Dunblane Early Bulb Day Saturday 17th February 2007

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for all the people pics especially. Always great for me down here to see the faces which go with the names, especially Brian Wilson in this instance, as he recently and most kindly sent me some non-running Sorbus seed. (It had to fly to get here!)

[Maggi Young]

I've been getting my wires crossed again;  I gave you wrong info on Betty Mae!
Narcissus 'Betty Mae' was raised by Joan Whillans, near Ashburton in NZ, who named the plant after her good friend, Betty Clark.  Betty Clark, a narcissus hybridiser has produced some very interesting little narcissus crosses, including the very showy N.  bulbocodium x tenuifolium hybrid , registered as 'Twin Stars'. This is a real corker that, like 'Betty Mae'  we await reaching a wider audience with impatience!!
I'm sorry for the "duff gen" as we say here, I'm afraid that if I don't have notes in large type right in front of my eyes, I am liable to forget anything and everything!
I send my warmest congratulations to Joan and to Betty for the succes of 'Betty Mae' in Jean's tender care. Jean, known affectionately to us as "the Wyllie Wifie" ( Think "Wile E." Coyote, as you read it)
also had some good news to share with another friend, Lyn Bezzant, when an Award of Preliminary Commendation was made to Jean's pot of Crocus tommasinianus 'Lyn's Pink' . This really pretty "tommy" arose in the garden of Lyn and her husband Ron's former garden in Bearsden quite some years ago.
Lyn and Ronald, founder members of the "Dwarf Bulb Group" who began the Early Bulb Day, now garden at Port of Menteith and are as fond of bulbs as ever, and are a popular presence at Dunblane Day. They are also always working hard at the  Stirling Show where Ronald can be seen compiling the results, quietly and thoroughly, while Lyn might be helping there, or judging. Busy people and the lifeblood of our club.

[brian h brocklehurst]

Great day and talks by janis. Well worth the travel from Dundee.

Brian H B.

[Maggi Young]

Speaking of busy people, the day would have been much less of a success without the input in the kitchen from La Wyllie, her two daughters ( and their little ones), the whole clan were beavering about. They were joined in their herculean efforts ( there were a LOT of very hungry mouths to feed) by Anne Leven, Graeme Butler and Willie Campbell plus, from down south, Brenda Newton, Alan ("the Newt") Newton and David (I may just get some more kittens) Boyd.  These three generous folk came up at crack of dawn with a car load of fab plants to show and worked and played all day and helped in any way they could to make everyone's day a real pleasure. And in the evening, when some of us were safely on our bus back to Aberdeen, they  visited some gardens and then partied... really, nothing virtual this time!

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Brian, welcome to the Forum. Sorry not to have made your aquaintence in the happy throng yesterday!

More news from DEB Day tomorrow!

[Ian Y]

A few more pictures for today.
First Crocus tommasinianus 'Lyn's Pink'.
Snow Drops at the Joint Rock Plant Committee.
Galanthus 'Wedding Dress'
Corybas dienenicus, the smallest plant in the display .
A beautiful selection of Hellebore flowers.

[Anthony Darby]

That wee Australian orchid (Corybas dienenicus) was very special. I can see why it is called the "Helmet Orchid". Certainly never seen one like it before, but this genus is now on my wants list.

[Maggi Young]

I thought the Corybas was enchanting, like two little mouths, singing their hearts out !
 The helmet link is there too, of course, but the way the two flowers were leaning together just made me think of singers. Whole plant barely visible to the naked eye, bless it. I don't know whose plant it was, so if you're readingthis, please don't take great offense: I thought it a pity that such an exquisite plant was presented so haphazardly, in a pot that did nothing to compliment the plant and with the compost/dressing level so far down that the whole thing was nearly below the rim. I know that this is a display, not a show, but a little cutie like this orchid deserves a nicer stage dressing than this! Think how much better it could have looked. Only aesthetics, I know, but that is important too.
This brings me to another point that I have been struck with ( and how long is the queue of fpolks out there waiting to strike me, I wonder?) elsewhere in pictures on the forum. it seem to me that a lot of the plants we see pictured in pots are planted so far down the pot as to look positively sunken. I realise that a goodly gap is handy to allow a thorough soaking, but filling the difference with an appropriate top dressing can achieve that and still make the pot look good.  Are some of you just too mean to use  enough compost to fill your pots sufficiently?

[SueG]

Haha It was an orchid - I thought it was but wasn't certain (and had never heard of the genus)
Thanks to all who worked very hard and made the day so enjoyable, the traffic gods were also on side and the journey there and back was painless. The talks were good fun and some of the plants show were just amazing. It was worth coming back to Dunblane a second time to hear!
A couple of pictures of plants, first Narcissus x susannae ( I took this as I like plants named after me. . . . )
Petrocosmea grandiflora and
an asarum to encourage my much smaller plants to grow, grow, grow

Sue

[Maggi Young]

That was a most satisfying post-prandial rant, I'll get back to the gossip and news now.

I have mentioned the whirlwind of activity generated around the tearoom but sweat was being generated elsewhere in the halls, of course... or at least the odd "glow"... these places are always too warm! At the SRGC Plant Stall, the reins were in the firm  but gentle hands of Jean Broome and Hazel Smith who were joined  as always, by Helen Greenwood from Aberdeen, and by Nan McKay and the wonderfully named, Chip Lima.
 Chip had taken the day off from his work, selling plants to come to Dunblane to... sell plants. He lives and works in Scotland, he didn't come over from his home in the USA for the day!  Helen G. would endure any hardship, even having to get up at 6 in the morning ( and for Helen, trust me, this IS a REAL hardship) to come to Dunblane for Bulb Day. From the very first days, back in the Braeport school, helen has been a faithfull supporter. Initially she and I were "head tea girls", bringing fresh "butteries" ( a local Aberdeen delicacy, a sort of bread roll) down with us, warming the butter as best we could en route, to allow an early start to the day's browsing  by hungry gardeners. After a little while we progressed to the plant stall to help Jean and Hazel and Helen is still there, whereas I went over to less onerous duties, such as going with the speaker to lunch, and so on! I haven't been needed in that capacity for a while, so I am now just schmoozing, answering a few quries and cuddling everyone in sight that I know, I am so pleased to see them all, after a long break since the AGM.

Henry and Margaret Taylor bring the huge projection screen along and wrestle it into position.
Sandy Leven does everything, usually all at once. The BD fiddles with the sound system, and the nursery folks try to keep everyone supplied with plants and advice.
This year, because there is the big hoohaa over the scottish snowdrop festival, the display hall was open during the talks to allow other visitors to see the array of fab plants.  Sandy didn't think he was likely to get a volunteer from the ranks of the active memberhip to provide a stewarding service at this time, so the Wyllie Wifie's daughters, Susie and Karen, or should that be Karen and Susie ( they're both tall and blonde, I forget which is the elder of the two!), who used to work like troopers at SRGC shows in their youth, when they were active members of the club, came "out of retirement" as it were to lend a hand as stewards. They didn't stop there, as I said already, they were very busy in the kitchen as well, and their little ones were there, too, clearing dishes. Very good of them to help out. it takes a lot of hands to make the proverbial light work of such events.

[Maggi Young]

Narcissus x susannae is one of our favourites, Sue. We couldn't get it so Ian had to adopt the Blue Peter principle and make one himself! Very nice job he made of it, too, she is a lovely soul. I don't know who had brought that one to Dunblane. The display is not only non-competititve, it is largely anonymous, too!

[Maggi Young]

Lesley, your cake title may be in danger again, I spotted Sue G. with a couple of slices of a really sticky and yummy concoction that was full of cherries and other goodies; turned out to be a banana cake... not like any banana cake I've ever seen, much more fancy. This girl is up and coming, that's all I'll say!


Susie and Karen's children were not the littlest visitors, there was a small, smiley baby who was very well behaved and I think he was the grandson of Sue and Mike Thornley, of the famous rhododendron garden, Glenarn. Friendly chap, whoever!

Julia Corden from Pitlochry was determined to not to miss out on the day, even though she was on crutches following a back/leg injury. She had trouble persuading partner John Graham to let her attend but at least it meant hat the were both there to join in the fun.

[Maggi Young]

Here are some pics of folks I've mentioned cheating by using pix from elswhere but thought it worth it to let you put faces to the names.
This is Forumist Susan Band, who was making sure Janis and his wife Guna, who were staying with Jean and Tom Band (Sue's folks), were in the right place at the right time. Can you tell me why this woman would prefer to be known as a meconopsis in her ID pic?


this is Willie Campbell, taken from last years' Stirling show report, he was working there too, taking the entrance money on that occasion:

No, this is Ian Steele

THIS  is Willie Campbell!

[Maggi Young]

In a day of excitment and fun, there was someone missing from the line-up who was, indeed SORELY missed! Ordinarily, the first person we see when the bus arrives and we all tumbe out and into the hall, is the tall, smiling figure of Glassford Sprunt, complete with camera and notepad. This year, he was nowhere to be found... poor Glassford, he was at home, suffering from a filthy cold and cough. Everyone was asking where he was and I imagine he could have been suffering extra symptoms of " burnin'  lugs", as his ears reddened with so many folks talking about him! we all send our fondest "get well wishes" to Glassford, it just wasn't the same without him.
Here's the man himself, in better fettle,


I'll be expecting extra hugs next time to make up for missing out on Saturday Glassford!

[Anthony Darby]

Willie Campbell seems to be heavily diguised as Ian Steele
I was going by the names Sandy had put in a show report: thought he'd (Willie)got a lot thinner!M