South West AGS Show-Exeter 2015

[David Nicholson]

Just had a quick bite to eat and long awaited sit down with me feet up after a long day at the Show. Lots on the benches, the plant sellers seemed to have done well as did the member's Plant Stall with lots of people around. Prior to judging and just after, the place was heaving but then tailed off and it was very quiet late afternoon.

Nice to meet Tim and Mrs Ingram (in the flesh as it were) working hard on their Compton Ash stall. As usual bumped into John Evans whilst he was wielding his camera. Offered to give him a quick photography tutorial but he dissolved into hysterical laughter, can't understand why

Farrer winners were Paul and Gill Ranson, Chippenham, with a stonking Dionysia 'Inka Gold' odora x tapetodes MKO 353/2, part of a first winning three pan also pictured.

More pics to come when I get round to some serious re-sizing.

[David Nicholson]

Some more from Exeter:-

Lovely three pan from Eric Jarrett winning a first
Townsendia exscapa
Dionysia aretioides 'Gerben'
Saxifraga 'Lismore Mist'

Another first for Lee and Julie Martin with Primula x meridiana 'Miniera'

Again from Eric Jarrett, another first with Primula 'Tony'

Primula allionii 'Eureka' a third this time for Lee and Julie Martin

A first for Ian Robertson with Cyclamen pseudibericum, this one from seed sown October 1998

[Maggi Young]

Can't for the life of me think how Jon was reduced to hilarity by your suggestion, David - perhaps  he'd been lifting too many heavy plants without benefit of  coffee and bacon butties.... ?

Those nice Ranson folk grow great plants, don't they?  Not to mention the others we've seen already - are you going to show the photos to your own plants as encouragement??

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Looks like it was another excellent show David !
Thanks for this "teaser" ... surely hoping there's more to come ! 

[Maggi Young]

Some quite stunning plants from the Primulaceae. I do like  Primula 'Eureka' - lovely shape to those flowers.

[David Nicholson]

Can't for the life of me think how Jon was reduced to hilarity by your suggestion, David - perhaps  he'd been lifting too many heavy plants without benefit of  coffee and bacon butties.... ?

Those nice Ranson folk grow great plants, don't they?  Not to mention the others we've seen already - are you going to show the photos to your own plants as encouragement??

I think it was very rude of him Maggi

Yes, we had a meeting in the greenhouse this morning where I put to them to see if it would float their boat. There was broad agreement on the way forward and we proposed to set up a couple of focus groups to continue the blue-sky thinking.

[David Nicholson]

A few more from Exeter:-

Chiionodoxa (Scilla-some would say!) luciliae
Tecophila cyanocrocus var. violacea, and
Scilla melaina
combined into a winning three pan for Bob and Rannveig Wallis

Note for Jon: see how I artfully added some white streaking to the flowers to give the added texture. You should try it

Hycinthoides reverchonii, again a first for Bob and Rannveig

Frit. davisii, a first for Cyril Dart.

[Maggi Young]

I think it was very rude of him Maggi

I think it was remarkably restrained - he might well have decked you!

Yes, we had a meeting in the greenhouse this morning where I put to them to see if it would float their boat. There was broad agreement on the way forward and we proposed to set up a couple of focus groups to continue the blue-sky thinking.

Good to hear that - thinking outside the box and  breaking the envelope is vital for any real progress to be made .....

[johnw]

I think it was remarkably restrained - he might well have decked you!

Could well be a paparzzi/gliteratti incident Maggi.  So many snazy primulas and all............

[David Nicholson]

... and yet more.....

Dionysia 'Selene'
D. zschummelii
D. 'Hyperion'
first in a three pan class for the Ransons.
Apologies to Dionysia growers for my shortening the labels but you do tend to write 'War and Peace' when you do a label

A pan of Trillium rivale, another first for Lee and Julie martin
Iris willmottiana, from seed sown January 2002, another first for Lee and Julie Martin

[David Nicholson]

Penultimate ones:-

A Primula three pan that won a first for Peter Summers. From the top P. allionii 'Anna Griffith, P. a. 'Pink Aire' and P. 'Lindum Malcolm's Mate'

Another Tecophilaea cyanocrocus this time a first for Jim Loring

Frit. argolica, grown from seed sown September 2006, a first for Ian Robertson (of bigggg pots of Cyclamen fame)

Daphne genkwa, a first for Dorothy Sample. A beautiful colour on a beautiful plant.

[David Nicholson]

and the last few:-

Three whopping pots of Corydalis from Bob and Rannveig Wallis gave them a three pan first
Corydalis seisumsiana
C. verticillaris
C. solida 'Penza Red'

Pulsatilla grandis 'Budapest', a first for Cyril Dart.

[David Nicholson]

I think it was remarkably restrained - he might well have decked you!
 Good to hear that - thinking outside the box and  breaking the envelope is vital for any real progress to be made .....

I'd have had his father-in-law on him.

A truism Maggi.

[ichristie]

Hello Dave thanks for all the details about the show super pictures I can see at least you made the effort well done cheers Ian the Christie king

[Tim Ingram]

An enjoyable day at the Exeter AGS Show. Not only was it nice to meet David, we also met with Jenny Archibald (and a good friend of Jim's who used to visit the Plantsman Nursery from way back), Peter Perrin (who was at the Czech Conference and is a friend of Susann Nillson), Stella Tracey (who I met many years ago and visited her garden on the edge of Dartmoor where she had a National Collection of Dianthus), a lady who once worked with David Way at East Malling and another whose uncle was John Bultitude (an apple guru who knew my father and researched Malus varieties at the collection at Brogdale in Faversham), and of course a whole host of growers showing plants and keen gardeners buying them! A bevy of very interesting people and a friendly and excellent venue. To top all this we returned through driving rain on Sunday via Waterperry and met Adrian Young and had the chance to see the Saxifrage collection there for the first time. A tiring but very stimulating weekend that will merit a write up here and elsewhere once we've caught our breath! Our thanks to all those who organised the Show and worked behind the scenes. Nice to see the pictures of the plants and there were also some beautiful paintings by Marjorie Blamey awarded for certain categories in the Show, wonderful for the winners to hang in their house for a year before the next Show comes round, and a great incentive to get involved.