AGS Annual Awards 2024

Lyttel Trophy

The Society’s premier award to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the world of alpine plants or has done meritorious work in advancing the knowledge of alpines to a wide audience.

Diane Clement

Diane Clement has been a great stalwart of the Alpine Garden Society over many years. Her organisational skills have been tireless in managing the complex task of running the AGS Seed Exchange for many years. This involved the recruitment of many members to assist with the jobs necessary to receive, packet and distribute seeds to members. In addition she has sorted out the programs and speakers for several annual conferences, snowdrop days and other study days.

As an ambassador she has given countless lectures on behalf of the Society, disseminating her knowledge of alpines and other plants to a wide audience both within and outside the Society.

All these skills have been managed with obvious enjoyment and a cheery and forthright demeanour. She has successfully taken part in AGS shows as exhibitor, judge and judge co-ordinator and her communication skills come to the forefront at those AGS Shows and other meetings when promoting the Society to members of the public.

In recent times she has become a member of the Alpine and Rock Garden Committee (formerly the Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee), run by the Royal Horticultural Society whose prime aim is to promote awareness of alpines to the gardening public and to distinguish the finest alpines through a series of awards.

In this capacity she played a very important role in the RHS trial of hepaticas.  In recent years the genus Hepatica has received a high profile through the endeavours of a number of skilful growers. Diane made a great impact as a member of the RHS round table assessments of Hepatica, knowledge that she acquired through years of cultivating a wide range of species and cultivars. She has been able to offer hepatica and other seed from recalcitrant species to the AGS Seed Exchange in recent years following careful damp storage and packeting.

To add to all this, Diane has been a lively and forthright member of the AGS Board and has, as a result, a thorough understanding of the workings and functions of the Society.

There can be few worthier recipients of this award, the most prestigious afforded by the Society, and we commend her wholeheartedly.

The Award of Honour

This award recognizes sterling work undertaken on behalf of the Society, not necessarily during the previous year, but over a period of time.

Gavin Moore

The Irish Groups of the AGS are flourishing, due in no small way to the sterling work undertaken by Gavin Moore who has tackled the problems of how to find new exhibitors for the shows and how to help members grow from seed as biosecurity measures now prevent seed from entering Ireland from the UK. Gavin has tackled both issues with initiatives involving members of both Irish Groups, to provide mutual support, guidance and advice for first time exhibitors, and a seed exchange between Irish members. These new ideas have been carefully thought through and implemented by Gavin whose hard work has made a significant difference to the AGS members in both Irish Groups.

The Kath Dryden Award

This award recognises meritorious work and expertise in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the cultivation and/or new plant introductions within a single genus or group of alpine plants.

Marika Irvine

Gothenburg Botanic Gardens is often considered to be the epicentre of cultivation of some of the most intractable members of the genus Dionysia and it is widely accepted that Marika is responsible for the unrivalled results achieved there. She has been on several research and collecting expeditions, resulting in the raising of new and re-introduced species, some previously lost to cultivation. She has also been involved with creating, raising and propagating hybrids. She spends time disseminating the information and skills she has developed over a number of years, using social media, video recordings and personal contact with visitors to Gothenburg Botanic Gardens.

The Ferrier Charlton Award

This award recognises outstanding work for the Society in an administrative or managerial capacity.

Martin Rogerson

Martin has been directing AGS shows for many years, a job he has undertaken with precision and attention to detail, whilst always retaining a balance of professionalism with a degree of good humour. Organising around twenty shows a year takes a great deal of hard work and he has tackled all aspects of the show scene with a hands-on approach. He has been a show secretary for various shows throughout the country with all the inherent work that brings, and he also continues to support the shows, successfully showing his own plants, and working as a judge and judge co-ordinator.

The Sir William & Lady Lawrence Award

This award is for a person who works in professional horticulture and who has made a significant contribution in their work with alpines

Tim Roberts

Tim has worked in professional horticulture all his life and has worked to advance our knowledge of Himalayan Saxifraga over the past 25 years. He has visited Nepal several times to study saxifrages in many locations and has studied natural hybrids of Saxifraga in Nepal and the Pyrenees. He has recently been involved in building the new rock gardens at RHS Harlow Carr and his work there has been praised by RHS senior staff.

Local Group Awards

These awards recognise outstanding service within a Local Group over a number of years.

Rosie Turner (South Lancashire Group)

Rosie moved to Southport some ten years ago and has quickly become a driving force behind the group. Her determination has helped motivate the group to continue to mount excellent displays at Southport Flower Show, the latest being awarded a Large Gold Medal. She has launched a number of recruitment initiatives, including holding joint events with the Southport Chrysanthemum and Gardening Society. Having lost some senior members in recent years the group is now growing again, which is in no small part due to Rosie’s energy and enthusiasm.

Paddy & Ben Parmee (Hampshire Group)

Over the years, Paddy and Ben Parmee have been stalwart members of the group, taking on a large number of posts including treasurer, chair, programme secretary. They regularly open their garden for the group members, which is a treasure trove of immaculate plants, all planted with care and attention to their needs. The quality of their garden was recognised as they were runner up in the challenging gardens category in BBC Gardeners’ World ‘gardens of the year’ 2017.

Sussex Weald Award

For the most outstanding nomination within the Local Group Awards whose work goes beyond the local area.

Paddy & Ben Parmee (Hampshire Group)

The work done by the Parmees goes well beyond their own group. Paddy has been actively involved in promoting the AGS through social media channels, whilst Ben is local group co-ordinator for the Southern Groups. Together they have organised the AGS displays at the Gardeners’ Word Shows at Beaulieu in the past two years and have taken on show management roles at the new AGS Show held at RHS Wisley.

AGS Literary Awards for The Alpine Gardener (2023)

The Clarence Elliott Memorial Award: for the best article published in The Alpine Gardener in 2023.

Jim Jermyn: Celebrating Branklyn’s Centenary. The Alpine Gardener 91(3): 296-313

The Christopher Grey-Wilson Award: to recognise photographic excellence in The Alpine Gardener in 2023 for the best ‘feature’ article that must contain a minimum of ten photographs.

Jon Evans: Meadows of the Dolomites. The Alpine Gardener 91(4): 419-435.