How do "they" do it? And should I be trying to do the same?

[Maggi Young]

On the main page of the SRGC website there is a menu box titled ‘Forrest Medal Winners’  .... this leads to the links shown here.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2001/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2002/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2003/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2004/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2005/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2006/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2007/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2008/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2009/forrest.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2010/index.html    .... where we can marvel at the spectacular plants which have been awarded the premier prize for a plant at our shows over the last few years.
These plants are, without doubt, very beautiful specimens, perfect in every way on that particular show day, and drawing gasps of admiration from the people viewing the show.

In the ‘Shows’ pages of the Forum we can enjoy thousands more photos of show plants, many of them nearly as perfect as the premier Medal winners.

For many folks, within the catchment areas of the UK shows of the SRGC or AGS, these photos act an an incentive for them to work hard to grow their own show plants and to enhance more show benches with wonderful plants from the mountain areas of the world.
And, believe you me, Show Secretaries and show visitors around the country are mightily grateful that they do! ‘No plants, no Show’ is a truism and the chance for a pleasant day out among friends and to enjoy some friendly competition is something that many SRGC members really enjoy and long may it continue.

But….. is this something that the wider membership aspires to? We have a huge international membership, across dozens of countries of the world, from where the UK shows are not really relevant, except as a spectator sport on the Forum. In many countries there is little or no history of plant shows as we know them in the UK.
Does this make the shows and the great growers who support them any less important to the membership, or the interests of the wider membership any less important to the exhibitors?

I’d say, “no” to both questions.  The shows, as well as providing a meeting place and showcase for the plants can serve to illustrate just what can be achieved with these plants in cultivation, in particular circumstances.
 The sharing of the photos of the shows in these pages lets the wider membership see what the UK folks are up to… and encourages them to share what they are growing in their gardens, and how the same plants may be performing under quite different growing regimes.

One thing that is common to all members, of course, is the delight in seeing photos of the plants in their native habitats which we are able to enjoy in the Forum through pictures from holiday or expedition trips or from the locale of members who are fortunate enough to live near areas of especial natural richness and beauty.


Some say that the perfection of show plants can be disheartening to beginners, who cannot imagine how it would ever be possible to produce one of these award winning plants. I would truly hope that such a reaction would be short-lived and soon put aside if one cares to enter the show scene. Show visitors will pay attention to the smallest entries and can take pleasure from every exhibit… it is not the case that only the “big boys” are noticed and appreciated.
For those of us not able to take part in Showing, for whatever reason, be it inclination or geography, need we really worry that our plants are not carbon copies of the Medal winners?
Should we stress about attaining the perfection of an even flowering of a cushion plant- which we read can be achieved by the dedicated exhibitor by turning the pot 45 degrees every other day?!
Do we need to worry that we have no cold frame or alpine house to cosset our plants in?
Or can we take a wider view? A more reasoned and balanced approach to our growing?

‘Reasoned and balanced’ does rather suggest criticism on the exhibitor’s methods, I realise that… though it is not my intention to decry their mindset in any way… rather I wish to illustrate that the skill of growing for exhibition is  something of an ‘extreme sport’ ! The majority of show plants are grown under cover… probably in a glass-house… rather grandly called an ‘Alpine House’ and in circumstances which are far removed from the natural habitat of the plant. Of course, depending on the climatic conditions where you live, it may be necessary to go to such lengths to be able to grow   certain plants at all, and that is a different matter. In all sorts of plant families  there will be cases when we as growers go to extraordinary lengths to provide happy living conditions for the plants in our care and if that level of commitment is for you, then carry on… and more power to you!

But is such extremism needed to grow happy plants that we can have in our gardens to enjoy, to remind us of wonderful mountain walks, whether taken by ourselves, or shared from those fortunate to experience such trips with us in the likes of the Forum?

Again, I’d say the answer is ‘ no’.

Wherever you live, there are bound to be some plants that will be happy in your garden and it is always a good idea to learn to love those… then if all else fails you will have something to look at!!

We all have varying levels of enthusiasm for making “special” growing conditions…. Some will go the whole alpine house route; other will prefer a few fish box troughs or a collection of pots on a balcony. Surely the perfect blessing of our membership and the breadth of our interest is that there is some chance for each of us to grow and delight in some of the mountain gems that so intrigue us.
Yes, some will produce perfect show specimens and some will have the luxury of expansive gardens where they can establish all sorts of mini-habitats and plant colonies but wherever we may fall in the scheme of things, we can take part and take pleasure.

Look at those wonderful Medal winning plants, marvel at their beauty…. But look too at the pictures on the Forum of those same plants in the wild. You will rarely, if ever, see the perfection of the show bench mirrored in nature. What you will see, at times are truly remarkable plants that do rival some of the Show Winners, but for the most part we see plants which are doing what these plants have always done to attract us; making their living in inhospitable surroundings and enchanting us with the delicacy of their beauty.


So, if the plants in your garden are not the equal of the Show Winners, don’t let it bother you too much. Yes, if you want to attempt that perfection then follow your inclination… or you could relax and be happy that a plant from some remote mountain top is gracing your life with  its appearance at all in  your garden… and revel in its determination to grow in what is likely a far cry from its ideal home!

[Maggi Young]

Look at those Forrest Medal Winners from the links in the post above above, and this photo (1) by Cliff Booker, of a lovely Saxifraga pubescens ‘SnowCap’ on a show bench…. Lovely, are they not?

Then look at these other photos in the next couple of posts, starting with a little plant of that same ‘Snow Cap’, in a raised bed in our Aberdeen Garden (2) and some other plants, which you will have seen in all their full and perfect glory on  the show benches,  living a happy enough life in our garden…. Are they the “equal” of the show plants?  No, but are they any less beautiful or capable of making two gardeners in North East Scotland happy?



The answer is ‘no’ , yet again…. So, rather a lot of positives to be gained from  my  row of negative responses…. Life is good for a gardener….. enjoy every minute!

Click on the photos to enlarge them.....

SAXIFRAGA PUBESCENS SNOWCAP- pic by Cliff Booker of a plant from the Harrogate Show2007.
Sax. 'SnowCap' in raised bed
Globularia in raised bed
Armeria
Androsace

[Maggi Young]

Some more pictures of quite "ordinary" plants enjoying life in our garden, in raised beds and troughs.... none of them show winners  but all giving us pleasure......

Click on the photos to enlarge them.....

foliage on slate crevice trough
slate trough
Erigeron
bulb-trough
garden_view
raised bed with Edraianthus
Morisia monantha
raised bed

[Gunilla]

It gives me great pleasure to follow the show reports and I do admire the beautiful show plants. Could never produce such perfect plants myself.
The "ordinary" plants in our gardens give daily pleasure and have a beauty of their own. They don't have to be perfect but Maggi, that silver foliage on slate is perfect beauty  

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Gunilla, I think the contrast of the silver foliage with  the  dark slate is lovely.... these little triumphs are so satisfying, are they not?

[David Nicholson]

I think another thing to bear is that without the losers there would be no competition and no Show. We all get tied up with the notion of "excellence" and I do think that sometimes the very good growers forget that they too were novices once. If you haven't had a go at showing then try it and it doesn't really matter if you don't bench a winner, the fact that you are benching something makes the Show.

[Maggi Young]

Good point David... after all, a fabulous ballet company may have a few soloists but the overall effect would be much the poorer without the corps de ballet and how impressive would a great symphony be with only a soloist and no orchestra ?

Wearing my Show Secretary's hat I urge as many of you to try showing as possible... it is great fun and the best way to meet others of our ilk, there's no doubt of that.

Speaking as someone who rarely shows now, having been part of a team who breezed our way around the Scottish SRGC Shows for some years, winning left , right and centre, often carting huge plants that, fair enough, did well on the benches, I must say that there is every bit as much fun from seeing a tiny seedling flower as there is in filling a car with show plants and coming home with red "first prize" cards.
There is such diversity in the plant world.... it's good to embrace that for ourselves and in our clubs, too!

[David Nicholson]

I sometimes think it should be a condition of the award of a Farrer or Forrest that the recipient give an impromptu ten minute workshop on their growing for showing methods for the benefit of growers entering Section C.

[ranunculus]

"Look at those wonderful Medal winning plants, marvel at their beauty…. But look too at the pictures on the Forum of those same plants in the wild. You will rarely, if ever, see the perfection of the show bench mirrored in nature. What you will see, at times are truly remarkable plants that do rival some of the Show Winners, but for the most part we see plants which are doing what these plants have always done to attract us; making their living in inhospitable surroundings and enchanting us with the delicacy of their beauty". A quote from Maggi's post above.

There are, of course, quite a number of plants that defy the showmen ... species that cannot be exhibited to a standard seen in the wild.  Thlaspi rotundifolium, Eritrichium nanum, Ranunculus glacialis to name just three - plants that soar above mere artifice - and long may they taunt us from their celestial perches. There must always be something to challenge the Lafongs and Rollinsons of this world.
Pulsatilla vernalis tried and failed, Androsaces and Dionysias made vain attempts.  The King of the Alps still laughs with contempt, the Glacier Crowfoot defies with derision.  Good on 'em!!!  

[t00lie]

[quote Look at those wonderful Medal winning plants, marvel at their beauty…. But look too at the pictures on the Forum of those same plants in the wild. You will rarely, if ever, see the perfection of the show bench mirrored in nature. What you will see, at times are truly remarkable plants that do rival some of the Show Winners
[/quote]

And when you do Cliff ,it just about takes your breath away  

Aciphylla pinnatifida
Ranunculus buchananii

Cheers Dave.

[ranunculus]

[quote Look at those wonderful Medal winning plants, marvel at their beauty…. But look too at the pictures on the Forum of those same plants in the wild. You will rarely, if ever, see the perfection of the show bench mirrored in nature. What you will see, at times are truly remarkable plants that do rival some of the Show Winners

And when you do Cliff ,it just about takes your breath away  
Cheers Dave.
[/quote]

I'm gasping Dave!!!   

[Tim Ingram]

Maggi, I am with you totally on this. I have never really shown other than to take along plants I have that I think other gardeners would find interesting (as I also do on and off at Group meetings). I think in some ways I have an aversion to competition, though I used to enjoy playing sports. That is not because I don't see the extraordinary beauty of the Show plants, but because a garden and what you do in it is more beautiful to me. I think the SRGC captures these two outlooks really well and my cheque is in the post!

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Tim.... much appreciated.

We are all delighted in the Aberdeen Group that the show last Saturday went well, with a lot of super plants on display in a colourful hall with many happy visitors enjoying the spectacle.....it was the happy faces of all the folks heading home with new plants for their gardens that is a lasting memory for me .... SRGC and AGS have the clue in their titles... GARDEN is right in there.... central to everything, I reckon.

[David Shaw]

You have a good point there, Maggie. Would it be a help if our promotional material had the word GARDEN in a more bold script?

[Maggi Young]

Porbably couldn't hurt, David... you'll have seen that the Club's new banners are pretty hot on the plants and gardens side of things....
 you'll see one of the banners majors on  "for people who love plants"