AGS Southport Show : Lancashire : 16th May 2009

[veteran vet]

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Campanula alpestris Graham Nicholls
Celmisia philocremna Alan Furness
Delphinium chrysotrichum v tsarongense George Young
Petrocosmea sericea Dave Mountford
Disporum smithii Riele ...sorry not got exhibitor

[ranunculus]

Super pictures George ... you should have been incapable of holding your camera still after having to shake so many hands ... many congratulations once again.

My final posting from Southport ...

Super rhodo'
The Smethursts talking plants with John Dower
Three rhodohypoxis
Thymus Peter Davies
Venue during staging
Wonderful rhodohypoxis
Beautiful calochortus
Calochortus close-up

[veteran vet]

Last few, its amazing the diversity of plants we get at our shows, we are very lucky to be able to see plants from all over the world at the shows throughout GB and it is a great thanks to the people who take the time and trouble to organise these events, time being in the short supply that it is to those of us who 'garden' in any shape or form. The Southport show was its usual high standard and I saw that the trade stands took very little home with them, another sign of a good day
Rhododendron sarled Peter Farkasch
Rhododendron camschaticum Carol Kellett
Rhododendron trichostomum Harry Roberts
Pinguicula grandiflora W&J Wright

[veteran vet]

Thanks again Cliff. I could not see the join pre and post lunch, your pics were of great quality, I always duck out of the really large plants because of too much background swamping the picture but here you seem to find a deserted show hall for some of your shots. Liked the close up of the Calochortus tolmiei (which I see that I misspelled in my pic), like calochortus but I have a job stopping them 'falling over' when they are in flower (nothing to do with the pub!)

[johnw]

Damn That's a good dark pink camtschaticum.

johnw

[ChrisB]

Super show, thanks everyone for posting pictures, I really do enjoy seeing them.  What a cracking good delphinium that is!

[Lesley Cox]

Wonderful to see a new batch of non-recycled plants, as the northern spring advances.
A question, those two stunning alliums had some of their leaves trimmed back, I suppose to get rid of brown tips. Are plants down-graded for this practice?

[Lesley Cox]

As an aside, Chris, I'm meeting your friend Jenny for lunch today. Always wanted to be a "lady who lunches."

[Diane Clement]

A question, those two stunning alliums had some of their leaves trimmed back, I suppose to get rid of brown tips. Are plants down-graded for this practice? 

No, they are not, Lesley, it has actually become the accepted practice for this group of alliums whose leaves are invariably going over by the time they are in flower. 

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Diane, I'm pleased to know that and must suggest the same for our couple of local shows. Common sense really, not only for the alliums (see the recent pics on the Allium thread) but also for oncocyclus irises and some summer flowering species like calochortus, gladiolus etc which bloom as their leaves die away.

[Maggi Young]

A question, those two stunning alliums had some of their leaves trimmed back, I suppose to get rid of brown tips. Are plants down-graded for this practice? 

No, they are not, Lesley, it has actually become the accepted practice for this group of alliums whose leaves are invariably going over by the time they are in flower. 

I have been very frustrated at times by complaints that a plant's leaves " are not perfect, look, they're dying back" when that is precisely what THAT plant DOES in nature, every year....... It irritates me hugely that folk cannot grasp that just as some plants flower with, before  or after their leaves emerge, that some also flower as their foliage is dying. I only hope all fellow judges are reading this!! 

[Diane Clement]

I have been very frustrated at times by complaints that a plant's leaves " are not perfect, look, they're dying back" when that is precisely what THAT plant DOES in nature, every year....... It irritates me hugely that folk cannot grasp that just as some plants flower with, before  or after their leaves emerge, that some also flower as their foliage is dying. I only hope all fellow judges are reading this!!   

OK, I do agree, but can I play devil's advocate as well.  Most plants will have spent flowers at the same time as good flowers and may have the odd nibbled leaf or (horror - an insect  ).  We remove spent flowers, nibbled leaves and creatures because they don't look good on the showbench.  So I suppose the quest for "looking good" rather than "looking as in nature" has led to the practice of trimming the leaves.     

[Maggi Young]

Oh, I don't mind the trimming, I object to objecting to the trimming !

[veteran vet]

I had not been aware of this practice till this year when I was educated by Robert Rolf on the whys and wherefores. I have 'treated' my own alliums at home this year when I thought it would improve their appearance and there is no doubt that the practice improves the display of the flowering stems. You/we will just have to keep knocking heads together to bring about a standard of common sense

[Maggi Young]

Ah, "common sense"..... that rarest of attributes!