North of England Show Harrogate

[Maggi Young]

What a super display from the AGS..... a worthy way to celebrate the anniversary and show off to the visitors. Well done to all those involved, great job!



 As to the washing powder.......surely a keen exhibitor was planning to clean up with the show awards?

[Lesley Cox]

Does anyone know whether Ivan Pinnock has an email address? I stayed with him back in 1981 and would like to contact and congratulate.

[Diane Clement]

Does anyone know whether Ivan Pinnock has an email address? I stayed with him back in 1981 and would like to contact and congratulate. 

I don't think he has email.  He's coming to some more shows soon - Lesley, you could send me a pm which I could give him when I next see him.

[Maggi Young]

MUSINGS TOWARDS THE END OF THE HARROGATE SHOW

In a quiet 5 minutes towards the end of the Show Carol k and I, after observing 2 ear-ring bedecked and tattoo covered gentlemen surveying the benches, agreed that we felt quite naked these days being about the only ones in the world who were not sporting a tattoo.

A Gentian Rampant might be the answer (here unfortunately is where the Dryas has its limitations since it wouldn't stand out on lily white skins) but where should it be placed?  After that we got a bit hysterical wondering if we could introduce a Class into the Schedules for this.  Would it be judged by the size, artistic endeavour, rarity of specimen chosen or quality of top dressing? 

Luckily at this point Jim started the presentations so we calmed down.  But the idea has been sown!!!

I've been giving this some thought ( I know, I do need to get out more) and while I am not very keen on tattoos myself (.... unless you happen to be a hunky South Sea Islander    )...... but if Shelagh and  Carol really think it necessary to get themselves inked up, then  the image for the tattoo must surely be of a little trough,  planted with glorious alpines .......surely appropriate for the Pudsey Piglets?

[JohnnyD]

What size and shape of trough do you have in mind Maggi?
Or are we to consider a 'one size fits all' regime?
I suppose it depends on the 'canvas' available.
As to 'piglets', most of the combatants in Pudsey qualify as fully fledged omnivores and could cope with a fairly robust design!
Our researcher has been despatched to the Owl in Rodley to assess whether it is still suitable for an event of this magnitude and I suppose we could see if a 'studio' is available for the winners to be appropriately anointed.
Pics on the forum as soon as available of course.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Diane, I'll do that, later today. Have a dentist appointment very much on my mind at present. 

[Peter Maguire]

I know that these photos aren't exctly topical now, but having intended to post photos earlier in the week, I've spent the last few days wrestling with computer problems. So having eventually managed to consign Internet Explorer to the great recycle bin in the sky and download a new browser, here are some photos of plants that haven't been shown previously from the show for those of you waiting for the pictures from today's shows at East Anglia, East Cheshire and Glasgow.

-Anisotome imbricata var imbricata (Geoff Rollinson)
-Arisaema urashima var thunbergii (Paul Street)
-Crypthantha humilis var nana (Alan Furness) - just to show that you don't need to have a large palnt to win. This plant won in one of the classes for new/rare plants, wonderful scent also.
-Cryptogamma crispa (Brian and Shelagh Smethurst)
-Entries in the cut flower class
-Dicentra peregrina (George Young)

[Peter Maguire]

-Disa uniflora 'Pride of Table Mountain' (John Richards)
-Dodecatheon meadia (Sue Flanagan)
-Epimedium nanum var grandiflorum (John Richards)
-the fabulous little cut flower arrangement winner (Fred and Pat Bundy)
-Grevilea 'Rondeau' (John Savage)
-Iris suaveolens 'Brian Mathews' (Tommy Anderson)

[Peter Maguire]

- the large six pan class winner (Barry Winter). I don't think that he would have had space in the car for anything other than these six massive Lewisias
- entries in the large Lewisia class
- Primula bracteata (Geoff Rollinson)
- Rhodiola heterodontum (Paul Street)
- Rhododendron yakushimanum (John Savage)
- more Lewisias, this time in the small, single entry class

[Peter Maguire]

- George posted a picture of Hillary Luker's fabulous Shortia soldanelloides, there were also at least three other Shortia soldanelliodes, all seed-raised, all from Hedi and Jim Hancox and all subtly different. Here are all three:
- Viola douglasii (George Young)
- Wachendorfia paniculata (Sue Gill). I'm guessing that this is a South African bulb that I'm not familiar with, flowering at about 30cms height

[Peter Maguire]

Diane has posted pictures of some other areas of this large show - I had a tripod with me, so at the risk of duplication, here are some views of nursery displays - any blurring is due to air movement on the long exposures, just like in the wild. The colour balance is correct to as close as I could manage. (Incidentally the tripod presented it's own challenges in the AGS show tent, which had a springy floor, especially as Martin Rogerson, who was also using a tripod, and I kept wandering up next to one another and bouncing up and down to make the tripod/plants wobble. So childish, so much fun......)

Firstly six views of the AGS display.

[Peter Maguire]

- John Amand had another wonderful display of woodland, bulbous plants
- also on the Amand display, these rather fine Geranium maderiense plants, standing tall on aerial roots, rather like small flowering mangroves
- Harrogate also is home to a competitive daffodil display. One year I went around the competiton with a friend who is a daffodil enthusiast and enjoyed it, but I'm afraid I can't normally get excited about flowers displayed like this.
- There is also a tulip competition, but by the time we arrive on the Saturday, they are normally looking rather sad, the cut flowers having been in vases for several days. This year the Bradford and North of England Tulip Society had this fabulous display nearby. Strangley enough it was in real life what Jon Evans had created in a digital photograph at the Loughborough show this year (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3170.60)

[Peter Maguire]

Five views of Kevock Garden's nusrery display

Also Rob Potterton's display, with a closer view of his Gentiana acaulis

[Peter Maguire]

Edrom Nurseries always have a good display, with large drifts of plants which are very photogenic.

- Firstly three general views of their display
- Anemone prattii
- Anemonella thalictroides 'Amelia'
- Calanthe sieboldii
- Calanthe discolor

[Peter Maguire]

More from Edrom:
- Cypripedium Inge
- Epimedium Amber Queen
- Primula reidii
- And finally, I didn't get a picture of the Hartside Nursery whole display, but they has this rather nice Primula szechuanica on the stand. I hope I've colour balanced it correctly, it is actually a greenish-yellow.