South Wales AGS Show-Saturday 13 February

[David Nicholson]

First Show of the season. Given the weather we have had it would come as no surprise if the benches were a bit sparse.

[Maggi Young]

Sometimes it is these "dodgy" seasons which provide the most surprising shows, David....  I hope that is the case in 2010.

I was speaking to Tim Lever of Aberconwy Nursery the other evening... they're going to Caerleon..... I was surprised to learn that it takes as long to journey to Caerleon for the show as it does for them to get to London! Tim was leaving very early this morning (Friday) ....  if others have made losses in the bad weather then business should be good for the plant stalls! 

 Safe trip to anyone attending.... hope to see some photos later!!

[Rob]

I've just got back from the show.

Given the weather we have had it would come as no surprise if the benches were a bit sparse.

I don't think it's fair to criticise the show, as it must take a huge amount of effort to stage, but David's comment above was prophetic.

I just hope that the show isn't abandoned, as it would be a shame to lose.

I'm just about to start going through my photos, so check back in a couple of hours.

[Maggi Young]

Well, if one year occasionally turns out to be sparsely supported because of a terrible season then that shouldn't affect the future events, surely?
Whether it is the weather during the run-up to a show, or really poor weather on the day, for travel and so on, or a local clash with some other big event, there will always be some years when things are a bit disappointing for those who work so very hard to stage the shows..... but usually in another twelve moonths you forget the pain and are ready to do it all again...... bit like a friend of mine who has seven children.......

Well done to the organisers and those who did attend and exhibit, that's for sure!

[David Shaw]

Well done to the organisers and those who did attend and exhibit, that's for sure!

Agreed wholeheartedly Maggie. I expect that we will have a similar situation at Dunblane next Saturday so it will be up to all attending to bring along what they can. I know my contribution will be small but "many a mickel makes a muckle", and similar phrases.

[Rob]

I've resized the first 10 photos.

Luit must be the hardest working forumist doing the reports on the weekly Lisse flowershow.

Jim & Jenny Archibald won the Farrer Medal with Colchicum Hungaricum.

Some coffee & walnut cake for Maggi.

[Martinr]

Looks pretty good to me considering the weather over the last couple of months. Cyclamen well ahead of mine, that's for sure!

[Maggi Young]

The benches may not have been  too well filled, Rob, but the quality of what is there looks very good indeed. The Farrer plant  shows a super potful of Colchicum and I see some great Cyclamen and even some pretty pots of snowdrops 
A goodly number of Dionysias there, too, I think... never mind the width.... feel the quality!

....and thanks for the coffee walnut cake, Rob.... very tasty indeed.... how sweet of you to remember my favourite!

[Maggi Young]

Another thought that strikes me about a show like this.... there is actually some space around the plants so you can see and appreciate each one.... sometimes , in a very crowded show, it is hard to do that because the pressure on the bench space is such that things are really too squashed .....it's nice to be able to admire each pot in its own space.
That is a variation on a comment made elswhere in the Forum recently....that a more sparsely planted pot, especially of bulbs, can look so much smarter than a stuffed full one, where you may not be able to see the proper charms of each flower.
 I do realise it is hard to convince some judges of that , of course! 

[David Nicholson]

Far better than I had supposed it might be and I'm very pleased for the organisers too.

Thanks for the pics Rob, to put a couple of names to faces in your Caerleon 0.1 are Bob and Di Darke, joint Secretaries of the South West AGS Show.

[Rob]

It is nice to have space to enjoy the plants, here are the next ten photos.

Thanks for putting names to faces. I don't know anyone in the AGS, my local branch would be Cotswold & Malvern not South Wales, but I'm not a member.

Iris katherine Hodgkin won the Isca Prize open section agregrate.
Narcissus jacetanus
Iris danfordiae
Galanthus whittington
Dionysia freitagii
Cyclamen coum
Abies koreana kohout

[annew]

That's an interesting white narcissus - don't suppose you know which one do you?

[Rob]

Sorry Anne, the label on the white narcissus was hidden, but I can tell you that it won class 20, when the results are on the AGS site it should be easy to find.

Cyclamen alpinum
Dionysia amethyst
Dionysia Peter Edwards
Dionysia tapetodes
Dionysia zdenek
Oxalis purpurea
Thuya nursery

[Rob]

Crocus biflorous nubigena
Crocus baytopiorum
Crocus paschei
Daubenya marginata
Eranthis pinnatifida
Hesperantha humilis
Iris hyrcana
Iris sindpers
Romulea bulbocodium
Saxifraga Allendale Elegance

[Onion]

Abies koreana kohout

Rob,

nice to see a photo of a German cultivar from nursery Kohout. Specialist in dwarf conifer cultivars.
The link to the nursery:
http://www.baumschule-kohout.de/