Cyclamen 2016

[Maggi Young]

Cyclamen Society  events dates for  2016   

Diary Dates - 2016
Wisley Winter Show 2016

The Wisley Winter Show will be held on Sunday 7th February 2016 in the Hillside Events Centre at the RHS Wisley Gardens(clearly signposted from the A3 just south-west of the M25's junction 10).
Wisley Spring Show 2015

The Wisley Spring Show will be held on Saturday 9th April 2016 in the Hillside Events Centre at the RHS Wisley Gardens(clearly signposted from the A3 just south-west of the M25's junction 10).

Birmingham Conference Show 2016

The Birmingham Conference and Show will be held on Sunday 11th September 2016 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. See below for directions to the Gardens

Joint Conference with SRGC  Show 2016 – Penrith
A show will be held at the joint conference in Penrith on Saturday 24th September.  It isn’t clear yet whether or not this will be competitive.  ** See SRGC announcment here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=13340.msg348073#msg348073

Wisley Autumn Show 2016

The Wisley Autumn Show will be held on Sunday 9th October 2016 in the Hillside Events Centre at the RHS Wisley Gardens(clearly signposted from the A3 just south-west of the M25's junction 10).

Directions to Shows
Wisley
From London, the west, soutwest, north, east and Kent

Leave the M25 at junction 10 and head southwest on the A3 towards Guildford. After about 1˝ miles take the slip road for 'Ripley', turn right under the A3 and right up the sliproad to join the A3 northbound. After about 100 metres turn left for the RHS Wisley Gardens.
From the south

From Guildford head northeast on the A3 towards London for about 6 miles. About 1 mile before the turn-off for Wisley you will pass a BP service station on both sides of the road. As you reach the bottom of the hill past the service station, the turn left for RHS Wisley is on the left.
Birmingham

http://www.cyclamen.org/shows/
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses are situated in Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3TR. Tel: (0121) 454 1860.
FROM M40 - Take M42 West to M5 North and then follow directions from M5.
FROM M5 - Leave at Junction 3 and take A456 signposted to City Centre. Turn right on to B4129 (Norfolk Road) signposted to Botanical Gardens.
FROM M6 - Leave at Junction 6 and take A38(M) to City Centre. Follow underpasses signposted Birmingham West to A456. At Five Ways island turn left on to B4217 (Calthorpe Road) signposted to Botanical Gardens.

The gardens are well signposted with brown and cream tourist signs from at least two miles away. If you have a De Luxe Birmingham A-Z map, the reference is page 116 4B. On the Ordnance Survey Street Atlas of Birmingham and West Midlands, the map reference is page 85 7F.

[cycnich]

Thanks for doing that.  I will make sure it doesn't go unnoticed.

[Graeme]

Ahh, it seems that a confusion has arisen from the RHS  membership  thing.... what a shame -  even so, it's more of a  shame that the C.S. doesn't use its friends to make more of its  assets 

seem to be more interested in RHS members than those who pay their subs to the society - not everyone wants to be a RHS member

[Matt T]

There must be a reason for using the Hillside Events Centre at RHS Wisley rather than an alternative venue?

[Maggi Young]

I'm sure there is   

Even for a one day ticket inf you're not an RHS member, its  still pretty dear ......

 We cannot all afford  to be members of everything , or afford such ticket prices.

[SJW]

There must be a reason for using the Hillside Events Centre at RHS Wisley rather than an alternative venue?

Yes, I can give one reason. Wisley has around 1,024000 visitors a year. That works out at an average of around 2,800 visitors a day. There will be seasonal variations of course, but it's a fair ball-park figure. And for plant societies it's a self-selecting audience in that visitors are already interested in plants and gardens - that's why they're at Wisley. So, in marketing and advertising terms if you are putting on a show - a shop window for plant societies -  which location is likely to gain you more exposure to a wider audience? A 6th form college, say, on the edge of a medium-sized town, or an internationally-known garden with around 2,800 visitors a day passing through the gates?

Look, I'm not trying to defend the RHS. As Pat says the set-up isn't ideal and it irritates the hell out of me as well - I've vented my frustration on the forum in the past because there's free entry to the Birmingham Botanic Gardens for CS members attending the September show and at the last show of the AGS season RHS Harlow Carr allowed free entry for AGS members. So it can be done. But I can also appreciate why putting on shows at Wisley can benefit plant societies. In the future, it would be good to explore other options as well. I'm really pleased, for example, to see that the long proposed CS/SRGC collaboration will take place later this year. I just hope we can tempt members down south up to Penrith!

seem to be more interested in RHS members than those who pay their subs to the society - not everyone wants to be a RHS member

Ridiculous. You don't really believe that Graeme, do you?

[cycnich]

Did you say Penrith Steve? . I don't go that far on holiday! .

[SJW]

Did you say Penrith Steve? . I don't go that far on holiday! .

I'm not going to rise to the bait of one of those tanned individuals living in the banana belt !

See you on Sunday. I'll bring me wallet!

[Pennine Wanderer]

Hello cycnich,
Why do you not visit Penrith and see a decent part of the country? You will be surprised at how beautiful the county of Cumbria is.

[cycnich]

Hello cycnich,
Why do you not visit Penrith and see a decent part of the country? You will be surprised at how beautiful the county of Cumbria is.

When my wife and I were first married some 35 years ago we holidayed in the lakes. We camped in borrowdale not realising it was the wettest place in England and our tent got washed away then the radiator blew up on the old banger of a car we had. Funny how these things stick in your mind. I agree it is a stunning place I often watch it on the discovery channel .

[SJW]

With the elevation of C. confusum to species status a few years ago I wonder how long it will be before we start seeing leaf forms to rival those seen in the best of the hederifoliums and ssp crassifoliums? I've seen good leaf forms but most aren't that spectacular. It'd be instructive to see good examples posted on the forum. Anyone seen really good leaves growing in the wild?

I sowed 6 pots of seeds last year from plants from known locations so I hope these throw up some good ones. From the top and left to right: 

ex Polyrrina  ex Sirikari gorge
ex Dhafni valley  ex Topolia gorge
ex MELJ 9729 ex CSE 94217

[cycnich]

With the elevation of C. confusum to species status a few years ago I wonder how long it will be before we start seeing leaf forms to rival those seen in the best of the hederifoliums and ssp crassifoliums? I've seen good leaf forms but most aren't that spectacular. It'd be instructive to see good examples posted on the forum. Anyone seen really good leaves growing in the wild?

I sowed 6 pots of seeds last year from plants from known locations so I hope these throw up some good ones. From the top and left to right: 

ex Polyrrina  ex Sirikari gorge
ex Dhafni valley  ex Topolia gorge
ex MELJ 9729 ex CSE 94217

There are some promising ones there even at this early stage. If melj 9729 is seed I sent you it should read 9728

[SJW]

Some confusum leaves from the CS seed exchange. In my experience, confusum from seed exchanges is still a bit of a lottery, as quite a lot is actually ssp crassifolium. These look ok though, I think... 

[SJW]

There are some promising ones there even at this early stage. If melj 9729 is seed I sent you it should read 9728

No Pat, your 9728 was sown later than these. I have Roy to thank for the 9729 and the others.

[cycnich]

Some confusum leaves from the CS seed exchange. In my experience, confusum from seed exchanges is still a bit of a lottery, as quite a lot is actually ssp crassifolium. These look ok though, I think...

Like the third one in particular. I will have to chase that roy for 9729.