Eighth International Rock Garden Conference, 2011

[mark smyth]

I must be stoopid I can follow who the missing names are

[Lesley Cox]

wonderful picture. I'll save and print it out in LARGE. Pleased you're all having a super time. It seems to have only just started yet is now almost ended.

Oh well, a crevice garden workshop here this afternoon (Sunday) with Dave Toole and Stuart Murray then Chinese restaaurant afterwards. It will be a laugh.

[shelagh]

Congratulations again to Chris for a wonderful Forrest and Farrer Medal winning plant, thoroughly deserved by a thoroughly nice man.  We were lucky enough to have lunch with Chris and we all nudged up against him hoping some of the magic was passsed along. In fact I think I heard Maggi urging him to buy a lottery ticket because his luck was certainly running yesterday.

I wonder of he has come down to earth yet

[shelagh]

How wonderful I hadn't realised that posting about Chris was my 500th and so took me to Hero Member status WOW

[veteran vet]

Time to add a few pictures from the Conference Show...there were many people taking pictures and don't like to be nearly the first but will add what I have. Was an early start for exhibitors from the North East, between 4 and 4-30 am seems to have been the norm...meant a very long day, not helped by the A1 being 'closed' at Dishforth. From the show point of view there were many fine plants on the bench, glad I was not judging and glad we had an 'International' set of judges to give so many different view points. Becuase of the way the day worked there were very quiet times while delegates were at lectures and periods of 'mayhem' when everyone was around. Never really got time to talk to so many people....mores the pity as some I had not seen to talk to in years.
Never mind, time for pictures
Already seen but worth repeating, Chris Lilley with his 16 yo pot of Trillium grandiflorum.....two views
A contender for the awards and indeed best Primulaceae
Androsace vandellii by Cyril Lafong and another plant from Cyril, also in contention was
Cypripedium 'Ursel'

[veteran vet]

Will post a few Androsace now
Androsace studiosorum 'Doksa' Lee and Julie Martin
with the same plant pictured from the other side next...then
Androsace studiosorum shown by Ivor Pinnock....long way from the Isle of Wight
Clematis scottii by Rob Price...did not get a sticker but I liked it, I had a long chat to him as I also grow this plant, also from RMRP seed with mine about to flower in the coming week...Robs plant was very sturdy and robust...I liked it even if the judges did not

[veteran vet]

Now a run of 'American's
Clematis tenuiloba 'Ylva' shown by Margaret Pickering ...named after Henrick Zetterlunds daughter...he was lecturing at the conference
Lewisia stebbinsii shown by George Young as part of a three pan entry
Phlox bryoides by Carol and Ian Bainbridge....never got a 'blether' to them, mores the pity

[veteran vet]

more 'American' with
Polemonium chartaceum shown by Geoff Rollinson with three pictures, two of the (same) plant plus one of his notes
Primula ellisiae, again by Carol and Ian Bainbridge... I have to say that I find this hard to differentiate from P rusbyi...I gather its all to do with 'measurements' of important bits but to the eye they look the same....still a good plant

[veteran vet]

Time for 'whats left'...no disrespect meant to the plants or exhibitors
Cassiope 'Jim Lever' shown by Alan Newton
two Daphnes, one of D petraea 'Grandiflore' by John Richards, the other is D petraea by Cyril Lafong...both were excellent plants very well flowered

[veteran vet]

one of my own Fritillarias
Fritillaria sibthorpiana, originally came from the Wallis's, you willn ot the odd hole in the leaf but its been outdoors plunged but unprotected from weather or 'beasties' since early March
Gentiana acaulis shown by Peter Semple...a great plant and yet another contender for the Forrest/Farrer...had to be in a 30cm pan minimum to allow viewers to get the true picture
From the large to the small
Haastia pulvinaris by R & S Johnson
Iris schachtii by Graham Nicholls

[johnw]

One has to wonder how Cyril Lafong got that Cypripedium down to Nottingham in one piece and without a blemish. 

johnw

[veteran vet]

Two views of the same exhibit viz.
Haberlea ferdinandii-coburgii...B & J Walker
Hymenoxis lapidicola shown by Graham Nicholls...I had a long chat to Graham about this plant and he tells me that the stones you see around the plant actually came from the same area that the Hymenoxis grows....he thought it was worth trying in case the 'chemicals' in the rocks were part of growing the plant...thats what I call dedication...he will be one of the few people at the conference to have seen this plant in its natural habitat
No show set of pictures would be comlete without a picture of a plant shown by Cecilia Coller so
Pleione formosan 'Snow Bunting'

[veteran vet]

..last three
Paris quadrifolia by Della Kerr...a close up of a very large pot....she told me she had tried to put it in a claay pot but after doing so couldn't carry the pot...enough said
Primula bracteata    Geoff Rollinson
Primula euprepes ( I think) by the Rankin clan...even had some for sale I believe
Kalmiopsis leachiana 'Curry County Form' by Dave Mountford was the best Ericacaea sorry not the best of pictures

[johnw]

Kalmiopsis leachiana 'Curry County Form' by Dave Mountford was the best Ericacaea sorry not the best of pictures

I think I'll go back to raising tropical fish. 

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

How wonderful I hadn't realised that posting about Chris was my 500th and so took me to Hero Member status WOW

You've been a hero since day one in my book Shelagh.