Mid-West AGS Show at Tewkesbury 12/07/14

[Maggi Young]

Conifers are often subject to muddled naming at shows - well, lots of plants are! Happily, that is no barrier to the entry. 

[Palustris]

We were interested to see a few cards at the Show indicating that a plant was a good garden plant as well as a Show plant. Very useful for the non-specialist visitor.

[Maggi Young]

We were interested to see a few cards at the Show indicating that a plant was a good garden plant as well as a Show plant. Very useful for the non-specialist visitor.

That's a very good idea.
 Can often be quite tricky trying to explain to enthusiastic newbie why a Dionysia isn't a great plant for the front of a border!

[Helen Johnstone]

Eric
I think the cards were interested at the London Alpine show by John Hill. I thought it was a fab idea

[brianw]

You can also agree or disagree with the cards. At London I think Verbascum dumulosum had a good garden plant label, which surprised its owner who had only grown it under glass. A good garden plant a few inches across may be quite different to the large plant on show.

[Tim Ingram]

Yes I thought this was a good idea too at the London Show (and could lead to some debate!) but it does beg the question of whether the Shows actually really can highlight the 'garden value' of many alpines. The outdoor display that the Czech Rock gardeners make in Prague does illustrate this beautifully (and I suppose is a little like - but very different to - the way plants are displayed at Chelsea, the difference being that it is put together by very many gardeners, rather like the Shows are as well). It's hard to imagine this way of displaying alpines and woodland plants in the UK because our traditions are so very different, but wouldn't it be interesting if something similar could be done? The garden that Ian Christie has described up in Forfar is an example.

[ChrisB]

Church yards are a good idea Tim, I remember the Natl Colln of dicentra used to be displayed in a church yard near York, dunno if it still is, but the Czech display was also in a church yard, and whereas there are not a lot of venues in large urban areas, there are usually church yards.  Mind you, they are open to the elements and as we know it can be quite a problem!