Northumberland (Hexham) AGS/SRGC show Saturday 28th March

[Stan da Prato]

 and again

[Stan da Prato]

and others

[Maggi Young]

Sandy Leven's Farrer Medal report is online : HERE - and includes a picture of Cyril being interviewed for  local radio by Marian Foster - who many  in the UK ( of a certain age)may remember as the first femalenewsreader on ITV and from the BBC TV programme, "Pebble Mill at One". Marian has presented various gardening programmes over the years and  she was also at one  time a presenter on "Top Gear"  ! 

Here is Sandy at the show - one of Stan's excellent photos from the day.

[David Nicholson]

.....................being interviewed for  local radio by Marion Foster - who many  in the UK ( of a certain age)may remember as the first femalenewsreader on ITV and from the BBC TV programme, "Pebble Mill at One"...............

Before my time

[Maggi Young]

Before my time

Before you had a TV, you mean ?

[veteran vet]

A very good overall view of Hexham from Stan, gives a really good impression on how the hall looked and a real feel for the show. The weather was reasonable, at least it did not rain while I was taking plants from my car to stage or again while loading up later in the day. I did not hear any adverse comments on the new parking system so assume everyone got parked (eventually). The plant sales tables seemed to do a roaring trade, it was a good job there was a lot on offer as there was demand from both exhibitors and the paying public. I helped out on the Timpany Nursery stand for a while (Susan was staying with me) and loads of buyers wanted advice and as there was two of us we had the time (just) to be able to give it...you could tell folk appreciated it.
I have never seen a Tombola sell out so fast despite the fact there seemed to be a HUGE range of prizes....lots of happy folk showing off their winnings.
Even Peter and Alan looked semi relaxed, the high heed yins had all turned up at the show, just to make sure it was run right!, it was and best of all, we had the whole hall back to normal by 5pm, I went home, emptied the car and had a few very large whiskies....and then fell asleep...some host!
I will post pics in the next post

[veteran vet]

As usual no folk just plants and names thereof plus exhibitor I/d
Class 1, the 'Big Six' had at least 3 entries...more actually entered but moved elsewhere when they saw the opposition
The winner was Frank and Barbara Hoyle, a stunning entry, to  I/d two plants back left is Primula allionii 'Marjorie Wooster' and back right Primula 'Pink Aire'. The cyclamen in the middle is last weeks Farrer winner, went up again this week
Class 1 from Mark Childerhouse with Saxifraga lilacina of horticulture and Dionysia freitagii x viscidula among the plants there, at the shows I have been to so far this year would have won

[veteran vet]

Class 2, a three pan class shown by Cyril Lafong had the Farrer Medal plant Trillium rivale 'Purple Heart and Tecophilia cyanocrocus in the three, a class presentation
Class 3 was won by Saxifraga 'Coolock Kate shown by Frank and Barbara Hoyle

[veteran vet]

Primula allionii 'Mary Berry' (5) Edward Barraclough
Primula erosa (6) from John Richards was awarded a PC by the Joint Rock
Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Budapest Seedling (15) from Sue Simpson knocked my
Anemone caucasica into the no stickers at all brigade
Saxifraga 'Leonardo da Vinci' from Peter Hood (16) was seen several times today at the show

[veteran vet]

Trillium chloropetallum 'Val Mulvihill' (17) Fred and Pat Bundy
Pleione tongariro (19) Elizabeth Dodds
Class 20, a three pan bulbous was won by Jim McGregor, from back to front was Narcissis bulbocodium var conspicuous, Scilla melaina and Tulipa cretica
Narcissus minor from David Boyd (21)
Fritillaria carica from Don Peace (22) who won the most points in the Open Section

[TC]

The show was as good as ever.  My favourite was the Cyclamen pseudoibericum.  I have never seen so many flowers on a cyclamen before.  The parking was iffy.  We arrived at 0945 and the car park was all but full. I had to cruise around for ten minutes before I saw a space and then raced another car to get there first.  A bit like musical cars.
I think the problem with all day free parking is that the commuters will take over the car park instead of paying the fees at the railway station.  Commuters are usually in car parks by 0730 and return by 1730 and later.  These people will take out a large chunk of space from the shoppers who only need about 3 hours.  To me, the best solution is a 6 hour limit as is used in other places.

[veteran vet]

Hepatica are now frequently seen on the benches in ever more 'flamboyant' flowering forms, very nice they are too, I think it is time that the AGS considered adding classes for them to the schedule...or at least the Show Secs need prodding in the right direction
Hepatica japonica 'Toki' (15) from Briam and Shelagh Smethurst are tow very keen on Hepaticas and grow them very well
Primula boothii ssp repens (26) shown by John Richards won a PC by the Joint Rock
Saxifraga grisebachii (did not stand any chance in one pan from Europe, class 28 but as was my plant I can at least show a pic)
Lathyrus vernus albo rosaea (18) from Barry Winter
Rhododendron 'Lucy Lou' from Stan da Prato

[veteran vet]

A few primula
Primula 'Ellen Page' from Brian Burrow (51) is a nice cultivar. In the Petiolarid primula class three local group members had
Primula whitei (56) from Alan Newton
Primula aureata from Mala Janes and
Primula irregularis from Ian Kidman, the winner of the class
Dionysia 'Eric Watson (23) from F& B Hoyle

[veteran vet]

Dionysia 'Tess' from Cyril Lafong in (64)
Townsendia hookeri (25) from John Bunn....don't know where he got the sunshine from to bring this into flower
Anemonella thalictoides 'Blushing Bride' (26) from Tim Lever....is the girlfriend dropping a few hints Tim?
Saxifraga concinum 'Ben Eighe' from Edward Barraclough ((70) might be even better next week
Erythronium dens-canis 'Old Aberdeen' (75) Diane Clement

[veteran vet]

Two more local group members fought it out in a Pleione class
Pleione rakata (72) from Wilf Lombard and
Pleione rakata 'Shot Silk' from Jim Watson
Iris willmotiana (76) from Briam Burrow earned a PC
Fritillaria pinardii from Don Peace (77) is one I like a lot
Narcissus bulbocodium conspicuous (80) was one of at least two of these he had at the show