstable, dirty, or broken containers. 
• Clean any dirt or debris off the outside of the pot with a magic eraser and warm water. Carefully clean the inside of the pot with water around the base of the plant. 
• If plants need repotting, complete this process as early as possible to allow them sufficient time to acclimate.
• Consider placing your potential entries in a location where they can be observed regularly in the weeks leading up to the show. This practice allows for timely identification and correction of any flaws before presentation.
• Protect your plants from damage until entry day when you’ll do a final cleanup. 
• Print and complete your Entry Card at home if you can. Entry Cards along with helpful resources for completing them will be available at entry, but we suggest completing as much as you can before arriving at the Garden to avoid stress at entry.
• Prepare your entries for travel by placing them in your car surrounded by sandbags or in a heavy box padded with newspaper to keep them from bumping, breaking or toppling over. 

Every horticulture entry requires a Horticulture Entry Card, which outlines information about the entry and exhibitor necessary for identification and judging. Instructions for completing the Entry Card can be found here. We recommend filling out as much of your Entry Card as possible in advance of entry. Entry cards will also be available at the Show.

Entries in Propagation Classes or exhibits that include a rooted entry propagated by the exhibitor require a Propagation Card that indicates the plant species and method used to propagate the entry. If a class requires a Propagation Card, it will be noted in the class description found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Instructions for completing the Propagation Card can also be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Propagation Cards will also be available at the Show. 

Key Cards are necessary to identify plant material for entries that include multiple species or cultivars. If a Key Card is required, it will be noted in the class description found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. Key Cards are designed by the exhibitor, and instructions for creating a Key Card can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide. 

Horticulture entry takes place at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Wednesday, February 18 from noon – 4 p.m. and Thursday, February 19 from 7-8 a.m. Please refer to the Exhibitor’s Guide (Horticulture Guidelines and the Flower Show Map) for entry instructions, directions and maps.

When you arrive at the passing venue, a team of volunteers and experts will greet you, ready to help you unload and guide you through the entry process.

While we recommend exhibitors print and complete Entry Card(s) before arriving, we will have blank Entry Cards and experts onsite who can assist with plant identification and answer other questions you may have regarding filling out Entry Cards.

Grooming

Grooming is the process of preparing your entry to be exhibited and judged. It includes removing any dirt, spray residue, disease or insects; removing or artfully concealing dead or damaged leaves or petals; choosing a container (for cut specimens); supplying water to your exhibits; and arranging and securing your entry for display.

• Grooming should not alter the typical features of the plants or flowers. Leaf Shine and other commercial foliage enhancers are not permitted. 
• The show will provide you with the space and materials necessary to groom your entry, including water, containers and materials to secure your cut specimen entry in place, and items like scissors, brushes, tweezers and other supplies needed to prepare your entry. 
• Beginning the grooming process at home can eliminate stress at entry. You can prepare your entry by brushing off soil, dust, or pollen with a small paint brush or make-up brush; cleaning leaves gently with water and a soft cloth; trimming away damaged leaves and any unnecessary plant material; and discreetly removing excess material with an X-Acto knife. 
• For cut specimens only:
  • At entry you will choose a container for each cut specimen you will exhibit. The show provides accepted bottles and vessels of similar styles in different sizes and shapes so you can choose one that compliments the shape and scale of your specimen. Different plants have different postures but in general a stemmed plant, like a daffodil, needs to stand tall with its face forward. A woody stem needs to be set securely in the bottle, not top heavy, and within the height parameters of the Class. 
  • Once you have chosen a container, you will fill it with water, give your stem a fresh cut and gently place it in the bottle making sure any stem is at least 2” below the water surface.
  • Next, you will secure the stem with the wedging material provided by the Show. Wedging secures the plant into position for the best viewing by the judges.
  • Finally, trim the wedging material to make it look unobtrusive. We will have manicure scissors available at entry for your use.

Passing

Passing is your final step in the entry process. Passers check to make sure exhibits are of show quality, properly groomed, pest- and disease-free, are in appropriate containers, meet class specifications, and are labeled correctly. With your completed entry card, you will take your groomed entry to the passing station. Remember, passers are your friends! They want to see you succeed and ensure that all exhibits are presented optimally for judging and viewing. 

Your passer will review your entry and entry card, ask questions, recommend adjustments, and point out any issues you must resolve with your entry or entry card before the entry can be accepted. If changes are necessary, you will take your entry back to the staging and grooming areas and resolve any issues before returning to the passer. When this process is complete and your exhibit is ready for the show floor, the passer will accept your exhibit, and you will exit the entry area. 

After exhibits are passed, the Flower Show Committee and volunteers will display them on the show floor. You are not permitted to touch or adjust an exhibit after it has been passed. The next time you see your exhibit(s) will be on the show floor after judging.

Yes! Options and instructions for retrieving your entry or for arranging for your entry to be returned can be found in the Exhibitor’s Guide.