Kent Spring AGS Show - Saturday 17th March

[Tim Ingram]

David Hoare, Show Secretary of the Kent Spring AGS Show at Rainham next Saturday, has reminded us that this is the 20th year of the Show! A great anniversary to celebrate of what has always been a most enjoyable Show... so we will have to lay on some cheap flights down to the south-east (!). I do hope Eric Jarrett's Trillium nivale will be coming, and a few other of those remarkable plants.

[Maggi Young]

David Hoare is himself well-known for his super plants at this (and other) shows... Saxifragas to drool over!

For a 20th Anniversary, I hope there will be EXTRA cake?!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

For a 20th Anniversary, I hope there will be EXTRA cake?!

I'll let you know Maggi ! 

[KentGardener]

I'll be there as a volunteer tomorrow. 

Come and say 'Hi' at the AGS plant sales table.   

[KentGardener]

I had to leave the show just after midday as my back was starting to complain!  

As usual, a brilliant show.  A really really good display of alpines in tip top condition.  The display benches were quite full (except for Fritilaria section that seemed rather sparse compared to previous years).  

A wonderful selection of excellent plants too.  I came home with a few too many new things once again to somehow shoehorn into my little bit of England   .  

Some random snaps I took of things that attracted my attention.

1 - Early morning view
2 - a show bench
3 - another show bench
4 - The Lucs shopping
5 - A lovely looking orchid: 'Ophrys bertolonii'
6 - Another lovely looking orchid: 'Serapius neglecta x Anacamptis morio'
7 - 'Geissorhiza inaequalis'
8 - 'Asarum trigynum Album'
9 - 'Dionysia aretioides'
10 - the winner of the Farrer medal

[Peter Maguire]

Nice to see a Cypripedium winning the Farrer. 

[David Nicholson]

Also nice to see the two Lucs helping our balance of payments problems

[ronm]

Hope Luc G took his camera. I enjoyed his last report very much.

[Rob Potterton]

Also good to see my wife working in the background of one of the pictues ..... she's still not home either. Hope she's not run off with any strange Belgium's !!!!!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Just got home... knackered .... after another (long) great day hopping the Channel and visiting the Kent show ! 
Great people... marvelous plants... we had lots of fun !

I do have pix Ron, but don't know when I'll be able to post them... I'll do my best ! 
David, the balance of payments is ok again... !  A total of 17 bags of J.I. compost left the British Isles though...    Our personal balance of payments has seen better days though..... 
Shame on you Rob... we would never kidnap Jacky !!    Especially as you have her doing the hard sales work now !  She was doing a great job !

Off to bed now...

[Rob Potterton]

Hello Luc, my mistake now she is home  it took her almost as long to return home as you!!!

[Maggi Young]

Hello Luc, my mistake now she is home  it took her almost as long to return home as you!!!

I went to bed last night wondering if Jackie was home safe. Goodness knows what I thought my worrying about that could achieve?     I'm glad that the travellers are all safely home, anyway!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Let's kick off with some images of the packed benches - also a very crowded hall (even without a busload of Belgian and Dutch visitors...  ) so I guess David Hoare and his team will have been a happy bunch !

Here we go :

Filled benches with at the end of this first series the Farrer Medal winning Cypripedium formosanum from Ian Robertson !  What a potful ! 

[johnw]

Luc  - Do you remember which Pieris that was?

johnw

[ronm]

I'm interested in Johns comment earlier about the lack of Fritillaria at the show, compared to other years. I thought this was the same at Loughborough, and a number of people there said they had struggled with their Frits this year. Was this reflected at Blackpool also. Dunblane was a little early?
If it has been a bad year for Frits ( I haven't found it to be so though I must say ), does anyone know why? Or is their a declining interest in the Genus?