In Memory of Nigel Fuller

Ever since I started driving my stepfather, David Philbey, to shows, in the early 90s, Nigel Fuller was one of the elite growers.  Back then, he would travel to shows all over the country in order to exhibit, and accumulated a total of 15 Farrer Medals.  He was dedicated to the growing of high alpines, and soon became firm friends with David, who had a fanatical interest in European Primula species and hybrids.  Nigel despaired of me because I chose to grow bulbs, whose growing conditions are much easier to satisfy.  This picture, taken by Mike Chadwick, shows Nigel (centre) with Dave Wisdom in David Philbey’s alpine house, full of Primula allionii.

Nigel was an AGS Judge, well-known for airing his blunt and down-to-earth opinions about plants.  He had no time for conceit or stupidity, but if you were trying to grow plants he approved of, he could be incredibly generous with time, advice, and plant material.  He was an obsessive propagator, taking thousands of tiny Dionysia cuttings each year with a scalpel, tweezers and an eye-glass.  I remember once asking him how he produced a Dionysia the size of some of the huge plants he showed.  The answer was to take cuttings – a thousand a year.  Each year, he expected to lose half of them – the other half would be a little bigger, and might get potted on.  With luck, one might end up 8 or 10 inches across.

It wasn’t only Dionysia which Nigel grew.  In the early years, he exhibited all sorts of high alpine species; latterly he came to focus more on Dionysia and Primula allionii cultivars and hybrids, and became reluctant to travel far to exhibit them.

Farrer Medals

Here is a full list of the plants Nigel won his Farrer medals with.

I have explored the AGS Slide Library, but few images of his early winners survive.  I can’t find any photos of his Farrer-winning Campanula petrophila, Dionysia aretioides, or Androsace studiosorum ‘Doksa’.

Dionysia revoluta subsp revoluta

However, here is a slide of his first Farrer plant, taken by Robert Rolfe at the Main Spring Show in Westminster in 1992.  I don’t think I have ever seen a plant more than a third this size.

Daphne cneorum pygmaea

I have found two slides of  Daphne cneorum pygmaea, which won Farrers for Nigel in ’93 and ’94 and again in ’97.  The first is from East Anglia in 1994, taken by Mike Ireland; the second from London in 1997, taken by Robert Rolfe.  I have puzzled whether these are the same or different plants.  Certainly they are in different pots, and the earlier plant looks much paler.  That could just be age-related deterioration of the slide.  However, to my eye, the earlier plant looks larger, and it is conceivable that they are two different clones.  Robin White has certainly grown cultivars in a variety of colours including white.

Dionysia archibaldii

In 1996, at the Early Spring Show, Nigel won the Farrer with a plant of Dionysia archibaldii which the Dionysia specialists still talk in awe about today – the best plant ever shown of the original clone introduced by Jim Archibald.  This is a slide taken by Doug Joyce.

Dionysia aretioides

I couldn’t find a slide of the Farrer medal winning exhibit, but here is a later, smaller specimen, which Nigel exhibited at the Kent Show in 2005 and 2007.

Burkartia (formerly Perezia) lanigera P&W 6567

In 1997 Nigel won a Farrer at the Merristwood Show with this monotypic plant from Patagonia.  It is the first of his plants I have clear personal memories of, partly because I was just starting to try to photograph plants on the show benches.  I don’t think I have seen it in flower since, though small plants appear occasionally as cushion plants.  Again, Robert Rolfe was able to supply a slide.

Androsace studiosorum ‘Doksa’

As far as I know, no slides still exist of the Androsace which won Farrers for Nigel at East Anglia in 1998 and Northumberland in 1999.  I imagine it must have been at least the equal of the one shown here, which won the Farrer for Lee Martin at the Exeter show in 2002.

Dionysia curviflora JCA 2800/3

The plant which Nigel had the most success with was a venerable specimen of Dionysia curviflora.  These images show its progression from 2003, when it first won, through the years, winning again in 2009 and 2010, and finally in 2015.

Narcissus watieri

Nigel’s other Farrer came, somewhat surprisingly, from a huge pan of Narcissus watieri, which he grew incredibly well, though it fell outside his normal interests.  Here it is when it won the Farrer medal at Kent in 2011, and again, to my eye in even better condition, when it was runner-up at Kent in 2018.

Dionysia ‘Chris Grey-Wilson’

I would like to look briefly at some of the other plants Nigel exhibited over the years, though they didn’t achieve the ultimate accolade.  This won the Northdown Trophy for the best plant in a 19cm pot at Kent in 2007.

Dionysia ‘Monika’

For many years, Nigel grew and exhibited an immense and immaculate specimen of Dionysia ‘Monika’.  He was always disappointed the judges tended to disregard it as too easy.  Sadly, I didn’t capture it on its last outing to the Early Spring show in 2023, but here is an image from 2011, before it reached maximum pot size.

Dionysia hybrid MK99310/27

At the London show in 2013, Nigel exhibited a super specimen of this Michael Kammerlander seedling, by far the biggest I have seen.  This is the hybrid cultivar which has now been named ‘Nigel Fuller’ in his honour.  Photo by Doug Joyce.

Dionysia khuzistanica

In 2014, Nigel again won the Northdown Trophy for the best plant in a 19cm pot at Kent, and the David Wisdom Trophy for the best pan of Primulaceae, this time with Dionysia khuzistanica.

Dionysia archibaldii JLMS 02-87/MK2

At Harlow in 2015, Nigel had a lovely plant of a new clone of Dionysia archibaldii.

Dionysia hybrids

Nigel was one of several UK growers who used to receive seed from Michael Kammerlander.  From this, he raised many excellent new hybrids.  Here are a few:

Dionysia ‘Claire’ ENF-MK03146/7

Nigel was so proud of this hybrid that he named it after his first granddaughter.

Saxifraga scardica var korabensis

Every now and then Nigel would surprise me and exhibit a plant which was neither Dionysia nor Primula.  This was at Kent in 2018.

Androsace villosa taurica

This was at Kent in 2019.

Primula hybrids

One enthusiasm which Nigel caught from my stepfather was the raising of Primula allionii hybrids from seed.  Here are a few of his own seedlings, with sowing dates: 2007-3, 2007-12, 2010-1, 2010-12, and 2011-1.

Primula ‘Olive’

This beautiful plant, originally exhibited as an unnumbered hybrid ex ‘Jenny Bourne’, Nigel subsequently named ‘Olive’ after his youngest granddaughter.

Primula ‘Freddie’

This unusual bi-coloured hybrid is named after Olive’s elder brother.

Primula ‘Tamara’

In particular, Nigel was very proud to name two of his Primula seedlings after his children.  He is reputed to have named one seedling Mark for his son, but I have never seen or photographed it.  However, this last lovely seedling was named ‘Tamara’ (the second name of his daughter Helen).