Walking around the show, my attention was immediately drawn to an exhibit by John Richards of Primula denticulata var.alba. The crowded stems with well-developed flowers enhanced this plant’s presentation and it won The David Baker Trophy for best Asiatic Primula. Many years ago this was a common garden plant, which I seldom now see. Having said that, a front garden about 100m from my home has a well-tended permanent display.

A further plant drew my attention, particularly for its size.  This was a large Viola brevistipulata var. hidakana, shown by Ian Kidman, which was awarded a Certificate of Merit. This is, reputedly, an easy plant to grow from the Russian far east and Japan areas, best in shade as long as it isn’t too wet or dry. This plant has previously won our show’s premier award. However, on this occasion it was runner-up for this award.

Androsace muscoidea, exhibited by Geoff Rollinson, earned him his 50th Farrer Memorial Medal.

Growing predominantly over 3000m in the NW Himalaya of Kashmir, Ladak, N Pakistan and adjacent Hindu Kush, Geoff’s plant is resting on large stones to avoid getting damp and this enhanced its presentation.

Ericaceae exhibits were sparse. The large one pan class for this plant family had a single exhibit of Arcterica nana (now designated Pieris nana), an evergreen shrub of prostrate habit from Japan and Kamchatka, needing a cool moist position, shown by Mala James and grown from a 10 year old cutting.

The classes for plants grown from seed contained two similar Saxifrage plants in flower, one a species Saxifraga columnaris JJH9668136, exhibited by George Young grown from Joseph Halda seed, and the second a hybrid with this plant as a parent, Saxifraga x dinninaris, shown by Mark Childerhouse. Comparison of these two plants showed the former has smaller, velvety flowers.

Both plants are native to the Caucasus, with Saxifraga x dinninaris being a natural hybrid.

A sought after diminutive form of Cyclamen parviflorum native to high elevations in the Pontic Alps of northern Turkey was shown by Geoff Rollinson. It is the smallest cyclamen and the only one native to alpine tundra.

Another Turkish native plant was exhibited by John Richards. Draba cappadocica is seldom seen on the show benches these days. I previously grew and exhibited this Draba, always prompting a discussion between John and myself, with both of us suspecting our plants were hybrids. However, because of Draba promiscuity, the exact parentage remains unknown.

A plant widely used in Chinese medicine and commonly harvested from the wild was shown by Alan Newton. Asarum heterotropoides, a perennial, is used in the treatment of colds, toothache, rheumatic pain and chronic bronchitis, and considered hardy. Asarum seeds are best kept dry for several years then sown in a cool greenhouse for better germination.

The inclusion of a class for rock plants native to the British Isles attracted 4 entries. Brian Burrow exhibited one from his dwarf Salix collection, Salix x margarita, found only in one Scottish location. A hybrid from Salix aurita x herbacea, originally collected from Beinn Challuim, West Perthshire in 1897.

Continuing on the Scottish theme, Geoff Rollinson exhibited Saxifraga ‘Ben Loyal’, one of the Scottish ‘Ben’ series of Saxifraga raised by John Mullaney.  This is a slow growing hybrid between Saxifraga dinnikii and Saxifraga cinerea requiring a part-shaded alpine house position to prevent petal bleaching.

A recently discovered species,Tropaeolum austropurpureum, [originally published as Tropaeolum hookerianum subsp. austropurpureum (Watson and Flores 2000) and elevated to species level in 2010 (also Watson and Flores)] was shown by Tony Hollingworth as part of his six pan entry in the Intermediate Section. This plant came from Pitcairn Alpines, a now closed plant nursery in Scotland, as Tropaeolum azureum. It is known only from one small area of Chile, growing among rock and scrub on South-facing hillsides.

Many plants are named after a Norwegian plant hunter, Per Wendelbo, a world authority on the flora of southwest Asia. One such plant is Fritillaria wendelboi, from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. Don Peace included this bulb in his six pan rock plant entry, awarded an AGS Medal.

Reporter: Chris Lilley
Photographer: Don Peace