Alpine Garden Society Anniversary Conference Sept. 2009

[Maggi Young]

Before the next AGS SHOW comes around,  there is a Weekend Conference to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the AGS:
"Down in the Woods" is the title for the weekend, though I doubt that many teddy bears or picnics will be involved...... the event will be held at the Holiday Inn, Bridgefoot, Stratford-upon-Avon 18-20 September 2009 and is being organised by the Oxford & District  AGS Group.

See more details at this link on the AGS website:  

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/events/AGS+th+Anniversary+Weekend+Conference/191/

[Diane Clement]

I doubt that many teddy bears or picnics will be involved......  

Aw, Maggi, I'm disappointed about that ...

However, there is the great temptation of a certain Ian Young speaking about woodland bulbs.  An event not to be missed!

[tonyg]

I'm lecturing to Bristol AGS Group on the friday evening - so I might get to the Saturday of the event but £50 for the 4 lectures plus a spot of lunch .... I'll have to put my lecture fee up a bit
I would add that the SRGC Discussion weekend Saturday price is just £40 ... AND includes morning coffee , lunch plus afternoon tea.  Oh and the BD apart the lectures in Scotland are more tasty too but perhaps that depends on your interests.

[Maggi Young]

Ian is hoping that at some point he will be contacted by the organisers  (deafening silence so far and no replies to questions) .... to find out just what the set-up is.....all he knows so far is what has been published as a programme. Not entirely satisfactory, I must say!  

[Maggi Young]

Weekend conference to celebrate the 80th Jubilee of the AGS - "Down in the woods"

Holiday Inn, Bridgefoot, Stratford-upon-Avon 18-20 September 2009
The Oxford & District Group are organising a weekend conference to be held at the Holiday Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon, venue of the successful conference in 2007. The theme will be the choice woodland plants that are grown by so many alpine gardeners, including trilliums, orchids, cyclamen, snowdrops and hellebores, and the wealth of exciting new introductions from Asia from Arisaema to Zingiber.

Programme
Friday, 18 September
16.00-18.30 Registration
18.45 onwards Dinner
20.30-21.45 Growing in the shade - Dr. John Good
Saturday, 19 September
9.00-9.30 Late registration
09.30-10.45 Woodland Bulbs - Ian Young
10.45-11.15 Coffee
11.15-12.30 The Genus Arisaema - Guy Gusman
12.30-13.30 Lunch
13.30-15.15 Free time
15.15-16.30 Wol Staines of Glen Chantry Nursery
16.30-17.00 Afternoon tea
17.15-18.30 Temperate Plants in the Tropics: a Gardener’s Tour of Tropical Mountains  - Dr Bill Baker
19.30 Pre-dinner drinks (cash bar)
20.00 Conference dinner
21.45 Plant auction
Sunday, 20 September
10.00-10.45 Putting the Wood in the Woodland - Dr John Grimshaw
10.45-11.15 Coffee
11.15-12.30 Shady Characters - Chris Bailes
12.30-13.45 Lunch
13.45-15.00 Phillip Cribb on plant explorations in Asia
15.00-15.30 Afternoon tea
15.30-16.45 Choice Woodland Plants - Nigel Rowlands
16.45 Close

[Maggi Young]

We're off early tomorrow morning to travel to the wild lands of middle England for this Anniversary Conference.

Feels rather odd in the light of the recent sad death of AGS Presidnet Frank Tindall not to be expecting his friendly welcome there, but I'm sure that everyone will make an effort to have a good time to celebrate Frank's long connection with the AGS, as well as marking the 80th Anniversary of the Alpine Garden Society.
 I hope we will see many of you there........ travel safe .... and we'lll try to do the same! 

[mark smyth]

when the cat is away the meeces will play 

Have a good trip

[Martinr]

Look forward to meeting you and Ian again Maggi as well as lots of other Forumists.

I wonder if there are any handy Via Ferrata in Stratford

[Maggi Young]

Crikey, Martin.... I hope not!


Mark..... while I may not be watching quite so closely as usual... I do believe that English hotels have internet connections, so don't get any fancy ideas!! 

[Diane Clement]

I wonder if there are any handy Via Ferrata in Stratford    

I hope so, I'd like another good picture with the mega gentians 

See you there 

[shelagh]

I thought there would be a report of the AGS Conference up here by now, or was it such a boozy do it passed you all by in a haze?

[Maggi Young]

Shelagh, I can't imagine what you mean.
A brief rundown then, of the weekend's activities.........
Friday, Arrive Stratford. Eat.
Chat with folk. Eat.
Conference opens with news of the death of President Frank Tindall, of which some had been unaware.
Determination made by all to make the most of the weekend in honour of Frank.
Listen to opening talk..... John Good on woodland ecology "Growing in the Shade"..... lots of good (!) advice on mulching, habitat requirements of woodland plants .....
Drink. Sleep.
Wake. Eat. Talk by Bulb Despot on woodland bulbs...tie-in with John as to plants' needs etc.
Eat, drink coffee.
Talk by Guy Gusman on "the Genus Arisaema" ;super to have Guy and Liliane across to talk on a popular genus which is rather neglected in most talks.
Eat.   Some free time to digest food.
Wol Staines gave us a talk on the woodland plants at Glen Chantry ...and what a delightful garden that looks at all times of the year.
Eat and drink tea.
Then Bill Baker gave a presentation on Temperate plants in the Tropics and upset an elderly lady in the audience with a comment about an "old dear" (who had done more for a conservation project of a brown hen bird than the official attempt by dint of feeding some regularly with tapioca or some such  )
Quick wash and brush up then drinks in the bar before dinner.
After dinner, an auction, with all sorts of goodies.... Amorphophallus Konjac, fab Arisaemas etc..... I bought 3 snowdrops,( gave one to my pals Miriam and Hester to grow and chit) and John Grimshaw's new tree book.
Drink. Sleep.
Wake. Eat. First Sunday talk, John Grimshaw on..... trees, with , of course, plugs for new tree book!!
John risked life and limb by making a disparaging comment about Rhodos : I remonstrated loudly: Bob Brown and some other sensible gardeners of taste agreed with me!
Eat, drink coffee.
Chris Bailes from Rosemoor talked on "Shady Characters", which turned out not to be as scurrilous as some had hoped..... shade-loving plants!
Eat.
Phillip Cribb energised us after lunch with an account of the 2009 AGS tour to Western China and the fine plants seen thereon.
Eat, drink tea.
Event rounded off or perhaps counted out, by Nigel Rowlands who showed us "Choice Woodland Plants", though by that stage we had seen a lot of those!
Then everyone either left to return home or went for a restorative cup of tea, before going out for a walk to generate appetite for dinner.

There were plants for sale over the weekend from various nurserymen, but, having flown down, I steadfastly ignored these to avoid temptation. Others who indulged may have more details.


If anyone was put off by the theme of "Down in the Woods", they need not have been... there was still much talk of other plantings than purely woodland ones.... as for instance by the BD, who pointed out that as all of Scotland was in the shade, the lack of actual woodland need not trouble one too much if wishing to enjoy woodsy plants !




 

[tonyg]

If anyone was put off by the theme of "Down in the Woods", they need not have been... there was still much talk of other plantings than purely woodland ones.... as for instance by the BD, who pointed out that as all of Scotland was in the shade, the lack of actual woodland need not trouble one too much if wishing to enjoy woodsy plants !

So that's why I cannot grow woodland plants.  Norfolk sticks out so far into the North Sea that there's no shade anywhere 
Glad you enjoyed it .... and a bit jealous of all those lovely woodlanders.

[Ragged Robin]

Well, Tony and  I obviously missed out - only a quick snack pizza - we went a bit boreal but even that was a bit off the subject  - it would have been fun to zip up to Stratford on Avon and hear BD talk about woodland plants    

[Maggi Young]

Well, Tony and  I obviously missed out - only a quick snack pizza - we went a bit boreal but even that was a bit off the subject  - it would have been fun to zip up to Stratford on Avon and hear BD talk about woodland plants    

I see, Robin, that you have spotted the secondary theme of the weekend..... food!

I'm not the only person to enjoy the fact that there is almost as much eating as learning that goes on at such  events and the hotel did not let us down in that respect....