The final show of the AGS spring season always has an ‘end of term’ feel to it and this year’s lived up to that reputation. For 30 years one of the shows has featured the Pudsey Pig award for which members compete in devouring quantities of lunch at a nearby pub. There are only two rules – the first is that there are no rules and the unspoken second is that what happens in Pudsey Pig stays in Pudsey Pig! Consequently your reporter can say no more than that Henry Fletcher was this year’s rightful winner. Not only was he the only participant who had been young enough to attend the AGS Young Members’ Conference (upper age limit 50!) but also he won the Intermediate Aggregate award (his third this year) and the trophy for the best plant in the Intermediate Section with the tricky Rocky Mountain Oxytropis besseyi var. ventosa. Grown from seed sown a couple of years earlier it had four stems of beautiful pink flowers above divided silver leaves.

Both the Intermediate and Novice Sections were well supported, sadly not always the case this year, and Judi Deakin won both the Novice Aggregate award and the trophy for the best plant in the Novice Section with a compact, prostrate Japanese willow Salix nakamurana. How interesting it would be to see it in catkin – next year perhaps.

She also exhibited an attractive Asplenium scolopendrium in the class for foliage effect.

Not for the first time the winner of the trophy for the Open Section Aggregate was veteran exhibitor of wonderful mountain plants Tommy Anderson.

Of his many entries a relative of the dandelions caught the eye, a family that many strive to prevent growing in their gardens. This was a deliciously hairy Hieracium villosum from the Alps and Eastern Europe with nine sparkling yellow flowers and many buds still to open. After flowering it sets seed prolifically and if they are not removed they will be found growing everywhere the following spring!

The best plant in the show and the Farrer Medal was justifiably won by Vic and Jan Aspland whose persistent ill-health since the Covid pandemic has clearly not hindered their ability to grow top class exhibits.

They showed a magnificent Physoplexis comosa, the Devil’s Claw, a Rampion from the Campanulaceae family, much admired in shady crevices in limestone cliffs by visitors to the Dolomites. Some 30 flower heads were in full and splendid flower, a fine achievement.

It was interesting to compare two lovely Ramondas.  The first, a large, colourful Ramonda myconi ‘Rosea’, with pink flowers unlike the more common purple-blue, won a Certificate of Merit for Peter Hood. It thrives in similar habitats to the physoplexis but in limestone in the Pyrennees.

The second was a Ramonda nathaliae from the Balkans with lilac flowers and glossy green leaves edged with dark hairs. This won for Martin Rogerson the salver for the best plant in a pot not exceeding 19cms.

An early June show provides perhaps the only opportunity for growers of hardy cacti to show their exhibits in glorious full flower. But placing specimens on the show bench in perfect condition can be a hazardous business. Your reporter brought an easy to grow hybrid, Rebutia ‘Splendour’. It spent the night before in the car and on leaving home on Saturday morning the flowers were tightly closed. The bench carrying the cactus class was at the opposite side of the room to any window so prospects were not good. Miraculously by judging time it was in full flower and won first prize!

Conversely Anne Vale exhibited a highly regarded species, Aylostera (formerly Rebutia) heliosa that normally wins the judges’ favour. Sadly it had not fully opened and was not placed at all. The show photographer’s image taken later in the day shows its vibrant red flowers and beautiful heads covered in tiny spines – surely a winner if judging had been later in the day.

Summer shows are always an opportunity to show foliage plants, or plants that have finished flowering and can now be exhibited for their foliage effect.  Cushions and ferns are prime examples.  There were a number of exemplary cushion plants at this show.  For example the best plant in the classes for seed raised plants was an immaculate Draba polytricha, seed sown 2018, from Mark Childerhouse.

Mark is best known for his cultivation of Saxifrages but he grows lovely cushions of all kinds as was demonstrated by his perfect dome of Dionysia iranshahrii. Also there was a lovely hemisphere of Draba acaulis from accomplished cushion growers Frank and Barbara Hoyle.

The class in the Open Section for ferns attracted eight entries all in very good condition. The winner exhibited by Brenda Nickels consisted of nine upright, elegant fronds of a Taiwanese and species Araiostegia perdurans. The soft, almost furry, growths emerging from the base no doubt to form new fronds in due course were a particular joy.

To close a small note of controversy!  There were a number of splendid Hosta specimens on display.

There were compact, low growing forms, for example one named Hosta ‘Giantland Sunny Mouse Ears’, presumably a variant of the widely grown ‘Mouse Ears’ the size of which is plainly in character for an alpine plant show. However there were some very striking, well-grown large Hostas on display with flamboyant, variegated leaves of the kind that are most commonly seen in herbaceous borders. None attracted any comments from the judges but it was noticeable that these taller entries did not secure the prizes that might have been justified by the quality of their horticulture. Some time ago guidance was given about the height of bulbs, particularly South African, that are considered to be in character for alpine plant shows. Would similar guidance be helpful with Hostas?

All in all an excellent show – well organised as always by Bob Worsley and his team. Thank you!

We now look forward to scrubbing pots and writing labels once more for our shows this autumn.

Reporter: David Charlton