Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
SRGC Shows and Events => SRGC Shows Questions and Answers => Topic started by: Maggi Young on March 31, 2016, 02:11:16 PM
-
SRGC members are saddened by the death of former president, J. Harley A. Milne.
Harley served the Club in many official positions over the years and was a very popular president, exhibitor, judge and speaker and was a former Chairman of the RHS Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee. Harley died peacefully, in his 84th year, on Friday, March 25, 2016, in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. He was the loving and much loved husband of Winnie, dear father of Donald, Andrew and Roderick, much loved granddad of Ruaridh, Struan, Tom and Archie and father-in-law to Rosie and Nicki. He will be greatly missed.
We send our deepest sympathy to Winnie and their Sons and family at this very sad time.
Here are details of his memorial service which will be held in Edinburgh on the day before the Edinburgh SRGC Show.
Memorial service to be held at Greenbank Parish Church Braidburn Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 6ES, on Friday, April 8, 2016, at 12 noon.
All friends welcome. No flowers please.
-
On a happier note, the SRGC Edinburgh Show will take place in the Fairmilehead Church Centre, Frogston Road West, Edinburgh EH10 7AA on Saturday 9th April.
[attachimg=1]
It is worth pointing out that even though the show hall will be closed for judging until 12:00,there will be access to the plant stalls from 10:30. The tea hall with all that yummy baking will be opened a little later, but before 12.
The 6 nurseries present this year will be as follows (in addition to the Group's stall):
MacPlants
Binney Plants
Kevock Garden Plants
Ardfearn Nursery
Rumbling Bridge Nursery
Aberconwy Nursery
-
Harley Milne will indeed be greatly missed by all of us in the Edinburgh Group. In addition to his many roles for the Club which Maggi has mentioned, Harley was also Convener of the Edinburgh Group, and later its Show Secretary from 1992 to 1997. So, with the Show this year on the day after his memorial service, can I encourage all to bring plants to Edinburgh and help to make this an extra special show in celebration of his contribution.
I look forward to seeing all at the show!!!
-
At Hexham yesterday, I was asked if we had a photo of Harley. Well, here's one from 1984, taken at the Aberdeen Show, where he was judging. Harley is third from left in the group. Also here are Bob Maxwell (2nd from left), Harold Esslemont (4th from left) and Alastair McKelvie (right). Sorry, but I don't know who the others are.
(Photo: Aberdeen Journals Ltd)
-
In the photo above the people are, left to right, John Duff, Bob Maxwell, Harley Milne, Harold Esslemont, Sylvia Simpson and Alastair McKelvie (right) 8)
Here's a pic from the forum by Stan at the Highland (Nairn) Show of Ian Young, Elspeth Mackintosh, Harley and Winnie Milne, and Cathy Caudwell
[attachimg=1]
-
I'll miss having a chat with Harley at the Discussion Weekends. Harley and Winnie are among the few, perhaps the only people I remember from my first visits to the Discussion Weekends in the late seventies who were still regular attenders.
-
Our thoughts are with dear Winnie and their family. A sad loss for them and the Club. I'll be arriving in town too late to make it to the memorial service for Harley, but am looking forward to catching up with friends at the Edinburgh Show this weekend and hope folk turn out lots of splendid plants in celebration of Harley.
-
After Harley's memorial service local members gathered at the show venue to set up the benches, tables etc.
-
Then the plants start arriving including the van from Edinburgh Botanics. So too do individual members with their contributions. A small trolley is very helpful as this elderly gentleman demonstrates.
-
A small trolley is very helpful as this elderly gentleman demonstrates.
That gentleman is Stan's good friend and very competent grower and exhibitor, Watt Russell - who will spend a lot of tomorrow serving on the SRGC Plant Stall, I expect. Question now is whether or not Stan is still on Watt's Christmas card list? :-\
-
Great Edinburgh show - the charming Beryl MacNaughton, looking uncharacteristically serious, ready to start sales for MacPlants
[attachimg=1]
and Well Done to RBGE Alpine Dept. team for another Gold Medal for their display ! Elspeth Mackintosh of RBGE checking details...
[attachimg=2]
-
Super quote from Lynn Corrigan at Scottish Rock Garden Club Edinburgh Show this morning !
" 6 plants bought, 2 cakes ate, bucks fizz won in tombola. And the show hasn't even opened yet."
Show open NOW and plants sales and cake available till 4pm at Fairmilehead Church Halls - pic from twitter @NTS_SHG
[attachimg=1]
-
No photo yet but very excited to hear that Forrest Medal at SRGC Edinburgh Show has gone to Jane and Alan Thomson, a pair of very good growers from the Edinburgh SRGC Group - it's their first Forrest! They have won with what I hear is a super potful of a Pleione hybrid. It was also awarded a First class Certificate and a Cultural Commendation from the @RHS joint rock garden plant committee - What a triple whammy for their first Forrest! Well done Jane and Alan!
-
News latest! Pic from Alan Gardner of the Forrest Medal winning plant Edinburgh grown by Jane & Alan Thomson: Pleione 'Doreen'
[attachimg=1]
-
Local group stalwarts Jane and Alan Thomson were popular winners not just of the Forrest (their first )but a certificate of merit for their Hepatica Millstream Merlin. Cyril Lafong as usual brought many fine plants and took the Henry Archibald Rose Bowl for Class 2 -3 plants from different genera. Unfortunately one was away at joint rock when I snapped this class. He also won class 3 for 3 pans new, rare or difficult plants so took the Elsie Harvey Memorial trophy.Cyril also received a merit cert. for his very fine Dionysia.
-
Margaret & Henry Taylor won class 5 for 3 pans from seed so received the Curle Memorial Trophy. Club president David Rankin won the Corsar Trophy for best European primula while show secretary David Millward won the RE Cooper Bhutan drinking cup for the best Asiatic. The Bill Mackie Quaich for best saxifrage went to Sue Simpson-Watt. The Kilbryde cup now goes to the best plant in a small-17.5cm-pot of which there were many fine examples. The judges decided that John Di Paolo's Fritillaria aurea was the worthy winner.
-
Former show secretaries Carole & Ian Bainbridge's fine pot of Narcissus Abaleish won the Henry Tod Carnethy Quaich for the best bulbous plant. Alan Furness was one of several growers from the north of England who greatly enhanced the show with their plants. He took the Alf Evans Quaich for the best ericaceous plant other than rhododendron. My rhodo Lucy Lou received the Midlothian Vase while my mini garden won the Boonslie Cup. By again bringing most plants I retained the Reid rose bowl.
-
Section 2 was full of excellent plants. The best plant, receiving the Midlothian Bowl, was Mala Jane's Fritillaria while the Bronze Medal for most successful exhibitor in section 2 went to Tony Taziker. Iain Mathewson won the special prize for the best plant from a new exhibitor with a form of Primula elatior. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh mounted a typically fine display at one end of the show hall mainly of bulbs which duly received the appropriate gold medal.
-
I omitted to record that Tom Green, another good grower from Northumberland, received a merit certificate for a pale form of Primula henrici -at the front left of this group of Asiatic species.
-
Cracking show it seems - Show Secretary David Millward and his helpers must be well pleased with the day.
Well done to all the exhibitors and winners !!
-
A fine show indeed. We shall start a round of the show with Class 1 for 6 small pans which had five entries
-
Then classes for new, rare plants and those grown from seed by the exhibitor then 3 Scottish plants
-
moving on along the first bench by the window and into lots of colourful primulas
-
yet more primulas
-
by the end of the window bench we have primula family other than the primula genus
-
Now for the middle bench starting with plants for foliage effect, then cushion plants and then various forms of Ranunculaceae
-
now into all sorts of bulbs then succulents
-
moving on and round the end of the middle bench to its second side with even more bulbs
-
continuing through trilliums, aroids, iris and 2 pans sax class
-
finishing the middle bench with dwarf shrubs and the single succulent class.
-
Now along the front of the stage with more foliage plants then tulips, Drabas, Lewisias and one pan saxes
-
Scottish native plants then rounding the corner we have plants from specific parts of the world finally plants lifted from open ground.
-
A view of the two mini gardens then some of the nice entries in section 2
-
The sales area opens as the show is being judged and there were plenty of eager customers buying plants you don't get in garden centres
-
more as well as the local members plant stall.
-
The success of these days relies on local and other members pitching in to help with a variety of tasks
-
catering for visitors helps the funds
-
Judges' meeting then results being added up. Plants going into the joint rock committee meeting for assessment. The show secretary writing out award cards in beautiful copperplate.
-
People among the plants.
-
more
-
and more
-
more
-
the show closed at 4 pm and the last task for the members was stacking the tables for the hirer to uplift. The final post is another caption opportunity starring a member of the Borders branch.
-
Thank you Stan for your report. Needless to say that Stan had a very large number of entries and deservedly collected silverware - very well done.
Pleased? Too right I am. A wonderfully colourful show with many large, mature plants as Stan has illustrated. The judges had a wide range of plants out to consider for the many awards. The initial selection for the Forrest Medal included 8 plants I think. I would like to think that this was a fitting tribute to the life and contribution of Harley Milne. So thank you to all exhibitors for bringing all these amazing plants. Thanks also to the judges and to the members of the Edinburgh Group for all their efforts and teamwork in making this such a successful and memorable day.
I was particularly pleased that Jane and Alan Thomson won the premier award. Their first and what a potful of Pleione it is! This quiet couple have supported the group and Club in many ways over the years, including bringing plants to the shows, occasionally winning some trophies. Apparantly, they bought one pseudobulb of their Pleione 'Britannia Doreen' at the first Gardening Scotland at Strathclyde Park, some years ago. The increase to the huge panful on display on Saturday is a tribute to their skills as cultivators and the award of both a First Class Certificate and a Cultural Commendation at Joint Rock on Saturday was wholly appropriate and deserved. Very well done Alan and Jane!!! A real occasion to remember.
I was also pleased because I won what I think is the most historically interesting of our trophies - the R E Cooper Bhutan Drinking Cup. This was originally given by the Maharajah of Bhutan to Rolland E Cooper during his 1914-15 expedition. Cooper was of course one of the founding members of the Rock Garden Club. In 1954 Cooper presented the cup to the Club for award at the Edinburgh Show. Although it was initially awarded for the best species primula, it almost always went to an Asiatic one, which then became its designation in 1986. Interestingly, in 1973, the centenary year of George Forrest’s birth, the Bhutan Drinking Cup was awarded for Primula forrestii; coincidentally (or not), Pleione forrestii won the Forrest Medal that same year.
-
Sandy Leven's Forrest Medal Report from Edinburgh is now online HERE (http://files.srgc.net/Showreports/ForrestEdinburgh2016.pdf) 8)
-
Looks to have been a good show, with well stocked sales. Alastair seemed to be finding it thirsty work. The Harrogate spring show has less small nurserys with stalls. I have stopped going because of this.
-
I'm a little late posting this, but thought it time Stans picture was here in tribute to his work bringing the show to the forum. Thank you Stan, we all really appreciate your efforts!
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
-
Seconded.
-
Couldn't agree more, Christine - we owe Stan a huge debt for his efforts on our behalf. 8)
-
And I'm sure that, if he is at Perth today he is already busy taking more pics for us......
-
Alan and Jane Thompson with their Forrest Medal Certidficate ... 8) :)
[attachimg=1]
and, from Sandy Leven to amuse you - a collage of photos from the Edinburgh Show - how many of you can spot your own show plants?
Download the pdf HERE (http://files.srgc.net/Showreports/embracollage2016.pdf) :D
-
Just arrived from Sandy Leven - the Edinburgh 2016 Show report :
https://www.srgc.net/filessub/Showreports/EdinburghShow2016.pdf (https://www.srgc.net/filessub/Showreports/EdinburghShow2016.pdf) is the direct link
- find it, and others, in the main SRGC website HERE (https://www.srgc.net/add-show-reports.asp)
8) 8)