The first impression of our Hexham Show was of a successful, well run, show. Once again there were large numbers of visitors, the best in recent years, spending their money at the many nursery stalls and enjoying the show. A few years ago, the show moved out of the town centre to the Auction Mart, but the excellent parking means the visitor numbers have stayed high. The venue also supplies meals of farmers’ size portions.

The show benches were well supported too, by English and Scottish exhibitors, with many very fine plants,  though a few classes were missing the absolute top quality plants – sometimes the judges felt unable to award a first even in well supported classes. But there is joy in interesting plants, whatever the colour of the sticker.

This year our Hexham show was a couple of weeks later than in recent years, and this, along with the weather, meant different plants were on show. As gardeners, we always blame the weather. The very mild winter meant that some plants were well ahead of their normal time of flowering. The long, cool and very wet spells in spring meant that plants which usually cover themselves in flowers have been flowering spasmodically for weeks. Behind this lurks the elephant in the room – climate change. A number of plants which memory says were frequent in the past now seem to be rare. Is it because they are harder to grow, have they gone out of fashion, or is it that, as exhibitors have grown older, we can no longer be bothered to give them the care and attention they need?

If you are looking for examples, what has happened to all those European Aretian Androsaces we used to see, like Androsace vandellii and Androsace hirtella? What we have seen this year is a number of very fine plants of Androsace villosa at different shows, winning Farrer Medals or, in the case of Hexham, the Forrest Medal.

Androsace villosa grows usually as more or less tight mats of hairy rosettes, with umbels of about four to six flowers held above the mat on peduncles about an inch high or less. The aim in cultivation, so well shown in Frank and Barbara Hoyle’s plant, is growing it tight, so the mat becomes a dome, and persuading it to flower evenly. A.villosa is widely distributed in Europe, Russia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and the Atlas, and is very varied. A number of varieties or subspecies have been named and some have even been treated as separate species. Frank’s plant was labelled Androsace villosa kosa-pylanskii, a form from European Russia. There was some discussion whether it was this form, as it is very different from the plant that some of us grew about twenty years ago. That plant was noted for the lax mat, which fell apart easily, and untidy scapes which were a couple of inches or more long. Frank’s plant was not like that, the mat was tight and the scapes short; indeed it is hard to imagine any plant grown by Frank as being untidy and lax. A beautiful plant that was unanimously voted the Forrest Medal.

The best of the rest was Tommy Anderson’s Lamium armenum which was awarded a Certificate of Merit. This species from Turkey always catches the eye, covered with white hairy deadnettle flowers. It is a plant for the Alpine House, difficult to grow – but often happy to come up of its own accord from seed in the plunge. Usually monocarpic, indeed often biennial, it is fast growing and usually straggly, needing frequent potting up, and judicious use of grit to keep it relatively compact. Propagation is best from seed, but is usually difficult, as seeds drop the moment they are ripe, and unripe seeds usually fail to germinate. However, seeds often germinate where they have dropped in the plunge, and it is possible to keep the species for a number of years by careful potting up of these self-sown plants.

Podophyllum delavayi from Bob Worsley also was awarded a Certificate of Merit; the rough leaves of brownish red and green were still fresh, only having been above ground for about two weeks. Bob has had the plant for about ten years; the rhizome is kept dry in winter, divided into several pieces to get an even growth in the pot, grown in a compost with lots of leaf mould, and once it comes into growth it is given lots of water. Bob’s plant raises the question whether foliage plants can be exhibited with flowers on. It was exhibited in the class for foliage effect. Although it didn’t actually have flowers, hidden underneath the leaf canopy were many flower buds.  A week later they would probably start to open, and make themselves known by the strong odour. For me, they did not in any way spoil the effect of the foliage, and so presented no problem.

Plants do not have to be rare to attract attention. Like many alpine growers, I love Lewisias and the slightly later show date meant there were a good number of plants of Lewisiopsis tweedyi. In particular there were two fine plants of the white flowered form. Both had a very bright, pure white flowers, but John Richards’ plant had wide petals, giving the flower the appearance of an entire disc, while Barry Winter’s plants had narrower petals giving the flowers a star-like appearance. Barry has always said that Lewisias thrive with neglect, which is probably a good thing, as his situation at home has meant that he has been unable to give his plants the attention he would like. It was good that he was able to be with us again and still winning red stickers.

Although gardeners use the name Auricula to describe a wide range of complicated hybrids, treated as Florists’ plants by the Alpine Garden Society, the yellow flowered species from Europe – mainly the Alps – are always welcome at our shows. In recent years, the species Primula auricula has been split into two, Primula auricula (centred on the Northern Alps) and Primula lutea (centred on the Dolomites). When John Richards wrote his book on Primulas, even in the second edition, there were no records of Primula auricula in the Pyrenees, but about that time a colony was found in the Pyrenean foothills, on the Serra de Picancel, north of Barcelona. Various work by Kadereit (2005), and Aymerich et al (2014), have determined from DNA, and from differences to the bracts, and fragrant leaves, that this is a different species – now known as Primula subpyrenaica.

John Richards had a plant of Primula subpyrenaica in his entry for three rock plants new or rare in cultivation which won the E.G. Watson trophy. The leaves seemed to be fairly large and free of farina, and flowers funnel shaped, with only a small white eye.

George Young brought a number of interesting plants, including Delphinium luteum, the yellow Larkspur, which is exactly what the name suggests, a yellow flowered Delphinium species with a few basal leaves and the flowering stem about a foot high. It is not common in cultivation and is critically endangered in the wild. His seed originally came from a reputable source, and he keeps it away from any other Delphinium species, as it is liable to hybridise. In the wild it grows in a few misty coastal hillsides in California, where it is pollinated by hummingbirds. George does not have hummingbirds, but finds the bees do the job as well.

Sadly, there were still very few entries in the Novice and Intermediate Sections, though there were plants in both. If our shows are to continue, we all need to encourage more new exhibitors, and support them through those early stages. In the Novice Section, Keith Robson had brought a number of plants lifted from his garden; the best was probably Primula elatior, a plant that takes well to potting up. Keith went home with two pieces of silverware.

There were only a few entries in the Intermediate Section, but the quality of them attracted attention. Michael Wilson’s Arenaria caespitosa ‘Bevan’s Variety’ was smart, but above all it was noticeable how many people stopped to look a Heather Barraclough’s Trillium rivale. The plant, notoriously slow growing, had leaves in immaculate condition, and delicate pure white flowers on longer stems than usual, giving the plant a slightly ethereal look. Heather has had this plant for about six years, and grows it outside all the year, in a compost mix of JI3, leaf mould, and grit.

For the second year running, we had a fine educational display by the North Pennines Partnership under the project name Tees-Swale; Naturally Connected. This part of the project is run by Ruth Starr-Keddle, with other officers, trainees, and volunteers, including AGS members; primarily it is concerned with restoring Northern Upland Hay Meadows in Teesdale. This involves seed collection, growing on the plants, and planting out in meadows where the flora is more depleted. Although “plug-planting” is the term often used, the plants planted out are often a year old. The concentration has been particular on species typical of this vegetation, but often missing e.g. Trollius europaeus, Geranium sylvaticum, Alchemilla spp., Cirsium heterophyllum and Sanguisorba officianalis.

As last year, there was a fine display of pictures, reference books, and equipment. New was more detail on work restoring typical vegetation on land polluted by lead and other heavy minerals (Calaminarian Grassland). There was also a good selection of the plants being grown. The judges awarded a Gold Medal – the highest available under Scottish rules.

Once again, thanks to Angus and all his helpers, for setting up the show, and for clearing it up at the end. Visitors who get caught up at one of our shows at closing time are often surprised how quickly all the plants are safely packed away in their owner’s car. Many will be out again at another show next week, and we all look forward to future Hexham shows in the autumn and next year.

Reporter Peter Hood

Photographer Peter Maguire