Newcastle - Ponteland SRGC/AGS Show 11th October 2014

[Maggi Young]

Lovely picture of Rannveig and Bob Wallis which has been "Tweeted" by Don Peace  -

[ChrisB]

Here's a plant that stubbornly refused to open for the show yesterday. I grew it from SRGC seed two years ago.   It is Saussaurea alpina. I would have love to take it to the show but it just didn't cooperate!

[Richard Green]

Chris, you should have taken it into the Tearoom.  It would have burst into flower in the heat generated by the roaring trade you were doing in there!

[veteran vet]

I can't understand how Stan gets his pictures of a show up and running so quickly, takes me forever, however I must say all the pictures so far give a really good impression of the show, it amazes me how year in year out the hall can be filled with such colour and variation, the season may be different each year but still flower power comes up trumps. as Stan has said he hopes others will provide some detail, here is my small selection
As you might expect Cyclamen are one of the main flower power providers at the show and here are a few examples
Cyclamen graecum ssp anatolicum R&B Wallis, winner of the Farrer Medal, they also had
Cyclamen graecum ssp anatolicum
Cyclamen graecum ssp candicum
 Cyclamen rohlfsianum
Ian Kidman produced Cyclamen hederifolium 'Lysander' just to make sure that the Wallis clan did not carry off all the red stickers.

[veteran vet]

Just how Stan had a very large Cassiope in full bloom at this time of year but he did, rewarded with a well deserved first
Empodium flexile from R&B Wallis
Galanthus peshmenii from Don Peace, he had the most points in the Open Section and he also won the Season Long competition for the most points/wins at all the AGS shows combined thereby winning the Guiseppe Cup, a formidable achievement
Saxifraga fortune rubrifolia shown by Tom Green was also awarded a Certificate of Merit...a picture does not do it justice, was quite the best one I have ever seen
Stan also had a 3 pan exhibit in the Gentian class, another red sticker job...this year there were far fewer gentians on display than normal for this show...the three comprised of G Blue Silk, G Eugens Allerbester and G Berrybank Sky

[veteran vet]

Colchicum baytopiorum from R&B Wallis
Crocus tournefortii R&B Wallis
Nerine filifolia from Peter Fakasch
Viola spathulata from Ian Kidman, a Certificate of Merit for this, flowering rather late in season but as well as it ever has
Shortia uniflora grandiflora from Carole and Ian Bainbridge, this foliage exhibit seemed to glow on the bench

[veteran vet]

Astragalus utahenesis was the best foliage pan in the show, exhibited by Peter Farkasch. He must have had some close competition for this award when other exhibits included
Leucogenes grandiceps from Alan Furness
Celmisia spedenii from Mala Janes
Celmisia semi-cordata aurigans from Alan Furness
Coprosma petriei from Trevor and Angie Jones

[veteran vet]

A selection of crocus exhibits, another mainstay of the Ponteland show
Crocus niveus Don Peace
Crocus banaticus 'Snowdrift' from Alan Furness, a really excellent exhibit
I took a few pictures from 'above' the exhibited crocus for a change of perspective
Crocus cartwrightianus
Crocus mathewii
Crocus goulimyi 'Mani White'...these last three were from Don Peace

[veteran vet]

I was particularly taken by
Calluna vulgaris 'Dark Beauty' from Ian Instone...the name describes it perfectly
I was also taken by the 'squares' of
Crassula socialis from Barry Winter
Allium thunbergii alba from Peter Farkasch
Oxalis massoniana from Tim Lever, another exhibit that cried for attention from the bench
Petrocosmia flaccida from Alan Newton...I am sure he felt a bit 'flaccid' by the end of the day but he just had to be delighted with the show.

[veteran vet]

Saxifraga fortune from Brian and Shelagh Smethurst, long time show supporters
Oxalis perdicaria 'Citrino' from Tim Lever, I expected them to open up as the day went on but sadly they did not
 Pinus mugo ssp rotundifolia 'Jezek' from Dave Riley, a really fine exhibit
Habranthus martinesii from Alan Newton
Class 93 for 6 cut alpine flowers, won by Helen Kidman who I believe won her first gold medal at the show. For those who are interested the flowers were Cyclamen graecum, Geranium Ballerina, Erodium Purple Haze in the back row, Silene pusilla, Cyclamen graecum ssp candicum and Galanthus coryrensis front row

[veteran vet]

Last few I think
Cyclamen hederifolium 'Silver Shield' from Bob Worsley has interesting foliage, Bob also exhibited
Cyclamen hederifolium crassifolium
Myrteola nummularia was the best pan in the |Intermediate and Novice Sections, shown by Colin and Kathleen Billington

[veteran vet]

Pressed the wrong button so to continue from above
Saxifraga fortune 'Funiko' from Christine Boulby

[Maggi Young]

Isn't it strange that the Oxalis massoniana opened so well while the Oxalis perdicaria 'Citrino'  did not?
I am partial to a neat conifer and that  Pinus mugo ssp rotundifolia 'Jezek' fits the bill, but hey, there's not a plant there that isn't a smasher.

[David Nicholson]

Lovely examples of Saxifraga fortunei from Chris Boulby and the Smethursts whilst mine in the garden sulk horribly. What am I doing wrong?

[Tim Ingram]

What a wonderful variety of plants! Particularly nice to see the Saxifraga fortunei forms after speaking with Susanne Peters at the Great Dixter Plant Fair last weekend. These would make a great display here next autumn if some flower just a few weeks earlier. It's impossible to get such a wide ranging and dramatic mix of plants down here in Kent (we should cultivate our European neighbours more and encourage them to bring plants across the Channel!) but very exciting to see what can come about more in the heartland of alpine growing up north. It sounds as though the Show was really busy - do many visitors sign up to join the AGS and SRGC? I imagine quite a few would have no idea that such Shows occur right around the country and come along especially for this particular Show and all the nursery plants.