There were of course a few ‘showy’ plants on display. East Anglia is the best show to see Lewisia cotyledon, and while the huge specimens that used to occupy the benches were sadly missing this year, there were still some notable examples. My favourite was an electric pink form displayed by Martin Rogerson, who must be the Society’s premier grower of this genus, as part of his three-pan.

Meanwhile Don Peace met with (more) success with the similarly spectacular Cypripedium ‘Emil’, which was awarded the Farrer Medal for best plant in show, while his C. parviflorum subsp. parviflorum, a previous Farrer winner, received a Certificate of Merit. But otherwise what characterised this show was a diverse range of quietly impressive plants that were as beautiful in their subtlety as the more ostentatious plants that typify the earlier spring shows.

A case in point is the recipient of the second Certificate of Merit awarded on the day: Diane Clement’s Rhododendron benhallii ‘Honshu Blue’. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the small, bell-shaped flowers of this Japanese native are a pale pink. Exemplifying the dedication of exhibitors, Diane had spent a long time in the carpark prior to judging carefully removing the flowers that were past their prime – an effort that was well-worth making.

A very different Rhododendron formed part of local exhibitor Diane Blythe’s six varieties of cut flowers entry: R. campylogynum ‘Patricia’. It sat alongside three different daphnes, which were sadly under-represented on this year’s benches, Phlox bifida ‘Ralph Haywood’ and Jovellana violacea.

It is always good to see shows being supported by local AGS members, and to see those efforts being rewarded by the judges. For show secretary Peter Lyle, this came in the form of the Donald Lowndes Memorial Trophy for best plant in the Novice Section for a delightful Semiaquilegia ecalcarata (now just Aquilegia), while another local, Phil Webdale, won most points in that section.

My second favourite genus, after Narcissus, is Asarum, the wild gingers, due to their highly unusual flowers (the now defunct Pershore summer show used to have a prize for ‘weirdest’ plant and an Asarum was often a contender). Two understated members of the genus were displayed by Alan Newton, both of which contributed to Alan winning the Norfolk Trophy for most points in the Open Section. Under fairly standard green foliage, A. heterotropoides has small, almost black flowers that reward close inspection. The flowers of A. macranthum, in contrast, are a deep red, and the foliage has markings that would rival any Cyclamen.

One plant that posed a bit of a mystery on the day was Calceolaria lanigera, exhibited by the Intermediate Section winner, Alex O’Sullivan. Despite being 3ft tall, even this plant was not particularly showy, as it had only a single crown of nondescript pink flowers on top of that very tall stem. A plant of this name appeared on the bench many years ago, but that was much shorter and produced significantly more, bright yellow flowers. While variation within species is known (consider the different flower colours and foliage patterns of Cyclamen coum), it seemed unlikely that both plants were correct. Some excellent detective work by Jon Evans suggests that Alex’s plant was the real thing while the yellow plant exhibited in the past was instead C. corymbosa subsp. floccosa.

Alex also exhibited the diminutive Viola pedatifida alba, a North American species that is more commonly known as the Prairie Violet. While these plants are hardy and should survive most winters without any issue, they do require frequent watering during the summer. While beautiful, and despite being the sole entry in its class, Alex’s entry did not receive any prize from the judges. Unless a plant is especially rare or very difficult to flower, aspiring exhibitors are advised to ensure that they enter a substantial ‘potful’ if they wish to gain the judges’ favour, particularly in the Intermediate and Open Sections.

It was not all bad news for Alex though, as his Celmisia angustifolia was considered the best plant in the Intermediate Section.

Speaking of rare plants, in the one pan rock plant that is new or rare in cultivation, Neil Hubbard exhibited Notholaena standleyi. It is always worth seeing what turns up in these classes as in my experience they invariably introduce you to something new. Despite being found in high altitudes of the mountains of the southern United States and northern Mexico, N. standleyi does not sound difficult to grow – Neil keeps it in a mix of equal parts John Innes No. 3 and sharp sand, in full sun, and waters it all year – and so hopefully this diminutive fern will become a more frequent sight on the benches in the future.

Several ferns went up for the Barbara Tingey Trophy for best fern, but the winner was never in doubt as all belonged to Don Peace. The accolade this time went to Woodsia subcordata, an Asian plant that, unlike N. standleyi, is more recognisable to the layperson’s eye as a ‘proper’ fern.

One plant that does have a reputation as being difficult to grow is Platanthera bifolia, but you would not think this on seeing Neil Hubbard’s offering. Found across much of the northern hemisphere, it is known as the Lesser Butterfly orchid because it is typically smaller in flower and stature than the similar Greater Butterfly orchid (Platanthera chlorantha); to my eye, there is nothing lesser about it. While not as eye-catching as the other orchids on the benches, this was certainly one of my favourite plants on the benches, and considering the challenge on producing an exhibit of this quality, several people on the day were surprised that it did not receive more than its deserved red sticker.

For a plant to be awarded a Certificate of Merit, it must be of a quality that would be outstanding at any show, not just the show at which it is exhibited. Michael Sullivan’s Sempervivum arachnoideum ‘Arctic White’ went up for consideration but missed out. While it was perhaps debatable whether this high threshold was met, I would still liked to have seen this ‘easy’ alpine being championed.

To round off, I mention two members of the popular summer bulb species, Allium. The best bulb on the day was considered to be Neil Hubbard’s A. peninsulare. While undoubtedly a worthy winner, my preference was Maurice Bacon’s A. akaka ‘Alan Edward’s form’. A judge’s comment card left by the plant suggested that Maurice would have done better than his third place had he removed the dying foliage, but I am not convinced. Doing so would have left the flower spikes looking like lollipops sticking out of the ground, and I would prefer to see a more natural representation of how plants grow in the wild. Beauty, though, is of course in the eye of the beholder, and another of the great advantages of AGS shows is that anyone can find something that appeals to them.

Reporter: Rob Amos

Photographer: Jon Evans