For me, a good night’s sleep is a precious and rare event, not to be interrupted without very good reason, but on this occasion, as the alarm sounded at 05.00, I was up and away without too much grumbling, for I was heading to the AGS Show at Cleveland.  As I arrived late at the new venue, I anticipated there may be some difficulty finding room for my plants, but as with all of the previous 2022 shows, the number of exhibits was well below that of pre-pandemic times.

Sunless skies over the preceding three weeks resulted in a number of my plants languishing in bud in the greenhouse rather than travelling with me to the show, while other exhibitors expressed frustrations with the stop-start weather this spring. The lower entries, however, are not down to the weather: there are more fundamental issues which urgently need addressing. However, the lack of quantity did not affect the quality, for the span of genera, the diversity and quality of the plants at Cleveland was as spectacular as always, leaving much for both the public and the exhibitors to enjoy.

Benthamiella patagonica (shown by Mark Childerhouse) was one of many plants from the Americas exhibited. Grown under glass in a well-ventilated sand plunge and using a free draining, gritty mix, watered carefully and without even a sniff of nitrogen, this Patagonian treasure will optimally cover itself with flowers. It certainly caught the attention of two of the visiting public, intrigued and astonished by the minute rosettes, the perfect symmetry and the tiny, compact leaves. Unable to contain their excitement, they loudly exclaimed: ’Oh, just look at all of the little yellow trumpets’. As I engaged them in conversation and introduced them to the Local Group chairman as potential new AGS members, I wondered in what ways, on such an occasions, we might do more to engage with the visiting public.

Alan Spenceley’s Cephalocereus senilis, otherwise known as ‘The old man’ (the plant, not the exhibitor), was another entry from the Americas that raised a few highbrows. A thirty-year-old cactus, standing 60cm tall and festooned with long, grey-white, silky hairs, it stood out as a perfect example of the wonders of evolution. However, there were some differences of opinion over its credentials as an alpine plant, some believing it to be from the high Andes whilst other stating that it is endemic to Mexico and unable to survive below zero temperatures. (It is Mexican, from the states of Hidalgo and Veracruz, and can reach an ultimate height of 15m.) Re-kindling the debate as to whether or not a high-altitude cactus is indeed an alpine plant is not a bad thing, and in my view, contributed to the show. It was a joy to see.

George Young’s Erigeron ochroleucus (syn. E. montanensis) reminded me of my visit to the Rocky Mts of North America where other varieties of Erigeron, all similar and difficult to tell apart, were seen. This one, which grows in stony places from Alaska down to Montana, was in perfect condition with twenty or so pale, mauve, daisy-like flowers. It spends the year outside in a sand plunge and if covered from the winter rain it will seed all around.

Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’ (Alan Spenceley), with unblemished foliage and 84 immaculate blooms, was the best of the many good erythroniums exhibited on the day. It thoroughly deserved its Certificate of Merit. Twenty-years-old and grown outside in a 60/40 soil and grit mix, it is plunged into a raised bed, shaded from the sun and covered in winter. By the narrowest of margins, it missed out on winning the David Baker Vase (best plant native to North America), instead awarded to another woodland, dappled shade-loving plant; Don Peace’s robust yet graceful Trillium grandiflorum. Don had further success with a Certificate of Merit for Anemonella thalictroides ‘Kikuzaki Pink’, another North American, shade-loving plant, whilst Alan Spenceley’s Androsace kosopolyanskii, an A. villosa affiliate from the Caucasus, gained him a second Certificate of Merit.

Steve Walters’ Cyclamen rhodium subsp. peloponnesiacum, with its elegantly attenuated stems, plain green leaves and large flowers was voted the best of the three contenders for the Cyclamen Society Salver, whilst the Blackthorne Trophy for the best Asiatic Primula was awarded to a well flowered Primula henrici grown by Frank & Barbara Hoyle.

In the Intermediate Section, an unblemished Primula vulgaris (Michael Wilson) was awarded the North Riding trophy for the best Primulaceae, but the stand-out exhibit was the immaculate six-pan entry of Pleione (Steven Clements) which received the AGS award and would not have been out of place in the Open Section. The exhibitor’s skill in growing these to perfection and his enthusiasm for sharing information about their cultivation was one example of many similar exchanges that took place between exhibitors and, on occasions, the visiting public. Pleione Shantung gx. ‘Ducat’ with large, bright yellow flowers, was awarded the R A Hodgson Trophy for the best plant in the Section.

A contrast in size but no less beautiful, the intriguing, multi-flowered, single stem of Steven Clements’ Orchis anthropophora (Man Orchid) received close attention, with one admirer very pleased to have brought along her magnifying glass. This in part native species can be found in mainly eastern England growing in a few rocky limestone areas of Lincolnshire, on the north Norfolk coast, and especially in Kent, sometimes by the roadside or on golf courses. It is slow to multiply and difficult to propagate, hence the solitary stem.

I have a liking for the genus Androsace, some species to grow, others at best demanding or seemingly impossible. Diminutive, delicate and often sweetly-scented – the epitome of an alpine plant – seven species were on display, to my delight.

Michael Brown’s miniature garden in Section, winner of the Crosthwaite Cup, contained a small, unnamed, pink Androsace (probably A. sarmentosa) which along with Polygala calcarea and a Draba ? bruniifolia contributed to a colourful exhibit which I look forward to seeing again next year when the plants are larger.

I always enjoy seeing plants new or rare in cultivation, although it is not unusual for them to be here today and gone tomorrow due to difficulties with their cultivation and propagation. Let’s hope that the five-year-old plant of Androsace zayulensis (Alan Furness) manages to stay the course. Grown from seed sourced from limestone cliffs in Xizang (Tibet), it is grown in equal parts John Innes no. 3, pumice and grit sand and kept plunged outdoors in a cold frame, open to the elements in summer but glass-covered in winter.

For me, the plant of the show was a five-year-old Androsace mariae (Geoff Rollinson). Although present in cultivation for some time now, it is very difficult to grow and has rarely been exhibited. Usually pink, this white form, grown from wild-sourced Chinese seed, was very special and a treat to see. The same exhibitor showed us once again that he is the outstanding grower of this genus, his Androsace robusta var. robusta receiving the Farrer medal.

The genus Pulsatilla contains some of the most beautiful of all alpine flowers. A plant exhibited as Pulsatilla caucasica with flowers in subtle shades of mauve to yellow attracted much attention. Purchased from an august source, one might assume that its pedigree is correct. But this naming is confused and it is more likely to be a form of Pulsatilla albana which has a narrow distribution from the western Caucasus to Azerbaijan and the mountains of north-western Iran. Whatever its credentials, it was very unusual and attractive. It is fitting that this, the final plant in my report, was exhibited by Georgina Instone, who along with others from the Cleveland Group we must thank for their time and effort in managing the show under difficult circumstances.

Driving home over the Pennines I reflected upon the early start to my long, tiring day and concluded that lost sleep was an easy forfeit, given this wonderful, unique experience.

Reporter: Frank Hoyle

Photographer: Don Peace