AGS Show Loughborough 06/03/10

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You have to arrive early at these things to make sure you get a good choice in the sales area.

Here’s a picture of the scene of my financial ruin!

For a change the snowdrops were not the most expensive things on sale. On the Edrom Nursery stall a tray of Hepatica cultivars, the prices ranged from £18 to £180. Funnily enough, I didn’t see many being sold!

After an hour or so buying, refreshment is needed

At 12 noon the show opened. Not so many plants as normal but I think that was down to weather. Shows at this time of year usually have huge entries of Primula allionii cultivars but they were few and far between. One bonus was the greater presence of the snowdrops because they were later into flower.
Here’s my favourite, Galanthus Corrin. Just as well there were show stewards around, otherwise I’d have been running for the door with the pot tucked underneath my arm!

Galanthus elwesii var monostictus

Galanthus gracilis

There were several nice pans of yellow snowdrops.
Firstly Galanthus nivalis sandersii group

To my mind the most desirable yellow, Galanthus “Spindlestone Surprise”

Some general views of the show benches.
On the right of the first photo, you can see an example of how strict the show stewards were. This man had dared to touch one of the exhibits. He had been beheaded and his head left on a spike to discourage others.

The next two pictures feature the flowers of Asarum splendens. An unusual rather than a beautiful plant, I’ve read somewhere that the flowers are pollinated by slugs.

Cyclamen coum. This magnificent specimen was awarded the salva for best cyclamen in show

Corydalis popvii

A lovely pan of Cyclamen alpinum

Daphne jezoensis. No detectable scent but love the yellow colour.

It’s dionysia time.

This one is Dionysia afghanica

Another form of Dionysia afghanica. This particular plant won the Farrer medal for best plant in show.

Dionysia “Ewersley Theta”

Dionysia freitagii

A refined version of the winter aconite. This is Eranthis x tuberginii “guinea Gold”

Hepatica japonica forma magna

Hepatica nobilis japonica “Beni Kanzan”

Iris histrioides “George”. The flowers were even deeper than I’ve managed to capture

Mammilaria plumosa. A New Zealand native, the mammilarias are known as vegetable sheep. They form such huge hummocks in the wild that from a distance they look like sheep

Narcissus “Minicycla”. I’ve tried to grow this at least twice with no success. So this pan was much admired by me.

Primula nana

Romulea hantemensis

Romulea kombergensis. A real beauty this one, the photo doesn’t do it justice.

So ended the day, I returned home lighter of pocket but with a bootful of wonderful plants. Yes, a few galanthus were purchased :-)

• 7 Mar, 2010
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