H. ‘Warwick Comet’
Hosta Show Judging
Those who participate in sanctioned Hosta Shows enjoy displaying their “perfect” hosta leaf or design.
Hosta Show judges play an important role! Read on for more information about judging and best practices.
2026 Hosta Show Events
Carmel Clay Library
Carmel, IN
Soergel Orchards, PA
Wexford, PA
Embassy Suites
Dublin, OH
Bachman’s Nursery
Minneapolis, MN
Madison Marriott South
Madison, WI
Rochester, MN
2026 Judges Clinics
The following judges’ training sessions will be held at the AHS National Convention in Dublin, OH!
June 17 — Judges Clinic I – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
(pre-registration required)
June 17 — Judges Clinic II: 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
June 18 — Judges Clinic III: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Additional clinics can be arranged by contacting Dianne Giordano, Judges Training Chair or Kathie Sisson, VP Judging and Exhibitions.
Hosta Show Judges
Please remember to send your records to the Judges Records and Training Chair so that you can stay accredited. You will notice on the judges list this year that we have not heard from quite a few of our judges. It is up to the discretion of the show judges’ chair whether they can be a part of a judging team. Please consult your judging handbook for additional information or contact the respective committee member. To order hosta show entry cards, contact Kim Larsen.
VP for Judging and Exhibitions — Kathie Sisson
Judges Training Chair — Dianne Giordano
Judges Records Chair — Sandra Bussell
Hosta Shows Chair — Kim Larson
Garden Performance Chair — Michael Greanya
Show Classification Chair — Sarah DaPra
Scroll to the end of this page to contact any of these individuals.
Hosta Show Ribbons
Ribbon company options include:
Hodges Badge Company
hodgesbadge.com
800-556-2440
(has the AHS logo on file as PA0022)
Stineman Ribbon Company
128 Ribbon Lane
South Fork, PA 15956
814-495-4686
Hosta Show Judges Handbook & Information
Judges Handbook
Download each section separately, or the entire Handbook as a single document, all of which are in PDF format.
Cover Sheets (updated May 2025)
Table Of Contents (updated May 2025)
Section I – VP Organization (updated May 2025)
Section II – Shows (updated March 2025)
Section III – Judging (updated March 2025)
Section IV – Garden Performance (updated 10-24-2020)
Complete Judge’s Handbook (updated May 2025)
Sample Hosta Show Schedule – PDF – Word DOCX(updated March 2025)
Active Judges List
Please make certain that every judge that you invite to participate in an AHS Accredited Hosta Show appears on the official list of AHS Judges for the current year.
If you believe that someone is qualified to judge, but is not listed, please contact Sandra Bussell below for verification. We have had a number of judges resign or elect to go to Emeritus status. Anyone not listed, or cleared by the Judges Records Chair, may NOT judge at your show. Failure to comply with this rule may result in your show not being accredited.
See Members Area For Current Judges Lists.
Local Societies, please contact us below with your Judges Clinic details
Classification List
We made some changes and we now offer more choices to print information for the shows.
To report problems or inaccuracies on any of the classification lists, or if you have suggestions for making improvements on next year’s list, please contact Sarah DaPra using the form at the end of this page.
(Updated January 20, 2026)
2026 Simplified Classification List (primarily used to code entry tags)
Contact Judging & Exhibitions
Select which Judging & Exhibitions person you wish to contact using the form below.
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