AGS Events: World of Alpines Day

Autumn in Yunnan
New display boards from two of our members, Stan and Patricia Fletcher - their latest trip.

The Primula Trap
What would we do without David Philbey's huge collection of Primula allionii and hybrids, providing a big splash of colour at this time of year, and a huge compendium of knowledge about them, for those willing to stop and spend the time.

The Bulb Table
An assortment of contributions from several members, this always contains plenty of interest. Group chairman, Alan Wolsoncroft is wearing his special yellow World of Alpines polo shirt.

Fishbox trough demonstrations
Mike Morton, in his World of Alpines hat, and Roger Cleaver spent all day explaining how easy it is to turn a supermarket waste product into a garden feature.

Examples of the final product
The one planted as a crevice garden is mine. More pictures later.

Cyclamen stand
Martyn Denney, a local group member but also a stalwart of the cyclamen society, brought along some great boards about cyclamen, and an interesting table of plants (which you can't see here).

Sales table
In one corner of the hall, a small sales table from Amands, to encourage group members to come and help, and visitors to the garden to come in and see us.

More photos in the back room
The back room housed more of my photos - a display of close ups, and opposite them my artistic section entries for this year.

Cards and bookmarks for sale
My wife Helen and my mother (90 last year) came along to help and sell cards.

Overall, the event was a success, though it is disappointing that when there are 7-8000 people in the garden on a nice sunny day, and the alpine house is so full that people are shuffling in a queue down both benches, only a few find their way over to the events centre.

We will be looking at new ways of improving this next year.

Wisley Crevice Garden

In my lunch break, I had a chance to get out into the fresh air, and make a quick tour of the new crevice garden, the alpine house, and the top of the rock garden before returning.

Here is a nice patch of white crocuses in the crevice garden. The garden has a lot of potential, but is very much dominated by the rock still at the moment, and badly needs some larger patches of green to soften it.

Crocus olivieri ssp. balansae Zwanenburg

Cyclamen pseudibericum

Narcissus papyraceus
Flowering well in a warm bed on the sunny side of the alpine house.

Tropaeolum tricolor
Inside the alpine house now. This Tropaeolum is one which has not thrived for me recently; I think I will have to start some new plants from seed.

Ipheion sellowianum

Ornithogalum schmalhausenii

Alpine house bench

Fritillaria karelinii

Fritillaria karelinii x. gibbosa

Fritillaria uva-vulpis Kew form

Tropaeolum hookerianum var. austropurpureum