Blackpool Show 13th March 2010

[Maggi Young]

I think Corydalis can be very tricky to photograph at the best of times; the colours are so odd in real life, never mind through a lens!  Two good plants there, for sure.

[Maggi Young]

not sure who Brian Duncan is but is a nice plant

George, Brian Duncan is the Northern Irish Narcissus expert and breeder, former head of the  RHS Daffodil committee .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3337334/Growing-for-gold.html

[veteran vet]

Crocus kosaninii Ian Kidman, best crocus in show
Crocus kosaninii...a different view
Crocus scepusiensis Dave Riley, not seen this name before, looks v like C heuffelianus as I exhibit it
Crocus scepusiensis Dave Riley...different angle
Cyclamen alpinum Dave Riley...this was a lovely plant, my picture does not do it justice
 

[Lesley Cox]

Warm and grateful thanks to all who posted these super images of such fantastic plants. The Iris rosenbachiana does it for me but so do many others.
The mini gardens intrigue me. Obviously they're not planted up the day before the show. How long does it take for them to establish and grow to show quality and how long can they be maintained at this level. Are they dismantled soon after and replanted with smaller plants for a later occasion? I was delighted to notice the little single flower of the blue Houstonia in the front of Mandy's.

[veteran vet]

The Farrer medal plant cyclamen coum from Mike & Christine Brown
C coum again, the Farrer plant from a different view and using flash
Cyclamen coum again this time from Robin Pickering
Eranthis tubergenii 'Guinea Gold' from Tommy Anderson, one of many he had on display
Iris rosenbachiana 'purple'  Peter Bland

[veteran vet]

For the Dionysia lovers
Dionysia afghanica cross EGW-MK 01-01-7 Ian Kidman
Dionysia archibaldii 'Tora' Robin Pickering
Dionysia bazoftica Ian Kidman
Dionysia monica hybrid MK 94-2 R&S Johnson
Dionysia monika F&B Hoyle

[veteran vet]

Fritillaria alburyana Jean Wyllie...she was as pleased  as punch with her first with this lovely frit
Narcissus 'Betty Mae' Jean Wyllie, never mind in NZ, how about over here
Narcissus 'Betty Mae' close up
Narcissus 'Ellie Grace' Terry Mitchel...its first flowering from a cross that he made, lovely thing..saw it being carried in and thought 'thats nice'
Narcissus asturiensis Colin Wibberley...still takes a lot of beating on the Narcissus front as long as Betty Mae not around
Narcissus cyclamineus...sorry did not get the exhibitors name....Keith Lever had lots of this for sale at the start of the show, all gone by early afternnon

[veteran vet]

Slowly getting through my pictures, we were there by 8.00am as Ian Kidman, who was driving, likes an early start. As a result plenty time to take too many pics
Primula allionii 'Peter Burrow' Brian Burrow
Primula allionii 'Elizabeth Burrow' F&B Hoyle....this is a lovely cultivar
Primula allionii 'Anna Griffith' M&C Brown
Primula petelottii K&R Lever, you do not see this too often, had it once when I exhibited it at Harrogate...was dead two weeks later
Primula megasaefolia Ben Nottingham

[veteran vet]

Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' Alan Spenceley...as big a pot full as I have ever seen in pristine condition
Primula nana alba Don Peace
Primula nana Hazel Nottingham
Ranuculus asiaticus red, sorry that I did not get the exbitors name who also exhibited the yellow form next --it's Darren Sleep!
Ranunculus asiaticus yellow
Tecophilia cyanocrocus Mavis Allanson

[veteran vet]

I think I am nearly at an end (you will be pleased to know)
Saxifraga 'Allendale Grace' Tommy Anderson
Saxifraga burseriana 'Gloria' Margaret Pickering
Saxifraga iranica Edward Spencer
Saxifraga 'Karel Kapek' Mark Childerhouse...as large a specimen as I have ever seen. In my opinion this is a high quality saxifrage, difficult to present in a pristine condition, seldom seems to catch the judges eye when faced with other hybrid domes, perhaps they should try growing it!!!
Saxifraga 'Louis Armstrong' John Richars...a massive potfull and I thought it was newish in cultivation..really good colour
Saxifraga Paul Rubens Mark Childerhouse...as soon as I saw this on the bench it was on my 'want' list, for once the picture does the plant justice
Iris winowgradowii G Young...I see the question as too how long...no real idea...original bit came from Eric Watson, tried in the garden...where it does fine...but like it too much so dug some up and just kept on doing well in a pot so thats where it stays. The bits in the garden are now 'gone' (swamped by a shrub) so I am glad that I salvaged my bit many years ago. It was no where near a Farrer plant Cliff (but thanks all the same) as there was some bulbs that did not produce flowers at the right time. Robert Rolf gave me a 'bollocking' for a) putting a nn in winow and b) for not watering the plant all over to achieve an even flowering....suitably chastised   

[veteran vet]

Lesley, troughs can either be quite old or 'done up' for the show. Although I did not photograph it at Blackpool the Open section troughs had a trough that had to have been done for years as there were cushions etc that were of a size that indicated age/been there for a long time. Other exhibitors try a different tack and have 'holes' in their tufa...very commonly used in exhibition troughs...and slip in plants from small pots into each hole to make a complete trough 'in season', skilled growers can do this and it is difficult to guess that that is what has been done. Over the next few shows I go to I will try to take pictures for you and ask the exhibitor the relevant questions

[Diane Clement]

Over the next few shows I go to I will try to take pictures for you and ask the exhibitor the relevant questions 

Both exhibitors of mini-gardens at Blackpool are here on the forum and I am sure that will join in the discussion! 

[Diane Clement]

Ranuculus asiaticus red, sorry that I did not get the exbitors name who also exhibited the yellow form next
Ranunculus asiaticus yellow 

The Ranunculus asiaticus yellow and red were exhibited by forumist Darren Sleep

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks George, that would be of great interst to me.

Narcissus 'Betty Mae' was bred in New Zealand so it would be reasonable to expect a few bulbs to be around among local growers. I don't know of any but then the "centre" of alpine growing is Christchurch and I'm a bit isolated down in Dunedin. She is certainly a delightful hybrid but should be easy enough to duplicate the cross for similar results.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Lesley,
There is an old thread from 2008 here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2591.msg59268#msg59268

That shows Mandys gardens in their earlier stages. New material is added as plants get too big and to add interest. Some of the plants in Mandy's gardens are rooted directly into the tufa.
They stay outside all the time, except night before the show when Mandy has titivated them and dressed them up. They were all under 2" of snow about 4 weeks ago.
That where a lot of my smaller seedlings go if I don't hide them from her. There is also some evidence of bulbs that were inserted last year starting to show.