Edinburgh Show 2007 A Capital Day Out
Report by Sandy Leven



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In show business they wish you luck with the phrase 'break a leg' but this shouldn't apply to show secretaries. Here Jean uses her nursing experience to road test Carole's wheel chair.


Top Gear?

Sometimes at a show one colour seems dominant. At Edinburgh the colour this year was white.
Cyril Lafong's Forrest Medal winning Androsace vandellii was white as was its twin sister in the 3 pan class.


Cyril Lafong's Forrest Medal winning Androsace vandellii


Alan Newton had most points in section and his 6 small pan entry contained Primula 'Broadwell Milkmaid'. Androsace vandellii and Anemonella thalictroides

Even the winning Draba was white - Draba dedeana.


There are many good white Primulas grown and shown today. Bob Meaden took first with his fabulous P. White Lady [also known as 'White Linda Pope', when it won a Forrest medal for Fred Hunt in Perth a few years ago].


Primula 'White Lady'

Pr. Wharfdale Village has smaller flower heads but more farina on the leaves.

Primula 'Wharfdale Village'

The P. pubescens hybrid was a cool clean white and altogether a more compact plant.

Primula x pubescens

Primula Lismore Snowcap has more of an 'allionii' look about it.

Primula 'Lismore Snowcap' & the yellow P.'Moonbeam'

Primula 'Aire Mist' must be the most floriferous of the wee white Primulas.

Primula 'Aire Mist'

A fine off white P. auriculata showed us how the others might look with a little bit of sun tan.


Primula auriculata

There was also a fine P' Linda Pope beside all these white Primulas. Its pale lavender flowers have a distinctive white eye, reminiscent of Primula auricula albocincta. While this condition would not be attractive in humans, in a Primula it is magical.

Primula 'Linda Pope'

Primula Johanna was seen frequently in the 1980's and slowly became scarcer during the 90's. It is a hybrd between the diminutive P. clarkii and P. rosea. It has to be split up and refreshed very regularly otherwise it starts to 'go back'. I suspect that in the 1980's there was a nursery which propagated and sold it and that many who depended on that source for a replenished stock were out of luck when their plant died. The RHS card reminds us that P. 'Johanna' was given an Award of Merit in 1986.
It is great to see it back and hopefully it will again go from strength to strength.


Primula 'Johanna'

Sanguinaria canadense Multiplex is a white flower with one of the shortest blooming times, so to see it at its peak condition is a treat.

Sanguinaria canadensis multiplex

Peonies are usually too big for the SRGC show benches but Alan and Jane Thomson had a wonderful Peonia cambessedessii in the 'grown from seed' class. I like the red tinge in the stems and leaf ribs which compliments the pink flowers. The central crown of golden stamens surrounds 6 chunky anthers of the same red as the stems. It is a wonderful plant and is the plant which I would most liked to have taken home with me.


Peonia cambessedessii

Now that we have left white behind pastel shades begin to entice
Brian and Maureen Wilson grow beautiful gesneriads to perfection. They showed a super hybrid Ramonda myconi alba x Jankea heldreichii [which has a hybrid name but which to my shame I have forgotten].

Lewisia tweedyi was well represented with the 'usual' pinkish form being accompanied by a beautiful yellow plants and of course white.



Colour forms of Lewisia tweedyi



Pleione 'Shantung', the ultimate in exhibition orchids looked 'absolutely fabulous' for Cyril.


Cypripedium japonicum just magnificent!



Once again we are indebted to the curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh for the splendid and colourful display of rock garden plants, among which was a wonderful new introduction of Iris acutiloba ssp. Lineolata, whose upward pointing standards and falls gave it an un-iris appearance. The huge 10cm flowers are carried on 12cm stems.


Iris acutiloba ssp. Lineolata

Another iris on the show bench was a very regal bearded iris called 'Gingerbread Man'. Its ginger, gold, yellow and brown flowers were crowned with peacock blue eyes giving a wonderful combination.

Iris 'Gingerbread Man'


There are always lots of good bulbous plants in our shows these days and Edinburgh brought out quite a few. Tulips can be difficult to exhibit in pots because they have a habit of flopping over. Some people get over this by growing short tulips but here we have a great Tulipa linifolia brightening the bench with its scarlet flowers.



Muscari macrocarpum is a beautiful grape hyacinth with wonderfully scented pale yellow flowers but it too is difficult to exhibit. It tends to curl and bend its way about as soon as it is disturbed. This close is certainly not shy to flower.


Bob Meaden is showing us excellent pans of well grown Fritillarias and here is his 3 pan entry/


Jim and Janet Paterson won with a fabulous potful of Fritillaria pontica

Fritillaria pontica

No matter what our political persuasion we can all rejoice in our British native Fritillaria meleagris.


Jean Wyllie scooped top prize and caused a buzz of excitement with her Narcissus cazorlanus, which she stood on au upside down pot to show off its long leaves.


Here she is enjoying the show


Leucojum nicaense used to seen regularly at the Glasgow show. It is an excellent wee bulb.



Shrubs are always needed in the rock garden and they are appreciated at the shows, especially when in flower' here is Stan de Prato's Rhododendron pemakoense


Rhododendron pemakoense


A well flowered Cassiope from Liz Hopkins


Kalmiopsis leachiana


Prunus 'Easter Bonnet' Here is a shrub to look out for. This was another of my favourites at Edinburgh. The spellchecker kept wanting to rename it 'Prunes'. It certainly moved me!


Conifers in the show

Very unusually we saw two different tropeolums side by side

Alan Newton's Tropeolum azureum and Watt Russell's T. tricoloratum

I liked Tom Green's Townsendia rothrockii. It made me want to return to the USA.


There was very good support in section 2
Well done new exhibitors.

Primulas in Section 2


Erythronium helenae for Ian


All told it was white smiles all round at Edinburgh.
Yes that's Bob Smiling!

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