BLACKPOOL SHOW 17th March 2012

[SusanS]

Congratulations to Lionel Clarkson and his hard working team on another wonderful show.

Thanks Cliff, as one of Lionel's little helpers I feel I must add my own thanks here as well. 

Yesterday was my first time manning the computer without John Forrest.  A nerve wracking experience for me as I am hopeless at remembering peoples names.     In the past when I have been helping John many people didn't give their names when placing entries as John knew who they were.

As often is the case you know someones first name but not necessarily their last name, you know the full name from the cards on the bench but not necessarily the face that goes with the name, or you recognise the plant but not the person who grows it.     

Everyone made it so much easier for me by giving their full name and often their town when giving late entries, even the ones who knew I knew them.    So a big thankyou for being so helpful    and making the task so much easier for me.

I might even do it again next year, but remember I will of slept between now and then, so whilst I will remember who you are, I may just of forgotten your full name ....

Susan

[veteran vet]

As Cliff and others so rightly have said we had a wonderful display yesterday and the sunshine made everyone feel springlike though there was a coolish breeze to remind you that possibly winter is still about. I have never seen the trade stands so busy, Tim Lever had virtually nothing left by lunch time and at the end of the day none of the trade stands had much left to take back out to their vehicles.
I will just run through my pictures, there is repetition from earlier posts, but different camera, different view point so no harm in repetition.
There was no entries in the Large Open but class 2 had an entry from Don Peace of which the one on the right is
Ornithogalum sibthorpei
Androsace have been very scarce so far this year but Chris Lilley won with
Androsace laevigata
The joint Rock were there to pass opinions and award commendations and Jim and Wilma right were awareded a PC for
Asarum campaniforme, a delightful specimen
The best foliage plant at the show was won by Alan Furness with
Celmisia af. gracilenta, a very robust looking form...had the foliage folk wanting/panting over it!!!

[veteran vet]

The small 6 pan was won by Ian Kidman of which one was
 Saxifraga 'Lismore Gem', the two primula at the back are Broadwell Milkmaid and Maria Talbot, the two in the middle are Saxs Lismore Gem and Coolock Gem and the Dionysia at the front are Tess and Andreas
Derek Pickard had warned at Loughborugh that Blackpool could be the day for his D broides and he had at least 6 on the bench so one example
Dionysia bryoides.
He also had a much admired 3 pan
This had D bryoides at the back, D michauxii in the middle and
Dionysia lamingtonii at the front
Dionysia 'Ludwig Jahn' from Ian Kidman just to stop Derek winning all the classes and Sam Sutherland chipped in with
Dionysia monika (I think as I forgot to picture the label) This plant is due for a repot, rather him than me

[veteran vet]

Class 46, 3 pan distinct genera was won by F & B Hoyle and the lovely blue one in the middle is
Tecophilea cyanocrocus violacea....one of the few to survive last winter I suspect, what a lovely colour
Geoff Rollinson had another brilliant day as, as you will have seen from Cliffs pictures won the Farrer Medal with
Saxifraga 'Coolock Gem; He also had a ginormous pan of
Primula 'Broadwell Milkmaid'
There were some well flowered saxafrages on display
Saxifraga 'Coolock Kate' Tommy Anderson while wife Pamela had
Saxifraga 'Allendale Charm', one I have not seen before
Saxifraga 'Tenerife' shown by Tony Stanley and another one was
Saxifraga 'Allendale Bravo' from Peter Hood

[Maggi Young]

Wonderful Dionysias  - a super selection and some great Saxifragas, too.
If Sam repots that fat Monika  it'll be too big for the AGS largest pan size classes, won't it? Is there still a maximum pot size?

Note : Sam is the new Show Secretary for the SRGC Kincardine show, next weekend.... I am quite sure he would be very pleased to welcome everyone to the event.  

[Maggi Young]

I see a lot of great plants from Forumists in these pictures! Congratulations to them all.


Not a forumist... but I see Kidders ( Ian Kidman) has a very nice six pan for a medal.... I'm always slightly surprised that his white flowers aren't a bit yellow.... tobacco smoke gets everywhere doesn't it?  Mind you, I don't suppose that any of his plants ever have aphids !

[veteran vet]

I always find photgraphing the larger exhibits difficult when in situ in the show hall but I did take some 'close ups' of two
Rhododendron mucronulatum from Dave Mountfort and
Rhododendron cilpinense from Stan da Prato while another Scot Jean Wylie brought
Shortia galacifolia x uniflora 'Brian Wilson to place before Joint Rock where it was awarded a P.C.
There were a fair number of Primula allionii on display but I will only show pictures of ones that I have not seen on the bench so far this year to avoid repetition
Primula x miniera
Primula allionii 'Mrs Dyas....Don Peace
Primula allionii Steven Burrow and
Primula allionii 'William Burrow' both from Brian Burrow
Primula 'Clarence Elliot' from John Richards...thought I had better show it as he's a Judge!

[SusanS]

It was a smashing day on Saturday and I had a great time, and met so many lovely people from both the AGS and the SRGC.  I was particulary pleased that presidents of both societies, Val Lee and Liz Mills, sought me out to chat about how I was doing on my course.  As did many other people.

Is this how it feels to be a movie star?  

I am afraid I didn't get many pictures of the show this year, though some of you may have spotted me 'posing' for photos.  These are to be used in my college work diary.  There were some smashing plants on the bench and this year we had some people who were exhibiting for the first time.  They brought along some lovely plants and I hope they enjoyed the day.

Susan

[veteran vet]

seeing you are on about forumists I snapped while they were in intense confab John Bunn, forumist Martin Rogerson (now 'trainee judge' to boot) and Val Lee.
Back to plants. We had the pleasure of a good post lunch talk on Hepatica by Dianne Clement, her lecture skills well demonstrated and she had also an educational display in the foyer of the show which aroused plenty interest, so two that I photographed were
Hepatica 'gyousei' from Mavis Allinson...only got a third! and
Hepatica 'Millstream Merlin' from Ivor Betteridge...this is still among my favourite hepaticas. Ivor also had a lovely
Ipheon 'Rolfe Fiedler' as well as
Fritillaria gibbosa I tried to photograph it last week but duff results
In the main Narcissus has been not as good as we have seen in previous years but
Narcissus calcicola from Ian Leslie certainly stood out from the crowd and I make no apology for showing two pictures

[ChrisB]

More stunning photos.  Thanks all.  Sure wish i could have been there.....  Good idea there for displaying hepaticas sans foliage...

[veteran vet]

There were some nice corydalis on display...sorry I did not take a close up of the one from Aberdeen, don't know what must have happened to me but
Corydalis solida incisa ssp alba was stunning from Ian Leslie
Corydalis bracteata from Geoff Rollinson...not as good as we have seen it, still waiting to see mine ( a few bulbs from Geoff several years ago, he's good like that). I did win a 3 pan, the middle one of which is
Corydalis schanginnii ssp ainiae, the back one being Callianthemum anemonoides and the front one Corydalis solida Prasil Sunset
A neat little one in the 'C' section caught my eye, another C. solida from Turkey
Corydalis solida ex Turkey from Tony Taziker  caught my eye
I know John Dower has already posted on the Troughs at the show but I repeat his winning entry as I feel that he and the better half have done so much to promote the 'resurgence' of interest if trough exhibits
As usual at shows there is always a 'debate' on the judging so I picture two examples of Cyclamen from different exhibitors to see which you would chose
Cyclamen pseudibericum M & C Brown and
Cyclamen pseudibericum Ian Kidman
They were in different classes but they may have been an award for the best cyclamen.
I have only one left to add to the list and this is a Dionysia from the 'C' section which, if I may I will use as an excuse to 'educate' exhibitors in the 'C' section (and to some who are more experienced...I got a 'talking to' for not having cleaned a pot properly ...Scottish judge of course!!)
Dionysia tapetodes 'compact pin' George Jawerski in that this plant was exhibited in a section for primula and the judges had to do some sorting out before judging so that this fine exhibit was not NASd. I also could not help but notice that quite a few plants in the 'C' section would have been greatly enhanced if the odd dead flower and odd dead leaf had been removed...exhibitors should not forget that presentation is part of showing.

[Mike Ireland]

Nice to hear from you Cliff.  Your photos of the Blackpool show are fantastic.

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful show all right, and my thanks to the picture-takers for making it possible for the rest of us to attend, after a fashion. Favourites? Impossible to say really, except the brilliant red Corydalis solida pic#5490, C. bracteata and the amazing and quirky Asarum.

I am also very chuffed to see Rhododenendron mucronulatum as I have many young plants of different forms, seed from our man in NS, Canada.

[Stan da Prato]

some general views of the show -plants and people

[Stan da Prato]

and a few more