The Alpine Gardener
Show Reports 2003

In June 1929, Sir William Lawrence wrote a letter to one of the weekly gardening papers suggesting the desirability of a Rock Garden Society. His letter proposed the staging of shows with both professional and amateur exhibits (as well as a bulletin, seed exchange and programs of lectures). After a lively correspondence on the subject, a preliminary meeting was held in October and the Alpine Garden Society was formed with Sir William as the first President. The rest, as they say, is history. 75 years on, we are entering a new season of shows on a scale that the founders of the Society could scarcely have envisaged.

Something else that the founders of the Society could not have envisaged is the all-pervading internet. A big change in the Shows Department during 2003 was the publication of all the show results, together with pictures where available, on the Society website at www.alpinegardensociety.net. The results are usually there a day or so after the show and pictures follow as soon as possible. Many of the plants mentioned on the following pages are illustrated on the website and this will be the case again during the coming season.

Finally, my thanks to everyone around the country who contributed to the success of the shows during 2003.
Jim McGregor

CAERLEON (SOUTH WALES) SHOW, FEBRUARY 15

Some expressions transcend linguistic boundaries; ‘Brrrr’ (accompanied by hands massaging upper arms, and feet stomping rhythmically up and down) is widely understood to connote sub-zero temperatures. However, heading indoors across the white-rimed lawns surrounding the new venue of this first competitive meet of the year, a warm glow was engendered by a very serviceable display of those chief alpine stalwarts of late winter, Crocus, Cyclamen, Galanthus and Iris. These were supported by a number of wholly unexpected appearances, some requiring only cold glass protection from the sting in winter’s tale, others boosted by frost-free conditions.

In the latter camp, Bonatea speciosa is one of several South African terrestrial orchids now appearing at our Shows (the deep yellow Satyrium conifolium popped up at Southport in 2002). Up to 45 cm tall, this was shown in the new or rare class, justifying its appearance mainly on the second count, since it was introduced by Aiton in 1826, though its praying mantis-like, cream and green flowers have been little seen in gardens thereafter. A fynbos and light woodland inhabitant, it had increased promisingly in a leaf mould-based compost, and made a fascinating exhibit, for all that, it was worsted in competition by Dionysia iranshahrii, a compact, lilacpink representative of the torrent of Iranian species introduced within the past six years.

Crocus abantensis at Caerleon, South Wales, 2003

Crocus growers frustratingly find that AGS Shows commence a week or so too late for the winter-flowering species, and often terminate marginally too early for some of the autumn-flowering ones. At Caerleon the timing was perfect, and a sophisticated selection was present, with C. sieberi var. nivalis perhaps the best of them all. Representing a Paul Christian & David Elliott introduction from the Peloponnese some 20 years ago, it presented a bouquet of delicate violet, yellowcentred chalices at its very peak. The same exhibitors also offered up a fine clump of the ‘trade’ form of the NW Turkish C. abantensis, and a sophisticated, grey-leaved, brown-anthered, brown-

Galanthus transcaucasicus PHOTOS: KATH BAKER

reversed form of the normally concolorous C. chrysanthus; in an attempt to go one better, crosspollination with the black-anthered clone ‘Sunspot’ has been attempted, unsuccessfully to date.

It was too early for the bulk of Fritillaria species, but one forerunner of note was an Uzbekistan-sourced member of the Rhinopetalum group, collected by Arnis Seisums and suggestive of a melding of F. bucharica and F. stenanthera, but with greyish-infused, reverse-mottled flowers on stems no more than 20 cm tall. Introductions from Central Asia and from Iran have come to prominence recently, witness a glorious pan of Galanthus transcaucasicus, glossily broad-leaved and in vulgar good health, for all that, the award for the best snowdrop went to a more obvious, much longer established plant, G. ‘Straffan’, as seen full of crisp white flower, yet the abundant clump had not been repotted for eight years, a neglect normally provoking congested catastrophe. Cyclamen also crowded the benches; the southerly, pure white C. coum forma albissimum, endemic to the Golan Heights, was particularly covetable, but acquisitive attention was predominantly directed towards an Azerbaijan re-introduction of a Cyclamen (if it is C. elegans then it confounds expectations that this newly separated taxon becomes longerpetalled and less hardy as it ranges eastwards: plant geography is an evolving science!

Crocus sieberi var. nivalis shown at Caerleon in February PHOTO: ROBERT ROLFE

Bonatea speciosa, R. Manuel; Crocus abantensis, C. chrysanthus (dark-anthered form), C. sieberi var. nivalis, Dr & Mrs R.B. Wallis; Cyclamen coum forma albissimum, C. ? elegans, Mr & Mrs J. Archibald; Dionysia iranshahrii, J. Dixon; Fritillaria aff. bucharica ARJA 9830, Dr & Mrs R.B. Wallis; Galanthus ‘Straffan’, J. Almond; G. transcaucasicus, Dr & Mrs R.B. Wallis.
ROBERT ROLFE

EARLY SPRING SHOW, MARCH 1

The Early Spring Show is always predictably unpredictable in the range of plants that will appear on the benches, particularly after a poor winter: Dionysia, Narcissus and Fritillaria performed as expected — but what else?

Having a tendency to look for plants with which I am unfamiliar, my eyes turned first to a very attractive Gesneriad, Chirita fimbrisepala, a Chinese rockdweller with neat, fresh green, hairy leaves and tubular, broad-lipped purple flowers with yellow throat markings. The striking Crocus olivieri subsp. balansae ‘Chocolate Soldier’ is a fine variant of this Turkish species, the glossy, mahogany-brown exterior of the tepals contrasting well with the bright orange-yellow interior and the fine threads of the deep orange stigmata. In the same class was an unusual hybrid between Ranunculus acetosellifolius, the female parent, and R. calandrinioides. Purple-red in tight bud with bronze sepals, it slowly reveals a white, pink-flushed interior and yellow anthers. The unusual aroid Ambrosina bassii with secretive, boat-shaped, dark purple spathes and mid-green, sometimes purple-spotted, spreading leaves, occurs wild in grassland and scrub in southern Italy and Sicily as well as Corsica and Sardinia. Yet another oddball in this family that appeals to the curious but will rank low in horticultural merit with most alpine gardeners! Seldom seen, but very appealing, was a fine specimen of Gymnospermium altaicum. A small genus of snowmelt plants mainly from Central Asia and China, Gymnospermium has a tuber-like rhizome and a single digitate leaf that appears at the same time as the small, Berberislike flowers in nodding terminal racemes, bright yellow in this species but yellow, veined red-brown in its close relative G. albertii.

Tuberous Corydalis often feature strongly at the early shows and were prominent in Classes 14 and 15, particularly the popular members of Section Leonticoides like C. sewerzowii, whose intensely glaucous foliage contrasts well with the deep golden-yellow blooms. Equally striking was C. popovii with its pink-spurred, purplered- tipped, well-spaced flowers held clear of grey divided leaves. Rather similar but with creamy-white spurs and less intense purple-red tips, C. darwasica also has dainty, glaucous foliage. All of these Central Asian species, now well-established in cultivation, were superbly exhibited in Class 14, while next door the dense racemes of the deep wine-purple C. wendelboi ‘Abant Wine’ stood out, a most attractive selection of a species with great variation in flower colour; some forms (it must be said) are rather dull and wishy-washy.

Fine examples of the cushion growers’ art were seen in several classes. Particularly noteworthy was a 30 cm pan of Dionysia viscidula x freitagii (EGW MK91/4) in Class 3, a perfect confection of dark and lilac-purple with a white eye. The same exhibitors had another fine example in Class 11, where it was accompanied by the pale yellow ‘Emmely’ (deeper yellow in the centre of the flowers) and a clone of the cross D. curviflora x tapetodes, somewhat deeper yellow than ‘Emmely’ and fading to buff yellow.

Ypsilandra thibetica; Early Spring Show PHOTO: DOUG JOYCE

As usual there was an abundance of Fritillaria species to see and to enjoy. Two stand out in my memory: a very fine pan of F. aurea and a superb specimen of F. stenanthera, which had produced over 30 flowers, reminding me of a much-refined, miniature cauliflower as the flowers were so tightly packed.

To close, just three among many other plants I noted to obtain in the future; Daphne blagayana ‘Brenda Anderson’, a much neater, more compact version of the usual forms of this species seen in gardens, originally found in 1975 on the slopes of Mt Durmitor near Sarajevo and named after the introducer; the delicate, narrow-leaved Scilla aff. leepii, introduced from central Turkey by Martyn Rix, with bright blue blooms set off by dark blue anthers with white filaments; and Ypsilandra thibetica, with dark green, rosetted leaves akin to those of a Heloniopsis, and dense pyramids of white, blueanthered flowers, a woodlander from China in to the family Melianthaceae (an off-shoot from the Liliaceae of old).

Ranunculus acetosellifolius x calandrinioides, Capt. P.J. Erskine; Ambrosina bassii SL 315, R. Drew; Chirita fimbrisepala, R. Drew; Corydalis sewerzowii,??? Dr T. Smale; C. popovii, Dr T. Smale; C. wendelboi ‘Abant Wine’, Mr & Mrs L. Martin; Crocus olivieri subsp. balansae ‘Chocolate Soldier’, A. Edwards; Daphne blagayana ‘Brenda Anderson’, Mrs K.N. Dryden; Dionysia ‘Emmely’ and D. viscidula x freitagii EGW MK91/4, P. & G. Ranson; Fritillaria aurea, Mrs I. Sentance; F. stenanthera, Dr & Mrs R. Wallis; Gymnospermium altaicum, Mrs I. Sentance; Scilla aff. leepii, R. Rolfe; Ypsilandra thibetica, Mrs K.N. Dryden.
CHRIS BRICKELL

LOUGHBOROUGH SHOW, MARCH 8

A long drive on a dismal March morning was instantly forgotten on entering the show hall, where my senses were assailed by a stunning array of colourful and, in many cases, sweetly-scented flowers. Beckoning from the far side of the hall and apparently bathed in sunshine (although there was none) was a host of narcissi of many different species, hybrids and cultivars. Everyone loves these merry plants that yearly remind us that winter has once more been vanquished by the climbing sun, and that sooner rather than later, warm days will return to cheer us. Two contenders for the Royal Bank of Scotland award for the best pan of bulbous plants were narcissi, pride of place going to an exceptional pan of Narcissus dubius, closely followed by an outstanding exhibit of N. cyclamineus. N. dubius is a member of the Tazetta section from limestone soils along the coastal belt of southern France and eastern Spain, where it can also be found growing inland. The strong erect flower stems were about 25 cm high and bore several outward-facing, creamy white flowers some 2 cm in diameter.

Narcissus hybrid, N. romieuxii var. mesatlanticus x bulbocodium forma filifolius PHOTO: ROBERT ROLFE

Of the many fine pans of Narcissus hybrids the one which particularly took my fancy was N. ‘Anne’ (N. romieuxii var. mesatlanticus x bulbocodium forma filifolius), part of a winning three-pan narcissus exhibit, and named for Anne Wright by its raiser, Robin Metcalf. The other plants in this exhibit, both raised by Anne Wright, were N. ‘Jim Lad’ (N. rupicola x asturiensis; P.C. 2002, see The Alpine Gardener 69:516), and N. cyclamineus x asturiensis. Anne said that in choosing what to cross, she tries to imagine what a plant which merged the chief characteristics of the two parents might look like; if she likes the prospect, she goes ahead. When carrying out a cross she removes the stamens and coloured parts of the seed parent and then rubs the stigma lightly with a few stamens from the pollen parent. A label detailing the parentage is then attached with a loop of thread to the stem of the pollinated flower. She does not bother to bag the flower to exclude insects, hoping that the absence of the perianth will be sufficient to discourage them. Many crosses don’t ‘take’ but any seeds produced in a particular pod are sown close together in the middle of a small pot, as the seedlings seem to flourish in company. The whole cluster is potted on without disturbance annually for two years before the individual bulbs are spaced out more evenly in a larger pot. They should flower in five years, perhaps less if given liquid feed regularly when in growth. Why not have a go at hybridising dwarf daffodils yourself? But please only keep (or at any rate show) those that are superior in some way to existing hybrids.

Two frits seen at Harlow: Fritillaria gibbosa (above) and F. rhodocanakis (below)