At his home show, Frank Hoyle again exhibited several plants worthy of the Farrer Medal, which he achieved with an immaculate Primula allionii ‘Crusader’.

Frank’s three pan consisting of a Primula allionii ‘Eureka’, Certificate of Merit winning Saxifraga ‘Coolock ‘Kate’ and a huge Dionysia aretioides with flowers jostling for position also made a very impressive display, whilst, on the adjacent bench, his Saxifraga oppositifolia also stood out.

Frank was run close for the top prize, however, by John Dixon’s well-flowered cushion of Dionysia tapetodes ‘Kate’.

Hepatica growers need to be aware that Frank is now turning his attention to this genus.  His Hepatica americana opened its flowers just in time for judging to produce a perfect pale lilac dome, winning the awards for best Ranunculaceae and best small pan plant overall

Frank’s Hepatica ‘Hazelwood Froggie’, a chance H. acutiloba x nobilis hybrid developed by National Collection holder Glenn Shapiro, also won first place in its class.

Other Hepaticas stood out in the show, particularly in the Intermediate and Novice Sections.  Raymond Hurd’s Hepatica japonica ‘Benikanzan’ was awarded a Certificate of Merit.

In the Novice Section, Robert Scott exhibited a good example of the H. acutiloba x transsilvanica hybrid ‘Millstream Merlin’, and I was particularly struck by the deep red and white contrasts on the Christine Jarvis H. japonica var pubescens exhibit.

It was encouraging to see a highly competitive Novice Section at the show with Ezio Visona narrowly taking the aggregate with some excellent plants including his Primula ‘Broadwell Milkmaid’.

Several growers also contributed to an attractive Intermediate Section, with Raymond Hurd taking both the aggregate and an SRGC Bronze medal, whilst the best bulbous plant in the Intermediate and Novice Sections was won by a floriferous pot of Narcissus cordubensis shown by Heather Barraclough.

Back in the Open Section Primulaceae were very much in evidence, Geoff Rollinson being a major contributor.  His Cyclamen coum, still flowering well in mid-March, was a worthy winner of the best Cyclamen award.  A gift from Brian Burrow, Geoff modestly said that any plant from Brian Burrow is a good plant, although I suspect that his cultivation had a lot to do with it.

The same could be said of the two perfect Brian Burrow selections of Primula allionii that Geoff displayed (BB05/6/1 and BB14/17/2), grown in an equal mixture of JI, leaf mould and grit.

We often see our native Town Hall Clock, Adoxa moschatellina, appearing unrewarded at shows at this time of the year so it was good to see John Bunn’s plant take first place against Continental opposition in the Europe class.

Bulbous plants were also well represented with Don Peace’s Fritillaria carica and F. (aurea x pinardii) x crassifolia being the pick of the bunch.

Reporter: Bob Worsley
Photographer Don Peace