Monday 8 August 2016

Looking for a Speaker.....?

Sadly after 15 years of giving pleasure to many people the 'Alpines for the Enthusiast' website is no more, having been deleted by that not so nice organisation called virgin. I intend to resurrect it at some stage using a provider I can depend upon!

As a temporary measure, if anyone is looking to contact me regarding a talk, here is the list of current topics. You can contact me using the form to to the right giving your contact email or telephone number and I will get back to you ....


1. Special Snowdrops and How to Keep Them
2. More Special Snowdrops and How to Keep Them
3. Life after Snowdrops
4. Plant Treasures for a Digital Lens (can be customised for specialist groups)
5. Pictures and Presentations
6. Sowing, Growing and Showing – An Alpine Triathlon
7. Digital Plant Photography
8. Alpines and Bulbs from Seed
9. Some Plants at the Shows
10. Showing Alpines, Behind the Scenes
11. Cyclamen at AGS Shows
12. Primulaceae in Pots
13. The Juno Iris Collection
14. Fritillarias and Other Choice Bulbs
15. Fritillarias from A to Z
16. Snowdrops and Other Winter / Spring Bulbs
17. Out and About (Garden Visits throughout the Year)
18. Spring Treasures in Kew
19. Choice Bulbs in Pots
20. Climbers and other Favourite Garden Plants
21. Something for Everyone
22. The All Year Bulb Garden
23. Alpines, Dwarf Bulbs and Hardy Cyclamen
24. Alpines through the Post
25. Plants through the Post
26. Wildlife in the Garden
27. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
28. Propagation – A Matter of Life and Death
29. Out and About – Adventures of an Alpine Enthusiast
30. Out and About 2 – More Adventures of an Alpine Enthusiast!
31. Sowing growing showing – A Primula triathlon
32. Springtime in New England
33. Snowdrops in the green
34. The World of Iris
35 The Patch a garden for all seasons
36. The Shropshire Snowdrop connection
37. Species Snowdrops and their cultivation in the open garden
38. Something for Everyone  (HPS group material)

(Talks 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 34, 35 and 38 are aimed at ‘non-specialist’ garden audiences)

Saturday 13 July 2013

Mid West (Tewkesbury) AGS show

Plant images from Mid West (Tewkesbury) Show where the big talking point of the day was the heat (topping 30'C!!)!  The very wise decision for an 'early finish', I think met with unanimous approval!

Lots of interesting plants in the show,over 360 of them in fact!  A general view of the show....


Helichrysum plumaceus was voted the best plant in show and Farrer medal for show secretary Eric Jarrett


And here's Eric!


Campanula asperuloides, shown by Paul and Gill Ranson was a worthy Certificate of Merit winner


Both 6 pan AGS medal classes were won by Cecilia Coller who not surprisingly took the Hilliard Cup for the most 1st prize points in the open section!  Here's Class 1....


following by the small 19cm pan class


The Frank Badrick memorial trophy, a three pan bulbous class distinct class, was won by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.


Note the amazing flowers of Calochortus clavatus subsp recurvifolius - crying out for a close up image!



The weirdest plant (Glebelands trophy) was awarded to Saxifraga fortunei 'Mt Nachi', shown by Lee and Julie Martin


Three more Certificates of Merit were awarded, Alan Newton staged a plant labelled Ledebouriana cooperi. Ian and Maggie Young via the discussion forum pointed out this name was incorrect, although opinion divided as to what! Either L.ovalifolia or L. sandersonii??  


Asyneuma pulvinatum, an amazing cushion from Eric Jarrett


And 'South Africa' specialist George Elder's Androcymbium striatum


George also showed Pelargonium auritum ssp carneum, seen in close up here


Silene acaulis 'Mt Snowdon' was judged the best plant in the Novice section winning the Wessex water trophy


Alstroemeria hookeri is one of best diminutive species of the genus and this well coloured clone was staged by Lee andf Julie Martin


Campanulas were as usual at a Summer show, present in good numbers and here's a few representative, ever popular species.

Campanula fragilis shown by Cecilia Coller


Campanula hercegovina nana shown by Ivor Betteridge


Campanula rotundifolia subsp arctica 'Mt Jutenheimen' (now that needs a big label!) shown by Martin Rogerson


Campanula Maie Blyth shown by Ian Sharpe


And finally, Campanula Blithe Spirit shown by Dot Sample


Nice to see a couple of Primulaceae putting in an aqppearance!

Cyclamen purpurascens shown by Alan and Janet Cook


Primula tibetica shown by Lionel Clarkson


This excellent Teucrium ackermannii was also grown by Lionel


Two North American gems shown by Graham Nicholls in the seed raised 'three pan' class

Gilia caespitosa


Epilobium rigidum


How about this sumptuous pan of Ourisia 'Cliftonville Roset' 


Or Ourisia microphylla alba, both shown by Eric


Part of a well established pan of Sarmienta repens grown by Cecilia Coller


And the superb dwarf Tritelia laxa 'Dexter' also from Cecilia


What a fantastic range of high summer flowering plants!!

Saturday 16 March 2013

Blackpool AGS Show

A general view of the show as show secretary Lionel Clarkson surveys the scene....


Let judging commence!  A picture of concentration :-)


Cyclamen alpinum forma leucanthum

Best in Show and worthy winner of a Forrest medal was this pan of  Cyclamen alpinum forma leucanthum grown by Dave Riley. A wonderful flat topped floriferous achievement!



The Duncan Lowe award went to Robert Rolfe, his Fritillaria aurea was judged the best exhibit in a 19cm pot.


Stella and David Rankin won the Narcissus Salver with this fine panful of Narcissus jacetanus.


The 'smallest' trophy winner on view.... Androsace ochotensis.... from Geoff Rollinson


Voted the best foliage plant (Kirby cup) Helichrysum pagophilum exhibited by Frank and Barbara Hoyle


A well established pan of Callianthemum kernerianum shown by Lionel Clarkson


Primulas were much in evidence as ever. A superb large pan of this slow growing 'favourite' - Primula 'Joan Hughes', grown by Martin Rogerson and worthy Certificate of Merit winner!




Brian Burrow brought a lovely range of seed raised P. allionii. Primula allionii BB 01/5/1 was particularly eye-catching.



And Primula allionii x marginata BB 08 25 4 from Brian, as dark a hybrid as they come!


Quite a number of petiolarid Primulas were on show, including  Primula 'Arduaine' grown by Don Peace.


 A tastefully top dressed pan of  Primula sessilis, exhibited by Margaret and Henry Taylor


Primula nana x sessilis - Another fine pan from the Taylors


One of Alan Oatway's red sticker plants - Primula 'Tantallon' -  helping him to achieve the Novice section aggregate



A large long tom ensured this showy Iris rosenbachiana 'Harangon' stood head and shoulders above other exhibits. The judges were impressed too and ensured Sam Sutherland received a certificate of merit.


Iris aucheri 'Olof'  A closer look at the flowers of this former 'Shooting Star' with the darkest of dark purple flowers - exhibited  by Fred and Pat Bundy.


Another fine pan from Ivor Betteridge - Iris svetlanae



A nice potful of Iris reticulata 'White Caucasus' from Robert Rolfe


The cold weather meant snowdrops were still very much in evidence. Don Peace would normally have taken  Galanthus plicatus 'Sophie North' to South Wales a month earlier in a 'normal' year.


Another fine potful - Galanthus ikariae, from Don Peace




John Richards brought a couple of pans of Galanthus. This ebay money spinner Galanthus woronowii 'Elizabeth Harrison' is rather attractive and the only known 'yellow' representative of this species.





Another new diminutive 'spiky' Galanthus nivalis 'Mini Muffin' exhibited by John Richards


A close up of Galanthus 'Penelope Ann' shown by Pat and Fred Bundy



A couple of Crocus fine crocus specimens. Plenty of flower power with Crocus kosaninii grown by Alan Furness


 Crocus cvijicii was one of open section aggregate winner Ivor Betteridge's excellent range of plants



Les brown's eye-catching specimen of Corydalis integra




Diane Clement's pan of Colchicum szovitsii - opening pale pink.





One of the most popular genera on the nursery stands was Hepatica. Hepatica japonica 'Orihime'  nd the following plant were from Della Kerr's lovely three pan exhibit.


 Hepatica japonica 'Shirayuki' Lovely low growing plants covered in double flowers.


Derek Pickard ensured some of the 'older' established Dionysia species, such as Dionysia lamingtonii were still being grown to a high standard


Along with the relatively new introductions like Dionysia termeana, again from Derek



Dionysia 'Tess' exhibited by Tony Stanley, who took the Intermediate section aggregate


Not a bad assembly given recent weather conditions!