AGS Success at Chelsea 2008 !!

[Maggi Young]

The AGS has been awarded an RHS Gold Medal and the President's Award for the best garden exhibit in the Floral Pavilion at this years Chelsea Show. A great result and a huge satisfaction to reward the herculean efforts of John Humphries and his Team to prepare the display garden. Heartiest congratulations to them all!!
On TV so far there has only been a brief mention of the AGS display... I sincerely hope that this omission will be rectified as the week goes on.......it is surely fitting that the successful efforts of a group like the AGS should warrant as least as much coverage as some fellow swanning around Venice, "looking for inspiration"......... Not as much of a "jolly" for the film team, of course.


Well done to all those folks who contributed  to this super display !!

[Maggi Young]

A few shots from the AGS Gold Medal Stand , taken yesterday at Chelsea by Ian Y.............
Four shots of the display, then some with added life......
Tim Lever , with Ray Drew..... rather a sombre get-up from Ray !
Across the stand to a group of SRGC/AGS members......Ian and Carole Bainbridge and Julia Corden get a bit distracted from the display as Ian Christie lines them up for a photo..
Here they are again, Ian , Carole and Julia.
Jim MacGregor of the AGS was busy with his camera, perhaps he caught this chap viewing the AGS stand?......Laurence Llewellyn -Bowen; interior designer and TV chappie!

[ranunculus]

Isn't a 'sombre get-up' SO MUCH BETTER than the 'foppish' look of L. L-B.?

[Maggi Young]

Well, that's very true, Cliff, though I believe that LLB's outfit was fashioned from the very best set of curtains his wife had available.   It is just that I don't favour the funeral director style of garb, myself, preferring to go about got up as an herbaceous border, most of the time

From this picture, you will see that our ladies were less than impressed and President Ian was concentrating on his pix of the AGS plants.... Sandy is keeping an eye on LLB, however.....hope Anne has her curtains strongly attached!

President Ian chats with Mary Randall

[David Nicholson]

Lovely garden exhibit-big fairy LLB!

[ranunculus]

Perhaps we could offer him a Dryas or Gentian print (with shorter sleeves) and a suitable tie?

[Heather Smith]

Thanks for the pics of the very successful AGS exhibit. 

As I will not get to Chelsea and the TV seems usually to overlook alpines, I would be grateful for any pics anyone has of this exhibit and any others, including any garden, involving alpines, even commercial ones.

[Maggi Young]

Heather, there are a sereis of photos from John Humphries on the AGS website, about the construction of the AGS  display stand...... showing how the area goes from patch of grass to raised glade ... that is here:  http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/servlet/forumservlet?command=viewthread&category1=displays&sitearea=forum&articleid=137&category=displays


and there are shots of the finished stand, as a whole, here:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/servlet/forumservlet?command=viewthread&category1=displays&sitearea=forum&articleid=140&category=displays

I don't doubt that there will be additional  photos planned to be shown there later.

[David Pilling]

The Times says...

"A group of part-time amateur gardeners put the professionals in the shade with the best display of blooms at the Chelsea Flower Show. "

Article at:

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/gardens/chelsea_flower_show/article3972628.ece

[Maggi Young]

Thanks for this link, David.  Puts me in mind of the publicity the SRGC has had for its Best In Show Awards at Gardening Scotland in the past. Good to see the AGS volunteers get their credit !

[ichristie]

Hi to all, I can now add some pictures from Chelsea, I had geat company with Ian the Young kind and Sandy leven, I am sure you will manage to pick out Ian the Young kind ??  cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Maggi Young]

Heard Carol Klein say on the TV tonight that she had spent 10mins reviewing the AGS stand for the BBC interactive service.... have not had a chance to check it out yet, but Ihope that it is true! Today's interactive segments are viewable until 7pm tomorrow, I think, if you want to try to catch the AGS segment.

[Paddy Tobin]

In the second last photograph above, from Ian Christie, who is the bloke with the sunglasses standing beside Ian Young? I know I know his face from somewhere but can't place it.

Paddy

[ranunculus]

You little monkey Paddy!     

[Paddy Tobin]

Couldn't resist, Cliff.

Paddy