London Plant and Potato Fair Feb 20 - 21

[Diane Whitehead]

The Daffodil, Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook includes a notice of this show.

I think it is bizarre.  I attended one of the London RHS shows about 1999 -
it had wonderful displays of snowdrops.  When did they start displaying
potatoes?  Or do they show a different vegetable each year?

Diane Whitehead
Canada

[Susan Band]

I won't think potatoes would be looking their best in February 

[Maggi Young]

 From the website of the British Society of Soil Science  : http://www.soils.org.uk/rhs-london-plant-potato-fair-2015

" The Society has been invited to be a Special Exhibitor at the RHS London Plant and Potato Fair at Vincent Square, London on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2015.
The show is in two halls. The RHS Lawrence Hall will play host to a wealth of early spring plants, advice and inspiration, exhibited by some of the UK’s best nurserymen and growers, with an abundance of bulbs and plants to buy. The RHS Lindley Hall will celebrate the majesty of potatoes… and more! Visitors can learn about the many different varieties of potatoes, as well as compost, soil science and creatures that live in the soil, and buy a massive variety of seed potatoes and onion sets, mushrooms, root veg etc. "


Full  calendar for RHS  London Shows : http://84.22.166.235/shows-events/PDF/RHS-London-shows/Shows-Calendar-2015


    RHS London Plant and Potato Fair - 20–21 February 2015
    RHS London Botanical Art Show - 27–28 February 2015
    European Orchid Show and Conference - 9–12 April 2015
    RHS Great London Plant Fair - 14–15 April 2015
    RHS London Alpine Garden Show 26 April 2015
    RHS London Rose Show - 29–30 May 2015
    RHS London Harvest Festival Show - 6–7 October 2015
    RHS London Shades of Autumn Show - 23–24 October 2015

[johnw]

I very much doubt we will attend the February Potatoe Fair in lieu of the former Snowdrop show.

johnw

[Alan_b]

For the last few years this has been the Plant and Design Fair with 'Design' in the second hall and not, I suspect, attracting a great deal of interest.  So now the RHS has swapped 'Design' for 'Potatoes'.  I would say this is a step in the right direction.  No reason to suspect that there won't also be snowdrops on display as usual (as the quote given by Maggi indicates) except insofar as the change to a Friday/Saturday timing is less convenient for some of the snowdrop nurseries that exhibit.

[Steve Garvie]

Swapping design for tatties.
Aye, that should pull in the great British public. 

'Ave they got any chips? 

[chasw]

Oooooh jacket potatoes for lunch then   

[brianw]

Chips and jackets might not be so far out. At recent shows there have been odd food and drink stalls amongst the fruit, veg and plant and design stands.

[Maggi Young]

The RHS' "Secret Sunday" events in London seem to have quite a concentration on food - judging by the way the RHS has been promoting them on Twitter, anyway.

[Jon Evans]

I have posted some photos from this show, focusing on the plant rather than the potato related displays, in the discussion forum on the AGS website.

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/discussion/atshows/RHS+Plant+and+Potato+Fair+/19856/

[Matt T]

Such attention to detail on Avon Bulbs' stand - nice groupings, the moss, scattered leaves very naturalistic. Shame they feel they can't go on, but it clearly requires a lot of work.

[Maggi Young]

I have posted some photos from this show, focusing on the plant rather than the potato related displays, in the discussion forum on the AGS website.

   I don't suppose you found it a huge sacrifice not to picture the spuds, Jon?

[Jon Evans]

For me, once you have seen one spud, you have seen them all.  I only went into Spud Hall to look for coloured plant labels (to mark the ones I need to repot), but although not as busy as the plant hall, there were quite a lot of people there, and they were listening to lectures and eating spud pie.  So from the RHS point of view, with a remit to address and support all types of gardening, maybe there was some sense to this.  It would be a shame if it had to be at the expense of the snowdrops which used to make the February show so glorious though.