Edinburgh and the Lothians show 2010

[Maggi Young]

Peter, do you have any more information on Jeffersonia dubia alba?  Do you know where this beautiful albino form originated from?

I am very interested in Jeffersonia, and grow lots of both species (dubia and diphylla).  While I've seen varying hues in dubia, from lavender to good blue, have never seen any approaching white... glad to see this one. 

 Well, McMark, I've heard from Cyril about the Jeffersonia...... he says:

"I believe the pure white form of Jeffersonia dubia is naturally occurring with the same distribution as the type colour, i.e. Manchuria and Eastern Russia.  I had heard about it for quite some time and wanted to get hold of it.  I asked the audience at a lecture I gave at the Stirling show.  This paid off as Neil Huntley form Hartside Nurseries told me that Robin White (of Daphne fame) had plants.  I was able to arrange to get 2 plants from Robin in 2000.  Both plants are still here, one in a pot and one in the open ground.  The plant I showed at Edinburgh is probably 12 years old.  The smaller plant I showed in the 3 pans from seed class was a seedling from the big plant.  I have raised many seedlings and the vast majority turn out to be pure white but I have had a couple sowing the more usual lavender-blue colour.
Best regards
Cyril"

[Peter Maguire]

Back to the pictures
- Rhododendron 'Rose Elf' (Stan da Prato)
- Tecophilea cyanocrocus violacea (Cyril again). This is a real challenge to photograph; the original digital file came out blue, just like the type form, and just the sort of blue we could never achieve with slide film. I've done a bit of fancy post-processing, and this is approximately correct, altohugh I notice that all the pictures I'm posting are slightly cold in colour, my monitor must need calibrating)
- Pulsatilla 'Budapest' (Eileen Goodall). This was in the class for a plant dug from the open ground within ten days of the show, so you must forgive the spotting on the out of focus petals behind 
- Primula veris (Mike Dale)
- Saxifraga georgei (Carole and Ian Bainbridge) - and they said they had no presentable plants after snow broke over 20 panes of glass in their alpine house. This won the best Saxifrage trophy.

[Lesley Cox]

That certainly is a very nice form of Iris albomarginata, if my own version is anything to go by. Mine may not be true of course (AGS seed) and I've never though it worth a photograph even.

[Peter Maguire]

Lesley, there was another form in the show, which won a first prize for John Lee, which was ok, until you turned around and saw the form that the RBGE were showing 

Last batch of photos for tonight (more tomorrow)
- Sempervivum 'Lion King' (Graham Catlow, of Pleione forrestii fame). This didn't win a first in its class, but I really liked the way in which it was presented. You can't see from the photo, but it was growing in a shallow terracotta saucer, of the type that you would stand a pot in, and the aged rocks made it look very natural. The whole thing was no more than a copule of inches high above the table.
- Rhododendron 'Plover' (Jane and Alan Thompson). A very 'girly' pink!
- Aeonium tabuliforme (Stan da Prato). Just a portion of the rosette, which was about the size of a dinner plate (and we're talking big portions here folks!)
- Anemonella thalictroides 'Schoaf' (someone called Cyril....)
- Tulipa polychroma (John Lee). This won the prize for best bulbous plant in the show.

[TheOnionMan]

Last batch of photos for tonight (more tomorrow)
- Sempervivum 'Lion King' (Graham Catlow, of Pleione forrestii fame). This didn't win a first in its class, but I really liked the way in which it was presented. You can't see from the photo, but it was growing in a shallow terracotta saucer, of the type that you would stand a pot in, and the aged rocks made it look very natural. The whole thing was no more than a copule of inches high above the table.
- Anemonella thalictroides 'Schoaf' (someone called Cyril....)
- Tulipa polychroma (John Lee). This won the prize for best bulbous plant in the show.

I'm pleased to see a semp featured here, and probably one of the darkest ones I've ever seen, and skillfully potted and presented.  Does anyone know more about this one, is it a David Ford hybrid?

Is there an Amenonella thalictroides cultivar just named simply "Schoaf"

For those people who attended the show, they were certainy treated with the incredible perfume of T. polychroma blooms.  I said it before and will say it again, this is by far my very favorite Tulipa species.

[Lesley Cox]

Well probably 'Schoaf' is enough just as is Cyril. for an ID. I've seen it as 'Shoaf's Double' or as 'Oscar Schoaf.' Presumably they're the same. Which is correct though? Neither lives with me.

I really like that Sempervivum too, almost a stone colour itself. It seems it takes many shows and much discussion for judges to change the ways they view some entries. They seem to hate anything that is not just the same as it has always been done. A different kind of presentation seems always to be frowned upon. Pity, when the plant itself is excellent. But of course we haven't seen the winning semp.

[TheOnionMan]

Well probably 'Schoaf' is enough just as is Cyril. for an ID. I've seen it as 'Shoaf's Double' or as 'Oscar Schoaf.' Presumably they're the same. Which is correct though? Neither lives with me.

I really like that Sempervivum too, almost a stone colour itself. It seems it takes many shows and much discussion for judges to change the ways they view some entries. They seem to hate anything that is not just the same as it has always been done. A different kind of presentation seems always to be frowned upon. Pity, when the plant itself is excellent. But of course we haven't seen the winning semp.

Well, there is an Anemonella thalictroides 'Schoaf's Double Pink' (often listed as 'Shoaf's Double Pink', the "c" dropped, but the person's name was a Mr. Schoaf), I'm not aware of any cultivar simply name 'Schoaf'... probably just a "shortening" of the full name.

I wonder if the UK shows have a Sempervivum entry, or more likely, a Crassulaceae entry?  I'm completely inspired by the naturalistic potting of the Sempervivum 'Lion King' here, and I want to try ro emulate it.

[TheOnionMan]

Well, McMark, I've heard from Cyril about the Jeffersonia...... he says:

"I believe the pure white form of Jeffersonia dubia is naturally occurring with the same distribution as the type colour, i.e. Manchuria and Eastern Russia.  I had heard about it for quite some time and wanted to get hold of it.  I asked the audience at a lecture I gave at the Stirling show.  This paid off as Neil Huntley form Hartside Nurseries told me that Robin White (of Daphne fame) had plants.  I was able to arrange to get 2 plants from Robin in 2000.  Both plants are still here, one in a pot and one in the open ground.  The plant I showed at Edinburgh is probably 12 years old.  The smaller plant I showed in the 3 pans from seed class was a seedling from the big plant.  I have raised many seedlings and the vast majority turn out to be pure white but I have had a couple sowing the more usual lavender-blue colour.
Best regards
Cyril"

Thanks Maggi, you're a maggician!

[Mick McLoughlin]

I wonder if the UK shows have a Sempervivum entry, or more likely, a Crassulaceae entry?  I'm completely inspired by the naturalistic potting of the Sempervivum 'Lion King' here, and I want to try ro emulate it.

Mark,
The AGS shows certainly have classes for Crassulaceae and also separte ones for Sempervivum, often as Sempervivum or Jovibarba.
Cheers
Mick
P.S. I'll try and remember to post some photos from next show I'm at for you.

[Gail]

Mark,
The AGS shows certainly have classes for Crassulaceae and also separte ones for Sempervivum, often as Sempervivum or Jovibarba.
Cheers
Mick
P.S. I'll try and remember to post some photos from next show I'm at for you.

In the meantime here is Sempervivum ciliosum var. galicicum from the London Show last week.

[Maggi Young]

That's a good one, Gail.... looks like a futuristic townscape!  


I have some more pix of semps at the show.... but still no time to post them yet!

McMark... have a look in the show section here....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4789.0 ......you will download all the Scottish Show Schedules there.... you can plan your entry!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great show and superb plants once again !!! 
Thanks for sharing Peter - I'm sure there's lots more to come... 

[Ragged Robin]

Sempervivum 'Lion King' (Graham Catlow, of Pleione forrestii fame)

Congratulations to Graham on both accounts - the naturalistic presentations are absolutely lovely and add another dimension to the overall look of the plants I think    This is how Sempervivum grow naturally here in the Alps hugging aged rocks!

[Ragged Robin]

More from Edinburgh - The Royal Botanic Garden again put on a fantastic display;
- first the display overall, then the plants;
- Iris albomarginata (a good form)
- Iris vicaria
- Iris aucheri 'Olof'
- Fritillaria hermonis amana
- Muscari tenuiflorum

Thanks for such a terrific photo report Peter and I enjoy your comments    The RBGE display looks magnificent and the above you singled out are a dream - especially Iris vicaria, looking so delicate set against their backdrop.

[TheOnionMan]

In the meantime here is Sempervivum ciliosum var. galicicum from the London Show last week.

Thanks Gail, that's a stunner, looks like something from another world.  I grow S. ciliosum var. borisii, an essential species for any semp collection; I've not heard of var. galicicum before.

So, I just started a Sempervivum and Jovibarba thread, where I show a color time progression on a planter I have containing 2 semp and 1 Jov.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5315.msg147736#msg147736

Maggi, looking forward to more splendidly grown Semps in UK plant shows when you have time.

Thanks