AGS Loughborough 7 March 09

[Martinr]

Giles, finding top gear is not the problem. You were home posting while the rest of us were still there packing up our plants and clearing up the hall!

[Paddy Tobin]

Good start to the reports, Giles.

Paddy

[ichristie]

Well I am delighted that so many people will be at Blackpool show I have a meeting after lunch but please meet up sometime after that in the tea room area cheers ian the Christie kind.

[annew]

Well I made it home somewhat later, but almost all my photos were either out of focus or too dark. With much adjustment these are the best I could do!
A plant! - Iris kusch.... can't see the end bit but I liked the very shiny, white rimmed leaves and lovely dark blotch on the falls.
John Gennard (who had taken some wonderful plants) and me.
Diane Clement with her superb pot of Colchicum (sp?) which won the Royal Bank of Scotland Trophy. She is considering donating it back to the bank to help in their current problems.

[ChrisB]

Oooh, that Iris is nice!!!

[Eric Locke]

Anne , I am not surprised your photos were poor today as the natural light in the show hall was so bad.
Very good show however.
Just a couple of not very good shots before my batteries failed !!

Eric

[Maggi Young]

Looks to have been LOTS of goodies!!

[shelagh]

I didn't have my camera with me today, no excuse really, however there were several visitors to the show today.  Firstly Malcolm McGregor ex editor of the SRGC Journal and his houseguest Peter Korn from Gothenburg.  Also  Kimihiko, Diane 's friend from Japan.  Have to say that it was a terrific show with the best selection of Saxifrages I've seen for many a year.  Our friend Annew was also seen in conversation with Mary Randall who was doing the Show Report and they were talking diminiative daffodills.  Thought I'd mention it 'cos Anne is too shy and retiring to do so.

[johngennard]

The best show for many years with a thousand entries I am told and of very high quality.It was a pleasure to put faces to names in the case of Dianne and Anne and their winning entries were of superb quality well worthy of their red cards.I loved Dianne's Colchicum szovitsii(pure as driven snow)and a narcissi from Anne was particularly attractive.Judging from the number of forumists wielding cameras I am sure that they will be satisfying our thirst for pictures particularly Peter Maguire who looked deeply engrossed.

[Maggi Young]

My goodness, a thousand plants! wonderful!!
Great to "see" you, too, John.... so nice to have a face to put to the name 

I  must say that Diane's Colchicum does just look absolutely in the peak of condition 


Malcolm told us in one of his famous phonecalls ( think war and peace over the telephone wires) yesterday that he had Peter visiting ...... Swedish visitors, Japanese visitors.... what a world-wide bunch of chums these Forumists have!


 No room for you camera in the bag with the sandwiches, Shelagh, or is there a handy pub?

I heard a whisper the Judges' lunch was going to be fairly fancy......    no point in spoiling them, in my opinion ! 

[Mick McLoughlin]

As everybody has said the lighting conditions were very poor. I've tried to do some improvement but there is still a colour cast, but here goes.
This will be our 2nd year of showing, still learning the basics and trying to get decent plants  together to show. Picture one shows Friday night with all plants in the kitchen for labelling and pot cleaning.
7:15 start with a steady drive down to Loughborough in time for staging at 8:30.
Then over to Mandy's brother who lives in Loughborough for coffee and cakes before returning to the show after opening.
I must say that it looked like a very good turn out of exhibitors and when we returned at 12:15 the hall seemed quite full with visitors.

[Mick McLoughlin]

As has already been said the standard was very good with the cushion plants standing out especially.
First 2 general views of cushion plants.
Then the 6 pans distinct winner.
3 pans Saxifrage distinct.
3 pans Primulacea.
3 pans Fritillaria distinct.
3 pans new or rare in cultivation.

[Maggi Young]

I see that Mandy had a great garden entry, eh? 

It is good to get the atmosphere and feeling for the look of the show hall, even with fuuny colour casts.... it's the flavour that counts for these things, I love to see a lot of faces I know, too, thanks, Mick!

Those fat cushions are amazing.... I fear some may have been overstuffed to bursting point....... did anyone check to see if there were dead sheep under those biggest ones??

[Mick McLoughlin]

I see that Mandy had a great garden entry, eh?  Cool

Yes Maggi it got a second to a large piece of tufa planted with saxifrage all in flower. There was only an entry in the open section for gardens. Unlike next week at Blackpool when all three will get an airing.
I have some pics of individual plants, if you want I can post them, but don't take the colours for granted.

Correction: Thinking about it the Tufa may have been planted with primula, unfortunately didn't get a picture.

[Maggi Young]

Speaking personally, I'd like to see your pix and just enjoy them, Mick ..... I can make allowances for the colours not being quite true with the strange hall lights and I expect others can too!



Can you remember whose the big six and three pan cushion entry growers were?