AGS Summer show (North) in Leeds

[Peter Maguire]

I know that competition is always intense to post the first pictures after a show, so I thought I'd try to be first this time with a picture of Cecelia Coller's Farrer medal winning Sarmienta repens. More will follow when I've had spomething to eat.

Peter

[Maggi Young]

Good Grief! What a whopper! Mrs Coller does have some of the most amazing plants.....I am always astounded at how many shows she attends and with such a super range of plants.
I expect you'll be ready for a good supper after a long day down to Leeds, Peter? I hope the weather was better than it has been here today, and that the awful flooding in the area we have seen on TV is abating and did not affect the attendance at the show.

[Peter Maguire]

Well, the weather was vastly improved - we even had some sunshine for, oh maybe ten minutes. The roads were dry and fairly empty as the dire weather forecasts meant that no-one was travelling, only the hardened plant-nuts.

Final batch for tonight, it's been a long day.

Campanula x GF Wilson, shown by Brian and Shelagh Smethurst
Cypripedium reginae alba, shown by John Hollingworth (apparently there was some discussion amongst the judges whether this was actually a hybrid)
Arisaema candidissimum, shown by Tony Rymer
Lilium nanum, another plant from Cecelia Coller

Peter

[Lesley Cox]

Some stunning plants there Peter, and very fine fotos. I'm looking forward to more please.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Thanks for starting the thread Peter, some great pictures. Assuming Cliff is away on holiday I'll add a few of my own.
Being my first year visiting shows I've no idea whether the quality or range of plants is up or down, but we saw a lot to interest us.
First a general view of the show benches.
Then a view of the another view of the Farrer winner showing it has just as many flowers on the reverse side.
There was also another Sarmienta repens that won a First in another class.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Some of the other classes.
A selection of 3 entries in the 3 pan class.
Another 3 pan entry.
3 pans of cushion plants.
The smaller cushion plants
and flower arrangements.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Next Hepatica nobilis var japonica are the leaves really that shiny.
Massonia species.
Paris polyphylla
and Ourisia polyantha 'cliftonville scarlet'.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Entering a bit of a blue phase now.
Starting with Wahlenbergia gloriosa.
Then a couple of Campanulas
Campanula ephisia and
Campanula garganica
Dactylorhiza foliosa
and two Roscoea humeana
'inkling' and 'Rosemoor plum'

[Mick McLoughlin]

A couple of Gladiolus.
Gladiolus geardi
and another one I didn't get the full name of Gladiolus i.......
does anybody know of a good source of these types of Gladiolus as I feel an interest coming on.
Back to the show another new one to me Monopsis unidentata.
Saxifraga cuscutiformis
and yet another new species (to me) Anomatheca laxa.

[Mick McLoughlin]

A few Arisaemas now, after my daughter had agreed to buy me a couple for fathers day, bless her.
Arisaema ciliata and detail.
Arisaema consanguineum
Arisaema formosissima
and Arisaema aff. utile

[Mick McLoughlin]

Final lot from me now.
A couple of Allium
Allium bollanderi
Allium crenulatum
to finish off 3 Rhodos
Rhododendron 'chipmunk'
Rhododendron nakahari
and Rhododendron 'pink pancake'

[Peter Maguire]

Nice pictures Mick, it's good to see well taken photos from the show bench as that's how most people see them.
In case you are wondering why my pictures seem to be 'staged', its was because I had been asked, along with Jon Evans, to records the pictures for the AGS bulletin show report. There are some advantages to this, as you get to officaily remove someone else's plant from the bench, replace it with an AGS card to explain why the plant isn't there, and photograph it under controlled conditions. The down side is that you have to work quickly to ensure the plant returns to the show bench as soon as possible so that the paying public have a chance to enjoy it, you can't start until the judging is complete and the show reporter gives you the list of plants that he wants a records of, and some of those pots are very heavy! Even with two of us sharing the repsonsibility, we finally got lunch and a cup of tea at three o'clock after a solid three hours work.

By the way, the full name of your second Gladiolus is Gladiolus illyricus, and I think I'm correct in saying that Ian Christie used to have this or a similar species on his list.

Here's a further batch from me (they've also been cross-posted on the AGS website):
Campanuls choruhensis (Tommy Anderson)
Rebutia costata (Chris Bowyer) - best plant in section B, but we did wonder why it wasn't in flower as we were photographing it.
Rosularia rechingeri (Chris Bowyer)
Allium bolanderi (Robert Rolfe)

More to follow.

Peter

[Peter Maguire]

A final batch for today.

Campanula shetleri (Cecilia Coller)
Roscoea humeana alba (er...., me)
Viola spathulata (Brian Burrow)
Dactylorhiza 'Eskimo Nell' (Tony Rymer)
Ourisia polyantha 'Cliftonville Scarlet' - detail (Lee & Julie Martin)

Peter

[fermi de Sousa]

Great pics, guys!
Mick, thanks for the pic of Campanula ephesia as I have one in bud (grown from Seedex seed) which I thought looked suspiciously like C. incurva, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hope it opens a nice blue like your pic.
Silverhill Seeds in South Africa sell most of the gladdies from that part of the world! Worth the wait for some of those delicate and very un-Edna like blooms! You could say, well above Everage!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Shame on you Fermi. Didn't Barry Humphries get something in the new Birthday honours list? I like the thought of Dame Barry.

I may be able to send you some seed in a couple of months Mick, of Gl. carmineus. It's a little beuty and quite short.