You certainly don’t need to take a packed lunch to the East Lancashire Alpine Garden Society Show, as there is always a sumptuous selection of sandwiches and cakes available; generously made by the group members. The temptation to try just one piece and then, perhaps just one more, always proves to be irresistible (so if you’re on a diet you should think twice about going). Add to this a super selection of varied plants from so many genera then you have all the ingredients for a great day out. And so it proved to be.

Being the show reporter requires of me a closer scrutiny of all of the plants on the show bench than I would normally make, leading to a greater appreciation of their merits and providing the opportunity to discuss with the grower the origins and cultivation of the plant, all of which, at the end of the day leaves me more appreciative and better informed.

The first to catch my attention was Callianthemum alatavicum (John Richards) exhibited as “new or rare in cultivation”. As with other varieties of this genus the two-year-old plant, with delicate, pale green foliage and two pristine white flowers was easy on the eye. Growing in a gritty, free draining compost from seed recently introduced to the UK, this plant has been kept safe in the greenhouse, but in the wild it is found at altitudes of 3000-4000ft in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountains which suggests that it could do well outdoors particularly in the summertime.

By contrast, Globularia meridionalis (Don Peace) is a plant which has been in cultivation for a long, long time and is readily available from most alpine nurseries, easy to grow and long lived in either a trough or scree bed where it will ask for little and give so much. However, the pristine perfection and the beautiful symmetry of this five-year-old plant bears testament to the skill and attention to detail given to all aspects of its cultivation; a free draining compost, careful watering, aphid control and a regular turning of the pot.

The Leander Trophy was awarded to the best entry in a 19cm, 3 pan class. The winning entry (Mark Childerhouse) was for me one of the stand-out exhibits in the show and central to it was Saxifraga pubescens subs. iratiana, grown and displayed to perfection. Subject to sudden dieback, I find this is a more difficult species to cultivate than Saxifraga pubescens subs. pubescens ‘Snowcap’, which appears on the show bench with at times monotonous regularity.

It is quite subjective as to what “effect” really means, for what appeals to one may not please the other, so the class for “one rock plant for foliage effect” can sometimes be a difficult one for the judges to agree upon. No such difficulties with Athyrium otophorum v.okanum (Michael Wilson) which ticked every box. A gracefully arching fern with glossy, finely divided, golden-ochre leaves with a rich purple-crimson mid rib and stem, displayed all of the ingredients necessary for an outstanding foliage plant. It simply shone out and grabbed your attention.

Two plants, staged side by side in the same class, both of outstanding merit, divided the judges’ opinion and promoted lengthy discussion.  The first, Phlox bifida alba (Chris Lilley) is a loose, somewhat straggly plant found in the wild growing on rocky, stony slopes across the central states of North America. If grown outside and in the hands of a skilled grower it will, with frequent hard pruning, become more compact and cover itself with several hundred deeply notched, white flowers all in immaculate condition.

The second plant, Eriogonum douglasii (Frank & Barbara Hoyle) was raised from seed offered in the 2014 AGS seed exchange. It is a densely matted, shrubby plant native to Oregon, Idaho and Washington where it grows at moderate elevation in thin, rocky soil. Fortuitously, just in time for the show, the scarlet tinted buds slowly opened into clusters of pale lemon-yellow flowers, arranged spherically on short, sturdy stems, their beauty somewhat compensating for their unpleasant smell. After lengthy deliberation both were awarded a Certificate of Merit.

A Certificate of Merit was also awarded to Dionysia involucrata (Geoff Rawlinson), a remarkable thirteen-year-old plant raised from the grower’s own seed. Introduced into cultivation in 1975, this species has frequently been admired on the show bench; but this was an exceptional plant in both its size and quality.

Larix kaempferi ‘Nana’ (Bob Worsley). I am informed that “a tree in a container” is the literal translation of the Japanese word “bonsai”, but unlike the wonderful bonsai displayed at one end of the hall by a member of the East Lancashire group, my final and most favourite plant in the show requires very little annual pruning. Grown outside in an ericaceous compost with added JI 2 and grit, this Japanese Larch is a slow grower. I have seen this plant exhibited on several occasions. Always in peak condition, it never fails to take my breath away.

When the class for “a miniature garden with accessories” was introduced a few years ago I was not a fan, for all too often the emphasis was on the accessories rather than on the plants. However, in the outstanding display by Anne Vale, which contained a dozen or so gardens, the well-cultivated and varied plants were skilfully placed to create a sense of space and scale. Imaginative and full of humour, admired and enjoyed by everyone it was well deserving of the Large Gold Award.

All credit must go to John Dower and his team of volunteers who work so hard to make a great show and a memorable day.

Reporter Frank Hoyle

Photographer Don Peace