Early bulb day at Dunblane

[Stan da Prato]

This takes place on Saturday 15th. Details  are in the show schedule everyone should now have. In addition  a TV crew from Beechgrove Garden will be there after they saw pictures from last year in Sandy's show report and elsewhere. The presenter  will be Carole Baxter. She will interview  show secretary Sandy and  other knowledgeable  bulb  specialists  but not me as  I am merely  the liaison person.  The more pots of bulbs and other spring flowers  members can  bring  the better as this will be very useful  PR for the SRGC.

[Maggi Young]

Dunblane Early Bulb Display * : 15 February 2013 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

"A Celebration of Bulbs"

 
11.00 am  Anne Wright ‘Make your own daffodils (and snowdrops)’, covering bulb propagation, including twin-scaling, and breeding  including many of Anne’s own hybrids.

2.00pm  Diane Clement  ‘Hepaticas,  a  growing obsession’

Show Schedules with all details:  http://files.srgc.net/show_info/ShowSchedules2014.pdf

[Anthony Darby]

Have a great day.

[Stan da Prato]

Another enjoyable day at Dunblane. The Beechgrove TV crew were impressed by  the variety of attractive  flowers in February and the positive buzz around the whole event. They also rather liked the home cooking. The programme will probably be transmitted on 4th April which will be their first of the year. As it is a magazine  programme there will   be other items including a feature  on  outdoor  snowdrops from a garden in Inveresk, Musselburgh. Despite  hours of  filming it will be around  6 or 7 minutes on screen  though they  should get quite lot into  that. Expect  Ian Christie talking  about plants,  Sandy Leven  talking  about the club and a variety  of other people and places including  Andy Murray's' post box.  I managed to stay out of camera though my pot of Iris looks set to be in the opening  sequence with Carole Baxter .

[Stan da Prato]

more snaps- the apparent strange goings on in the first two are getting Ian's  microphone in the right place and Carole's  hair adjusted.

[Maggi Young]

Ah yes, never underestimate the capacity of a TV crew to eat!

This will be very useful publicity for the Club. I know Carole was looking forward to today - a long time member of SRGC she seldom has the chance to attend our events so this was a bonus for her!

SRGC got another plug in the press today: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/10638466/Snowdrops-have-galanthophiles-ever-had-it-so-good.html 

[Richard Green]

It was a great day, even though I was only able to arrive during the lunch break - having had to dig myself out of my front drive from several centimetres of snow, and attend another event first thing this morning.  It is surprising how fast you relax into the plants again after a long cold, wet winter. Diane's lecture on Hepatica was an insight into a genus which I previously only knew but little.  Well done to the organisers, as the administration was excellent as usual.  The hall was completely full of folk from all corners of Scotland - as well as England, with a German contingent attending too.

[Tim Ingram]

I have to say Dunblane is too far away from Kent! (As is Shaftesbury when you open your garden the following day). Looks like a great event - I wonder if we can tune in to Beechgrove Garden down here?

[Maggi Young]

We'll hope the weather is good for your opening tomorrow, Tim.

Yes, you will be able to see the Beechgrove Garden when the series restarts. From last season it  began to be shown on BBC2 nationwide -  it can usually  be seen  on Thursdays  on BBC2 Scotland and on Sundays at 09.30am on BBC2 network.

 Even on the Thursday showing it can also be caught nationwide  on one of the SKY TV channels if you have them - perhaps 951,  but one of those regional channels between 951 and 972  , maybe 977 978  too .

[Maggi Young]

Ian said the Aberdeen charabanc gang all enjoyed their day thoroughly. Quite a few had not been before and were  more than delighted by the event.
The Talks by Anne Wright and Diane Clement seem to have met with universal approval - well,  I never doubted that would happen  - two of the most able forumists -  it wasn't a tough call, was it?!!!

I'm told Anne brought up some bulbs for sale - and  I don't think many will be making the return journey to Yorkshire.  The audience always enjoy it if a speaker has a sales table as well - twice the pleasure involved then.  Ian said the Aberdeen coach was groaning under the strain of so many shopping bags so I guess the other nursery  folks will have had a good day too. 

[Matt T]

The day was only marred but your absence Maggi! 😉 A great day was had all round. I'll be returning home tomorrow with my own fair share of Anne's stock! See you at show soon!

[Stan da Prato]

Show organiser Sandy Leven taking photos for an eventual report while serious photographer Liz Cole uses a tripod - both should eventually  lead to better and more detailed plant pictures than these. Meanwhile a distinguished guest speaker and well known  Scottish grower converse  while male visitors  look at the plants.

[Stan da Prato]

A general view of the snowdrops. The  only competitive class - for  crocus raised from seed by the exhibitor. Gymnospermium always intrigues visitors as it is in the Berberis family -look at the flowers not the way it grows. An interesting  hepatica brought by Diane  was not quite open enough to get an award from the Joint Rock Committee   

[Stan da Prato]

The day does not just feature bulbs. The small Primula section provided interest and colour. In the general view look for the native primrose, its lilac counterpart from SE Europe as well as Himalayan species  and their hybrids and P allionii from European mountains. Elspeth from RBGE brought an interesting display showing natural variation among P allionii from wild collected seed. P kewensis is not often seen but makes a nice plant.

[Tim Ingram]

The primulas are very beautiful. Why have I become so interested in umbellifers! It is particularly nice to see the natural variation in Primula allionii, even if there is so much variation that has come from gardeners too.