Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
SRGC Shows and Events => Events => Topic started by: ranunculus on April 11, 2015, 05:38:41 PM
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Just back from another wonderful AGS Show at Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Hearty congratulations to Show Secretary; John Savage and his hard working team on another exemplary event. The Farrer Medal for the 'Best Plant in the Show' went to a magnificent Scarlet Locoweed (Astragalus coccineus) exhibited by Peter Farkasch, that shone out like a beacon in the hall. I would normally have captured an image of Peter with his superb exhibit, but he had to return home to attend to family matters and didn't return to the hall before we departed.
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That is a glorious plant - congratulations to all involved in the show and to Peter Farkasch for that wonderful Farrer plant.
The Forrest winning plant at Edinburgh today was another American plant , Hymenoxys acaulis var. caespitosa - how big a coincidence is that? 8)
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I'm indebted to John Dower for this shot of Peter Farkasch (reluctantly) posing with his magnificent Farrer Medal winning plant of Astragalus coccineus and one of Peter receiving the Farrer Medal card from John Richards.
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… and another image from JohnnyD … THIS TIME SHOWING A DELIGHTED CAROL KELLETT WITH HER WELL-EARNED TROPHY FOR '1 PAN PLANTED AS A MINIATURE 'ALPINE' LANDSCAPE … and who did she beat into second place … JohnnyD and his lovely wife Clare!!!
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Wow! Well done Carol - that is a BIG win!! Congratulations - and I know Clare and Johnny will be taking your win in good part - well, they may be drowning their sorrows in gin, of course!
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They will be reconstructing their garden as we speak, Maggi … with a gin and tonic or two, of course. But, as John says, Carol is simply another protege of the East Lancs mini-garden stable ... ;D
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A non-competitive exhibit staged at Chesterfield Alpine Garden Society Show on 11th April 2015 by Robert Rolfe featuring beautifully flowered examples of the gorgeous Saxifraga x dinninaris 'Ray Woodliffe'.
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To be honest, though doesn't matter who wins, I am absolutely delighted for Carol. She has tried very hard and fully deserves her trophy. :D
As for very good friend Peter Farkash, he says he doesn't take a good photo, but who could look bad holding a plant like that? :P
Well done all round.
JohnnyD
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Had a busy day at the show yesterday as judging, doing the AGS Show Report and trying to fit in my own photographs at the same time, seemed to be on my feet all day, was up at 4am to get there and bag a good parking spot, home by 7-15, couple of whisky 'small' glasses and fell asleep soon after watching The Masters....most unlike me...what a way to spend my xx birthday. Never mind good crack with lots of folk at the show, on the same wave length as Robert Rolfe who was doing the photography, even made a start on the report this morning as was raining cats and dogs.
I will not get all my pics on tonight but will make a start with 3 from Ju Bramley, general dogs body and organiser, in good form yesterday
Dionysia 01 02/05 x archibaldii 'Golden Yellow' in class 11.....this was a really strong yellow
Dionysia 'Ema Frank' ??- 'Erna Frank'
Dionysia 'Selene'
These were all in the one 3 pan class, got a red sticker as you might imagine. Next door to this class was
Dionysia gaubae from Don Peace, see not just a bulb man.
Saxifraga burseriana 'Mangart' (2) from George Young
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There were several plants of
Viola brevistipulata hidakana on display, this one from Ian Kidman earned a Certificate of Merit (31) but it had a tough fight in the class, so much that it was an equal first with a very nice Caltha himalaica from John Richards, caused some discussion but hey that the way it goes
Another Certificate of Merit was awarded to
Townsendia spathulata 'Cotton Balls' from Frank and Barbara Hoyle who also had a venerable cushion of
Draba acaulis in (15), growing in a pot at least 2 feet high, glad he was carrying it not me
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what a way to spend my xx birthday.
Ohh, turned forty at last, have you George?!! Many Happy Returns of the Day to you! :-* :-*
Thanks for taking the time to share your busy day with us - it is such a pleasure to see the shows "from afar"- and I say that on behalf of the distant members, not just myself in Aberdeen!! ;D
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Feel my age Maggi, especially humping large pots around now, will have to have a sort out in the plant department and do some downsizing, but not just yet, the only trouble with big pans is getting many in the car!!!. Thank you for the Birthday Wishes
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Narcissus 'Solveigs Song' from Les Brown (21), sure she is a Wallis sister, and while we are on the Wallis clan there was
Narcissus bulbocodium RRW 88-32 from Peter Hardy in 121
Androsace have been very modest at shows so far this year but
Androsace laevigata from Chris Lilley was a fine big pan and a fine small pan was
Androsace robusta robusta from Don Peace (58), he also had a very nice
Tulipa cretica (68), did not earn a sticker as at judging time the flowers were closed, was a lovely compact pan
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Belated Happy Birthday George.
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Daphne petraea 'Lydora' was a stonking big pan from Lionel Clarkson (36), will be good for next week as well, hope he corrects the spelling on the label though. From one extreme in size to another with
Ophyris speculum (66) Barry Tattersall, the picture just is good enough but you really need to see it in the flesh to appreciate fully
Saxifraga x concinna 'Ben Loyal' from Robert Rolfe (63) is one of my favourites, we had a discussion re whether it is Bein or Ben (no not Bill and Ben) and after some research it should be Ben, the other word seems to have crept in from somewhere. Next door in 62 was a lovely
Pulsatilla vulgaris from Edward Barraclough (bragging rights this week?) while the show AGS director for the day, Martin Rogerson still managed a first in 61 with
Draba 'Buttermilk'.....glad its his job to re-pot it, not mine
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Feel my age Maggi, especially humping large pots around now, will have to have a sort out in the plant department and do some downsizing, but not just yet, the only trouble with big pans is getting many in the car!!!. Thank you for the Birthday Wishes
Haven't you access to a horsebox ? Custom fitted with shelving, you could get a lot of plants in one of those!
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yes have a horsebox, even got a habitation area, might be a problem parking at show venues though if yesterday was anything to go by.
Saxifraga magellanica from Mark Childerhouse (29) another C of M plant, from the south of South America as the name suggests
Astragalus coccineus from Peter Farkasch, winner of the Farrer, great plant, another picture cannot go amiss (30)
Anemonella thalictroides 'Oscar Schoaf', another from Don Peace, a nice, clean crisp example (52)
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Never quite sure what I do to send the post when I had not planned it!
John Richards had a large
Draba cappadocica at the show
Trillium rivale, what I have left of what was from the Winnifred Murray group (22)
Iris iberica iberica from Brian Burrow (24) had as many flowers as I have seen on this iris, this is much more compact that the var elegantissima cultivar
Primula henricii var bracteata (8) from Geoff Rollinson, this was a large pan
Soldanella carpatica from Clare Oates (51)
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Saxifraga 'Allendale Duo', a new c.v. on me, not sure whether its up my street or not, from Mark Childerhouse (50) but worth a try me-thinks
Fritillaria crassifolia ssp Kurdica Talish Strain from Clare Oates (79)
Fritillaria hermonis Anti Lebanon Form (why do I pick ones with such long names) from Norman Davies in (97)
Fritillaria bucharica from Steve Spells, the Best Plant in the Novice Section (137)
Cyclamen rhodium peleponesiacum 'vividum' (138) from Denise Bridges may not have had many flowers but it still caught my eye
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Ian Kidman had yet another good day, winning the Small Six and so an AGS Medal in 49, I show the six from back to front as three pictures
Back Row Primula 'Loisach' and Dionysia viscidula x freitagii
Middle Row Rhodothamnus chamaecistus and Androsace vandellii
Front Row Primula henricii and Kalmiopsis 'Sindelberg'
Among these six plants the
Rhodothamnus chamaecistus was the Best Ericaceae at the show, the Best Native to Europe at the show and the Best plant in a <19cm pan
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I was runner up in the small six so feel I can at least post a couple of pics
Hymenoxis torreyana and a smaller
Townsendia spathulata 'Cotton Balls' than the one from the F&B Hoyle that I posted earlier, going to try to propagate this in the near future as never had any germination from seed I have collected over the years
Paraquilegia grandiflora from Derek Pickard (50), another that caught the eye
Mertensia alpina from Lionel Clarkson (72)
Primula erosa from John Richards (7)
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Last two of my series
Androsace species Kirgistan from Dave Riley in 82 and his notes
That is all, to repeat it was another typical Chesterfield day, good venue and good hall, exhibitors and visitors from a wide area, I think the Trade Stands did ok but I did not get the chance to have much of a look around and most unusually did not buy a plant....not like me usually there is something I cannot resist despite my intentions of 'cutting down' on plant numbers!!!
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thanks for posting some great pictures - missed it again due to work commitments :(
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Last two of my series
Nice pictures George - were they also using the SRGC resizer and do you find it speeds the process up quite a bit?
Stan
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Hi Stan, at our local AGS meeting last night so did not see your message till tonight.
I have used the SRGC resize tool twice now and I am impressed with the way the picture on the web site is so much larger but the meg size seems to be less!...does not bother me as what counts is what the browser sees. The tool is easy to use, I imagine that I could even resize the lot in one go but not got the confidence yet to try! My only real complaint of the SRGC tool is that it puts SRGC in front of everything and removes capitals, I know is being pedantic and I have to say so far I have removed the SRGC bit and at least started the plant name with a capital as an edit of my own, but what matters in the end is that the web pics come over at a decent size. As an addendum I have had quite a few comments from AGS exhibitors re my posts, in the main complimentary!, but a few have said my pics were too small so I will be interested to see/hear what folk have to say now I am using the SRGC tool