Joint SRGC/AGS Show Northumberland April 1 2017

[Stan da Prato]

and others

[Stan da Prato]

continuing

[Stan da Prato]

last batch

[Stan da Prato]

the club plant stall and nurseries

[Stan da Prato]

the others

[Stan da Prato]

The local group always  put on a really good display about their activities.

[Stan da Prato]

As the clock on the wall shows all the plants were off the benches by 4 pm and the volunteers  well on the way  to dismantling  the tables. Many thanks to Angus and his team for a most enjoyable day in Northumberland. I look  forward to reading other  contributions.

[Peter Maguire]

Thanks for the images Stan; that's  the first Hexham show I've not been at in 27 years and it is good to see what I missed. It seems to have gone well however, and the benches seem to be as full as ever. I see that there were even extra visitors from Ireland!
Hopefully Angus enjoyed his first experience as show secretary - he doesn't look too frayed around the edges in your picture!

[veteran vet]

A really comprehensive coverage from Stan has given us an excellent impression of what the show looked like and some of the 'personalities' viewing/commenting on the show as they inspected the results of the judges decisions...as they say 'you can't please everyone' but in the main I thought judging was pretty good.
Angus Thompson, ably abetted by his better half, seemed to sail through the day without any outward appearance of 'stress' and he just has to be pleased with the way the day went...apart from the downpour of rain just as the show ended making loading up afterwards a rather damp affair! but all done and dusted by about 4-45 which has to be pretty good going.
Will do my usual run of pictures, as Stan has done such a fine job I can even cut down on my numbers though there will still be some repetition.
So to start with Stan with one of his plants in the Big Six (1) which won him another AGS medal
Rhododendron 'Pintail' 
Ranunculus alpestris from Ian Kidman was a Farrer contender and won a Certificate of Merit (C of M)
Primula Netta Dennis from Don Peace, most points in the Open section with many fine plants.
Mukdenia rossii from Mike Dale (27), not the best of pics but not easy to get at, not a plant I am familiar with. Mike also had a nice
Primula elatior in 28

[veteran vet]

As Stan has already indicated Keith and Rachel Lever won the Farrer Medal with
Sebaea thomasii 'Bychan'.  I asked Tim Lever on the culyivar name 'Bychan' and he tells me it is pronounced Buchan and is Welsh for small. He says that the 'strain' was among a batch of 'normal' thomasii they grew which was obviously shorter/smaller/more compact than the standard plant and so they grew it /them on as separate plants to what they show as Bychan today.
Soldanella villosa Clare Oates (5)....sorry not the best picture
Primula henrici from Geoff Rollinson, (6) earned a C of M as another Farrer candidate, was a good sized potful
Primula villosa ssp villosa (7) from John Richards was awarded a PC by the Joint Rock Committee
Androscae vandellii from Cyril Lafong (

[veteran vet]

We had a welcome visiting party from Ireland to the show, they brought some quality plants amongst which were
Cyclamen persicum from Paddy Smith who had one in classes 9 and 62, both fine examples
Draba acaulis from Frank and Barbara Hoyle (12)
Corydalis solida from Tom Green (14)
Pulsatiila vernalis (15) again from Frank and Barbara Hoyle...a really lovely specimen. They also had
Pulsatilla ambigua in 27

[veteran vet]

Saxifraga 'Bridget' from Edward Barraclough (16), one of the older cultivars holding its flowers up well
Trillium chloropetallum 'Bob Gordon' from Billy Moore (17) another Farrer contender so a C of M, must have needed a shipping container to get it over the Irish sea
Pleione Hekla gx 'Locking Stumps' from Don Peace (19)
Narcissus obesus 'Lee Martin' from Jim McGregeor (21), which is a lovely cultivar
Fritillaria 'Lentune Slate' from Don Peace in (22), think this was also a C of M plant

[veteran vet]

I was lucky enough to win the Bill Mackenzie Trophy as Stan has already noted (24), the plants were
Trillium rivale
Townsendia spathulata 'Cotton Balls'
Hymenoxis torreyana
Lewisia tweedyi from Tom Green (26)
Saxifraga dinnikii from Ian Kidman (71)

[veteran vet]

The Small Six, class 50 was won by Don Peace. a plant of
Fritillaria pinardii also was the Best Plant in <19cm pot, also won by Don
Iris sari from John Bunn (76)
Another two from me were
Trillium pusillum pusillum (75) and
Saxifraga burseriana 'Mangart' (56)

[veteran vet]

John Richards had ,in a three pan class, (82)
Primula albenensis and
Primula bhutanica. There was another
Primula albenensis shown by Tom Green in (57) but in cultivation the true P albenensis is hard to find, still one of my favourites though. John Richards is going to visit the type locality in Italy the next few weeks hoping to find it in flower, I hope he gets some nice pictures.
Kelseya uniflora from Frank and Barbara Hoyle (85)
Viola spathulata from Keith and Rachel Lever (88), believe they were selling it on the trade stand at the show