AGS South Wales Show 2025

Mountain Landscapes in Black and White

Rather than my usual displays of pictures of alpines, in cultivation or in the wild, this year’s exhibit was a set of 108 photographs of (mainly) mountain landscapes, converted to black and white, and printed on A3 Permajet Portrait White paper using my Epson Eco-Tank ET-8550 printer.

Conversion to black and white produces images which have an elegance and austerity which I like, and they emphasize the shapes, lines, tones and textures in the image, highlighting detail in the sky, the snow, rocks and in blocks of coniferous woodland.

If you look on the Friends of the Alpine Garden Society Facebook group, you should be able to find two excellent videos taken by Paddy Parmee walking round the display, which give a better impression of it than any still images can.

Botanical Art

On the other side of the hall was a table advertising the local AGS group.  Here Rannveig Wallis was displaying some of her botanical paintings to attract attention.

By the time the last exhibitor had arrived, the two lines of show benches were burgeoning with plants.

Six Small Pans of Rock Plants

Show secretaries, Bob and Rannveig Wallis won the AGS Medal for the small six-pan class with a fine grouping of spring bulbs (plus one Cyclamen), which helped them on their way to the Isca Prize for the Open Section aggregate.

Scilla monanthos

This pretty, fresh pan of Scilla came from Bob and Rannveig’s six pan entry.

Ipheion dialystemon

Sadly, the hall did not get sunny enough for the flowers on Bob and Rannveig’s Ipheion to open.

Iris hyrcana

It was good to see this Iris in the six pan entry.  I haven’t photographed it since before CoVid.

Narcissus x susannae

The best plant in Bob and Rannveig’s six pan entry was this lovely daffodil, a natural hybrid.  I think this is the best pan of it they have exhibited in the last 20 years, and it deservedly won the Mary Byng Award for the best plant in a 19cm pot.

Galanthus ‘David Shackleton’

However, the Farrer Medal for the best plant in the show went to Don Peace for this beautifully scented snowdrop, which also hoovered up the Galanthus Goblet for the best pan of snowdrops.  It had clearly been double potted for better presentation, and having carried it I can tell you that the gap between the two pots was full of wet grit, making the ensemble very heavy.  I couldn’t resist playing with lighting angles on the close-up.

Adonis aff. ramosa

It is always wonderful to see Adonis at the spring shows; every time I try to grow them the molluscs find them and they meet a slimy end.  This one was exhibited by Don Peace.  Although this is the plant which has gone around in commerce for years as A. amurensis, the judges were at pains to point out that that name is wrong, and that this is another species, probably A. ramosa.

Crocus biflorus x chrysanthus

Although the skies were dark, and rain was falling outside, inside the hall it was quite warm and the crocuses were sagging.  I did my best to capture some of them before they deteriorated.  This is Crocus biflorus x chrysanthus, exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Crocus paschei

There were two slightly different forms of this crocus on the bench, the first from Alistair Forsyth, and the second from Bob and Rannveig.

Crocus vernus

This stripy white and purple form of Crocus vernus used to be given the varietal name albiflorus, but I am told it has now been lumped within the main species.  It was good to see that George Elder still grows it.  I was particularly taken by one individual flower, when the striped petals alternated with darker purple ones.

Romulea bulbocodium subsp leichtlinii

After Crocus, I moved on to Romulea.  George Elder had a good pan of this white form of the Mediterranean Romulea bulbocodium.

Romulea bulbocodium var crocea

George also showed the lovely yellow form, which I have tried to grow on several occasions, but without success.

Scilla mesopotamica

This unusual Scilla was exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Colchicum burchelii

George Elder exhibited two South African Colchicum (formerly Androcymbium), including this weird-looking species.

Lachenalia congesta

George also received a Certificate of Merit for this fine pot of Lachenalia congesta.

Galanthus ‘Dryad Gold Star’

Moving on to snowdrops, in the Intermediate section Anita and Mike Acton exhibited a small pan of Anne Wright’s Galanthus ‘Dryad Gold Star’ which earned Anne a Certificate of Merit at the Wisley show.  It is good to see that these cultivars are getting spread around.

Galanthus reginae-olgae ‘Trebinje’

Anita and Mike also exhibited this wonderfully delicate little snowdrop, which they say they got originally from Rannveig Wallis.  Anita and Mike won the Gwent Trophy for the Intermediate section aggregate, sadly without any competition, for they were the only exhibitors in the Intermediate or Novice sections.

Galanthus ‘Little Ben’

Bob and Rannveig Wallis showed a fine clump of Galanthus ‘Little Ben’ in a cracked and battered pot, which caused onlookers huge consternation when I went to pick it up and carry it away to be photographed.  Fortunately, everything was still intact when I brought it back.

Galanthus ‘South Hayes’

Pauline Carless produced a small pot of the sought-after Galanthus ‘South Hayes’.

Galanthus unknown cv.

Pauline also exhibited this rather attractive green tipped cultivar under a name which was wrong.  It looks like it has inherited some genes from G. ‘Trym’.

Galanthus ‘Woodpeckers’

Diane Clement brought her pan of Galanthus ‘Woodpeckers’, which we all admired two years ago at the same show.

Tulipa edulis

At the Wisley show, I managed to photograph Bob and Rannveig Wallis’ pan of this tulip fully open.  In the gloomy conditions in South Wales, Bob Worsley’s pan never achieved the same state.

Eranthis hyemalis ‘Andenken an Johannes Raschen’

Diane Clement showed this curious form of the winter aconite.  Even though I photographed it, I cannot say I find it attractive.

Cyclamen alpinum

Ian Robertson was absent from this show, competing with other cyclamen specialists at the Cyclamen Society show in Birmingham, but in his absence, Bob Worsley showed a number of attractive smaller specimens of C. alpinum.

Flower arrangements

As at the Wisley show, the flower arrangement class was fiercely contested, with two entries from Paddy Parmee and Dot Sample respectively.  Once again, Dot pipped Paddy to the first place.

Myriopteris yatskievychiana

Don Peace received a Certificate of Merit for this little fern exhibited in the new or rare classes.  I photographed the same plant last year, I think at the East Anglia show; in fact, I probably photographed the same fronds, as the plant did not appear to be making new leaves yet this year.

Corydalis kusnetzovii Dark form

Turning now to Corydalis, this was a striking little panful from Don Peace.

Corydalis ‘Lentune Rouge’

More familiar was this self-raised hybrid which Don has been exhibiting for several years now.

Corydalis ledebouriana

Bob and Rannveig Wallis showed a nice compact plant of Corydalis ledebouriana.

Corydalis ledebouriana x maracandica

Bob and Rannveig also exhibited this striking hybrid, which I don’t think I have ever seen before.

Pleione ‘Riah Shan’

Don Peace won the orchid class with this little Pleione cultivar.

Hepatica japonica ‘Sai Chou’

The first Hepatica flowers are appearing.  This pretty little plant was exhibited by Anita and Mike Acton in the Intermediate section.

Hepatica japonica ex ‘Tessin’

Bob Worsley has been exhibiting this dark magenta Hepatica seedling for a number of years now.  It is very hard to decide upon the correct colour – under a bright light it can appear quite a bright purple/magenta, but without that it definitely has a more sombre appearance.

Primula ex ‘Lentune Lovelace’

Don also exhibited this Asiatic Primula, a seedling from his own hybrid P. Lentune Lovelace, which is itself P. ‘Arduaine’ x bhutanica.

Saxifraga sempervivum

It was a surprise to find Dionysia experts Paul and Gill Ranson exhibiting a saxifrage, but this little plant grown from seed had a very striking purple and green colour scheme, and wonderfully hairy stems.

Dionysia afghanica GW-H1308

John Dixon’s Dionysia afghanica, which won the prize for the best plant in a 19cm pot at the Wisley show, had to be content with a Certificate of Merit here.

Dionysia curviflora EGW 7

John Dixon also exhibited a lovely deep-coloured clone of Dionysia curviflora, the like of which I have not seen before; most clones are very pale lilac.

Dionysia esfandiarii x ? jamzadiae CIA 232-3 (TBG 6)

I was intrigued by this Dionysia hybrid shown in the new or rare classes by John Dixon.  The flowers were pale yellow, but the tips of the buds, and thus the backs of the petals, were flushed with purple.  The numbers attached above indicate that this was a wild collection, not a cultivated hybrid.  Paul Ranson comments that it was found by Michael Mauser and Jiri Papousek at the locus classicus of D. esfandiarii during the 2016 CIA expedition.

Dionysia ‘Corona’ MK9914/4

Paul and Gill Ranson exhibited some more familiar Dionysia hybrids (i.e. ones I have photographed before).  I always enjoy the big round lilac flowers of ‘Corona’.

Dionysia hybrid MK01458/2

This plant from Paul and Gill is an unnamed hybrid seedling deriving from D. afghanica.

Dionysia hybrid PMR-DZ1924H/1

This final Dionysia won Paul and Gill the AGS Seed Distribution Award for the best plant in the seed-raised classes.

After all this, it just remains for me to thank the show secretaries Bob and Rannveig Wallis and all their helpers, the judges, stewards and exhibitors, all of whom contributed to make this show possible.  After the award ceremony, the exhibitors rushed to put their plants back in their cars, the helpers took the cloths off the tables and packed them away, and Helen and I set about taking down my display – carefully so it will be straightforward to put up next time.  It took 90 minutes, and we were the last to leave, with the caretaker waiting for us.  Thanks also to him for his patience.