Edinburgh and the Lothians Show 2008

[Maggi Young]

Edinburgh is host to the SRGC Show on Saturday 5th April 2008.
weather forecast is non too good for the weekend, so exhibitors leaving early forthe show might be well advises to take a snow shovel in the car.... just in case 

With a bit of luck the meteorological experts will have got their wires crossed and in fact it will be a delightful day of sunshine   I'm sure it will FEEL like that in the Fairmilehead Church Centre, the venue for the show, anyway....

Hope to see lots of you there......

[Maggi Young]

It seemed the weather chaps had got it wrong.... till  around 3pm when the hail showers started 
As we left, the hills were white and hail showers chased uo, off and on through sunshine, all the way home. It was a super day... lots of friends to meet....even more than usual, since the Saxifraga Society are holding a conference in Scotland at the moment and so there were lots of very welcome, but mildly unexpected, faces!
Ian met a couple from New Zealand who were at the recent NZ conf..... not sure if they were with the Sax fiends, though, or simple travellers!
It was fun to meet the Sax fiends.... including Andrew Crimes and his wife , Kaj and Minna Andersen from Denmark..... others I spoke to with Malcom MacGregor were Tim Roberts and David Victor, Peter and Beryl Bland, of course. Ian met up with Christian, from Tromso Botanic Garden, and a new man from there, Martin, I think.  I had been contacted by an Italian earlier in the week seeking info about the show, but we didn't meet up so I hope they arrived and enjoyed the show.
Show Secretaries Ian and Carole Bainbridge were kept as busy as ever... perhaps even more so.... the Kitchen Crew was a bit short of folk and the demand was HUGE so Carole  was whizzing in and out of the kitchen today, too. Plus her Joint Rock committee duties! That is one busy little woman..... she was having a lot more fun this year without  her leg in plaster, though!

[Maggi Young]

A few pix now before I fall into bed... work at the BBC tomorrow requires some sleep tonight!
I'll start with one for Buttercup... a very large Ranunculus calandrinioides grown by Peter Semple.
Some folks were taking photos w with rather more care and skill than I......
Corydalis 'Highland Mist'   
There was a super art display by Eileen Goodall in the foyer.... very hard to get good image with glare and wobbly camera, but here is a watercolour of a Lilium.
Six  little pans of primulas.
Jane Thomson with Cathy and Barry Caudwell

[Maggi Young]

Mike Hopkins taking notes  while Brian Hammond thinks he might picture me picturing him
General shot of the show hall
three likely lads on duty, David Shaw, Glassford Sprunt and Viv Chambers
View down a long bench, with Mr and Mrs  Andrew Crimes just in shot!
A bright Lewisia tweedyi


Too tired now.... more to come, tomorrow if poss!

[ranunculus]

Wonderful buttercup Maggi and super shots of a tremendous show.....oh that we could all be in two places at one time.....

[Ian Y]

Indeed it was a truly international show as far as visitors were concerned and it was great to meet up with friends from as far afield as Tromso in the north to New Zealand in the south.
Maggi did rather better at getting pictures than I did every time I tried to take some some one came to speak to me -  not that I am complaining. I think that shows are as much about meeting people and chatting as they are about the plants. I had a great time and here are my only ten pictures form Edinburgh.

Three general views then the plants below are:-

Fritillaria tubiformis
Iris suaveolens 'Yellow Form'
Narcissus
Narcissus bulbicodium filifolius
Crocus pelistericus
Ranunculus crithmifolius
Trillium rivale

[Ian Y]

Alan Newton has just sent me this picture of Maggi trying to see her camera Thanks, Brenda, for catching her! Alan and Brenda were celebrating their 28th Wedding Anniversary by having a  day at the Edinburgh Show.... Alan won the "most points" trophy, so it was a good day all round!

[DaveM]

Very pleased that the weather did hold off for so long Maggi, judging by the snow fall this morning around the airport - not very pleasant. An excellent show with lots on the benches - thanks to all who made the day so successful.

A few pix of the hall during raffle time. Cyril Lafong's amazing white dome of Androsace vandellii (Forrest Medal for best in show) can be seen - the largest of several such perfect specimens on display. The Glenrothes greenfingers does it again!! Congrats to Cyril to picked up a few other prizes on the way, including for this Class 2 3-pan entry:
Androsace muscoidea breviscarpa (also Certificate of Merit)
Anemonella thallictroides 'Schoaf'
Iris graeberiana (also Certificate of Merit)

[DaveM]

The Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, alpine staff have always supported our show and here are just a few photos of their splendid Gold Award display. 'Fraid that's all my photos too - just too much to do and people to talk to that I almost forgot to take pix...... Yea, I know, yet another excuse...

Erythronium multiscapoideum
Fritillaria hermonis amana - an unusual and particularly fine, form

[Peter Maguire]

Thanks to Carole, Ian and their team for a wonderful show - I've never seen the benches so full at Edinburgh. Maggi instructed me to take pictures for the website - "I'll do the people shots, you do the plants" so here goes:
-Primula Braodwell Milkmaid/Primula ex Harry Jans (This is the name the Ron Mcbeath was selling it as a few years ago, but I've been told that it is identical to Primula 'Lismore Jewel') - one of many exhibits from Geoff Hill in section 2 that won him the trophy for the most first prize points in the class.
-Androsace vandellii, the Farrer medal plant form Cyril
-Asarum splendens, one of Alan Newton's 3-pan entry of Asarums from Asia
-Cheilanthes ecklonia, an attractive fern from Dr Rock
-Corydalis transylvanica (Mike Hopkins)

[art600]

It is still snowing here in Kent, and the forecast said it could continue all day.  It is great therefore to see such wonderful plants at the Show.  Thanks to everyone for posting.

[Peter Maguire]

Corydalis solida 'White Knight' (Sandy Leven)
Corydalis 'Highland Mist' (Bob Maxwell)
Crocus goteborgensis - inside and out (Alan Newton)
Crocus pellistericus (Bob Maxwell)

[Peter Maguire]

Still snowing heavily here, which explains why I'm sitting at the computer in the middle of the day!

Dionysia microphylla (Alan Newton)
Fritillaria tubiformis - a close-up of one of the large bells of this plant (Margaret & Henry Taylor)
Fritillaris 'Canmore Park' - I assume this was a hybrid Frit, which recieved a PC from the Joint Rock for Mike Hopkins
Iris suaveolens 'Yellow Form' (Cyril Lafong)
Jeffersonia dubia alba - another fabulous plant from Cyril

[Peter Maguire]

Musacari azureum (Alan Weepers - I think, can't read my own handwriting )
Narcissus calcicola (Jean Wyllie)
Narcissus 'Gypsy Queen' (Jean again)
Plieone forrestii (Alan Newton)
Plieone 'Shantung Ducat' (Bob Meadon)

[Peter Maguire]

Plieone x Rakata (Brian Davidson)
Primula bracteata (Alan Newton, again. But he did bring so many plants that he had to leave his daughter at home)
Primula 'Wharfedale Village' (Tom Green, another cross-border raider from England)
Primual 'Peter Klein' (Geoff Hill)
Pulsatill vernalis (Carole & Ian Bainbridge)