AGS Success at Chelsea 2008 !!

[Maggi Young]

To avoid doubt, and further embarrassment   the folks in President Ian's pix are....
1) Roy Lancaster and IY...I am pleased to say that Roy sent me a big hug which Ian delivered! We have known Roy a long time... he is a great fellow and wonderful plantsman.
2) Ian and some of Gerry the Travel Giraffe's relatives.... they really DO get everywhere....must send this pic to Stellan!
3) Ian and a starlet whose career faltered after she ate too much chocolate
4) The charming former AGS president Rod Leeds, former SRGC Pres. Ian Bainbridge , AGS editor and Chelsea display designer, Kit Grey Wilson.... and, unless I am mistaken, Ray Drew wielding a large plastic bucket at the right of shot!!

[Heather Smith]

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.

Thanks Maggi. I should have thought of the AGS website in the first place!

[Maggi Young]

Last night I was delighted to find that, indeed, Carol Klein HAD spent a good amount of time.... over ten minutes, I'm sure, looking in detail at plants on the AGS stand........this was at the expense of an overview of the whole  display, but had the benefit of showing the intricacies of a good range of plants to the viewing public.
Carol talked enthusiastically about the plants and also spoke with AGS employee, director Christine MacGregor.
I sat for an hour, in order to see the AGS segment through twice.... I really enjoyed Carol's commentary. Because these  "walkabout" features are only shown on the digital interactive service, I was not able to record the feature, which was a shame and I discover that these features, which are only on TV for one day each, are not available through the BBC website, either. I hear that the interactive service is, however, popular, so I hope that a large number of viewers will have been introduced to the world of alpine plants by this coverage.

[art600]

4) The charming former AGS president Rod Leeds, former SRGC Pres. Ian Bainbridge , AGS editor and Chelsea display designer, Kit Grey Wilson.... and, unless I am mistaken, Ray Drew wielding a large plastic bucket at the right of shot!!

Maggi

You are right, Ray Drew is holding the bucket - recognised him by his 'Funeral Director's' suit.

[Maggi Young]

Well, in that get-up, it's as well he is holding the bucket and not kicking it!!
Sorry Ray, for teasing you with these comments... you know well enough, I hope, that you are wished nothing but the best from your naughty Scottish Friends!!

[Paddy Tobin]

Maggi,

Your listing of those in the photographs above remind me that Roy Lancaster's book, "Travels in China, A Plantsman's Paradise" has been revamped and republished under the new title of, "A Plantsman's Paradise, Travels in China". Lots of new colour photogaphs but not much change to the text. An excellent book.

Likewise, "The Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges",  by Frank Kingdon Ward, has just been republished and an excellent book also on planthunting for Rhododendrons by one of the Cox family; the title escapes me. I received all three about a week ago, needed a wheelbarrow to move them about the house.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Paddy, Kenneth Cox's reissue is still called the Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges !
It is available from the SRGC Bookshop for £31.50.

[David Shaw]

Plantsmans Paradise is also available from SRGC publications.

[Carol Shaw]

One of these years WE WILL get the Chelsea - big John has promised that he can get us in  so once we have both retired... 

[David Pilling]

Last night I was delighted to find that, indeed, Carol Klein HAD spent a good amount of time.... over ten minutes, I'm sure, looking in detail at plants on the AGS stand....

The plants on the AGS stand (as shown on TV) were very impressive.

It looks like the BBC are following the same plan as last year, three interactive tours, shown twice over six days. If so, the one which features the AGS stand will be shown again on Saturday.

Usually if your video recorder is attached via a SCART lead, there's a button you can press which makes it record whatever is on the TV screen. If have a VCR with built in freeview then (I believe) things like interactive are somewhere on a channel of their own.

[ChrisB]

Maggi,  I just watched an hour of interactive Chelsea with Carole Klein and she didn't do the AGS stand at all.  She did extensive piece about the HPS stand though, which was very nice, but a lot of boring bits too....

[Maggi Young]

The interactive bits changeover each day at 7pm, I think, Chris. Yesterday Carol K. did mention seeing Podophyllum on the Hardy Plant Society stand , "the other day"... so it seems that David may well have got it right in thinking that the segments from the AGS will reappear on Saturday.... worth a look.

[Anthony Darby]

I met Roy Lancaster at a Gardener's Question time being recorded in Dunblane. Got some berries of Sorbus gongashanica off him. Plant still going. I remember he suggested to one resident he planted Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica  or Frangula alnus) as a hedge to attract Brimstone butterflies. They'd have to be bloody attractive as Brimstones are not found north of Carlisle, but then I suppose the programme is UK wide. Needless to say, I have both in my hedge

Could LLB's wife find a shirt that fitted?

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks for the links; it's been fun to look at the pics too.
The Times link had another link to an article about a "run in" between Prince Phil and an Australian gardener; quite amusing!
I hope the links stay active for awhile as I'd like to include them in the next edition of our local group's newsletter!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

This message just in from Mrs L. Llewelyn-Bowen.... she assures us that her husband likes his sleeves to be too long, and the shirt is made from a tablecloth, not curtains.....she also points out that her husband  has made a b****y good living out of looking this foppish, so I suppose the the LLBs have the last laugh!