The 2025 Gloucester Daffodil Show was held April 5 and 6 at Newington Baptist Church as a signature event of the Gloucester Daffodil Festival.
Sanctioned by the American Daffodil Society, the show included 101 exhibitors, 1,429 entries (100 of them youth entries), and 2,775 stems in Horticulture. There were also 164 photographs from 34 photographers and 24 artistic entries. Thought to be the largest daffodil show in the country this year, it was attended by exhibitors, judges, and daffodil enthusiasts from across the East Coast, said a release from the organizers.
Awards from the American Daffodil Society were as follows.
Best Standard Daffodil in Show, Peggy Bowditch; Best Seedling Exhibited by Originator, Lee McLaughlin; Best Miniature Daffodil in Show, R.C. Aumiller; Best Vase of 3 Standard Daffodils and Best Collection of Five Standard Reverse Bi-colors, Peggy Bowditch; and Best Vase of 3 Miniature Daffodils, Dianne Spence.
Ribbons went to the following: Best Intermediate, Carla and William Stanley; Best Intermediate 3-Stem, Ceci Brown; Best Historic, Kristen Oney; Best Historic 3-Stem, Eugenie Applegate; Best Classic, Anne Earman; Best Classic 3-Stem, Leigh Barth; Youth Best Bloom, Peyton Sutton; and Youth Best 3-Stem, Mick Clawson; Small Growers, William Thomas; Standard Container-Grown, Carla and William Stanley; Miniature Container-Grown, Nancy Fuchs; Historic Collection of 5 and Classic Collection of 5, Ceci Brown; Intermediate Collection of 5, Dianne Spence.
Also, Best Collection of Five Standard breeds in America, Susan Auman; Best Divisions Collection of Five Standards, Mitch and Kate Carney; Best Collection of 5 Standards in Show, Mitch and Kate Carney; Best Collection of 12 Standards from at least 4 Divisions, Nancy McLaughlin.
Also, Best Historic Collection of 12 from at least 4 Divisions, Susan Auman; Best Collection of 15 Standards from 15 Classifications, Jane and David Vaughan; Best Collection of 24 Standards from at least 5 Divisions, Jane and David Vaughan; Best Collection of Five Miniatures bred in America, Mitch and Kate Carney; 5 Miniatures in Show, Mitch and Kate Carney; Best Collection of 12 Miniatures from at least 3 Divisions, Anne Earman.
The Brooke Ager Youth Challenge went to Peyton Sutton. Anne Earman won the silver ribbon for the most blue ribbons in the show.
Tamara Priestly won the ribbon for best photograph, and Ellie Pirao the ribbon for best photograph by youth.
Winners of local awards include:
Peggy Bowditch, the Brent & Becky Heath Award and the Edward Ould III Award; Anne Earman, best reserve award and the John & Petie Matheson Award; R.C. Aumiller, Betty Barr Ould award; Eugenie Applegate, the Petie Matheson Award and Hometown Collection Award; Lee McLaughlin, Prius Hybrid (Toyota) Standard Award; Dianne Spence, the Newington Award; Mitch and Kate Carney, the Frances Moreland Lewis Award; Nancy McLaughlin, the Bronze Bulb Award; William Thomas, Ruth Ellen Edwards Hurley Award; Ceci Brown, the Elizabeth Clopton Brown Award; Amber Bridgeman, The Historic Rosewell Award; Kathy Anderson, Gloucester High School Duie Award; Tammie Spivey, Bubba White Boots Award; Tal Ambrose, Gloucester Daffodil Club Award; Peyton Sutton, Leland Coffey Bowditch Award; Mick Clawson, York River Garden Club Award.
Artistic awards were made as follows:
William Stanley, Emily Barbee Early Colonial Award, Joan Jackson best novice award and Ann H. Tunner Best in Show Award; Leslie Overton, Jean Maddy Oney reflective design award; June James, Peggy and H.B. Robins award for miniature; Tina McManus, Rachel Abbott Award (Moribana); Deborah Brooks, Kitty Martin creative mass award; Melissa Ashe, Janet Host Award for most creative, and Honorable Harvey Morgan People’s Choice Award; Deborah Brooks, the Amelia J. Thomas Award for most innovative design.
Main Street awards were given residents and businesses showcasing daffodils.
Business awards went to Best Festival Theme, Tomlinson Exterminating Services; best creative decorating using daffodils, Olivia’s in the Village; best decorated door, C.J. Kerns Real Estate; best ground planting, Martin, Ingles & Hensley; best container planting, Buoy 22; best decorated window, Gloucester Brewing Company; honorable mention, 6619 Main Street.
Residence awards, best festival theme, 6316 Main Street; best creative decoration, 6412 Main; best decorated door, 6190 Main; best ground planting, 6182 Main; best container planting and best decorated window, 6440 Main; honorable mention, 6198 Main.
This year’s show was sponsored by Liberty Live Church, and Gloucester Campus Pastor Hobie McMahan spoke at the awards presentation. The top awards were presented by 2025 Daffodil Festival Queen Emma Lynch and 2024 Little Miss Daffodil Laurielynn Holaday.