Following close on the heels of the RHS Early Spring Show in London in the week, the first AGS show of the year took place at Caerleon,just across the Severn into Wales. As in the last few years, I was doing the show photography, so this constitutes the first of my irregular show reports for the year. I apologise that some of the images look a little dark on the website; I have tried to fix that as I go through them. I do my post-processing on a screen with a dark grey background, and viewed like that they have plenty of light and the slightly darker rendition gives the colours more punch.

Saturday morning dawned cloudy but dry; the car was soon packed with a few plants (nothing really worth taking after the confused weather for the start of the year, but they bring a bit more interest and colour to the benches), and a photographic exhibit to add some life to one end of the hall. The stands for the latter take up the entire passenger side of the car, which resulted in some grumbling from my passenger and companion, as he had to sit behind me. Soon we were rumbling down the M4 and he was snoring gently in the back. By Swindon the rain and gloom had set in, and things didn't look good for show photography. However,by the time we had crossed the bridge (and paid the toll), the weather was lightening a little, and a temporary respite allowed me to carry plants, photography gear, prints and stands into the hall.

Embroidery Exhibit by Jean Morris

The first thing to strike me on entering the building was a magnificent embroidery exhibit at the far end of the hall, put on by Jean Morris (later to be awarded a gold medal). Because of my involvement with the artistic section at shows, I had seen most of the individual pieces before (and photographed some of them), but freed from the constraints of the show classes, Jean is able to group her work into themed panels which underline the skill, and the variations in technique between the different pieces. At this show we saw panels of irises and crocuses, which looked amazing across the hall; viewed from a distance the subtle shading and lighting in the cross-stitch patterns becomes apparent and they look almost 3D. Between these were other panels focusing on the beautiful ribbon work and stump work which Jean has done and entered in shows over the last decade.

Jean has acquired her own boards this year to put on this exhibit, so I hope we will see it at other shows.

Photography Exhibit

Having dumped my few miserable plants on the benches, I set about erecting my two print stands, and putting up a display of photographs of Alpines in Gardens.

This was one of the four sections of the huge exhibit I put on at the International Conference last year, but the images were new to most of the visitiors to the show, though some were familiar to readers of the Alpine Gardener. In no way did it match the skill, artistry and sheer hard work of Jean's display, but at least it meant that there was something of interest for people to look at at both ends of the hall.

Small 6-pan Class
By the time the pictures were all up, the hall had been cleared for judging, and after a quick rush around the trade stands it was time to start the show photography. I always try to capture the 6-pan exhibits in situ before the public are allowed back into the hall, even if it means photographing all the entries because the judges have not reached a verdict. In this case, there was no confusion; the only entry came from Ian Robertson, but was well deserving of its first place. Two of the plants from this entry appear below.

Pleione humilis
Exhibited by Ian Robertson as part of his winning 6-pan.

Ornithogalum nanum
Exhibited by Ian Robertson as part of his winning 6-pan.

Crocus sieberi var. tricolor

After photographing the multi-pan exhibits, my attention always turns to a search for plants whose flowers are likely to be ephemeral, and close or lose condition very quickly. At this show, that means focusing on crocuses, romuleas, irises and tulips (if any); later on in the year, plants such as erythroniums (which suffer in the heat of the hall) and townsendias (which close as soon as the sun goes off them) need to be added to this list. By now the rain had started falling heavily, and the light levels were low, though at least the direct light from the window was grey and even, unlike the harsh sunlight which I am normally struggling with at this show. As a result I was very concerned that I had to work fast to catch some of these flowers while they were still open.

First up was this fine pan of the familiar Crocus sieberi var. tricolor, exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Crocus cvijicii
Second, a small pan of the glowing golden Crocus cvijicii in beautifully fresh condition, exhibited by George Elder.

Crocus minimus "Bavella"
The third crocus in this initial rush was Crocus minimus "Bavella" exhibited by Ian Robertson. I think the two close-ups have gone a little blue, and the view of the whole pan is a truer colour; I will have to go back and tweak them a little - it is hard to be exact with colours in this part of the spectrum, so I would welcome any other opinions on this.

Romulea bulbocodium var. leitchlinii
Strangely a plant I have never photographed before.

Iris unguicularis J&FK1024 "Peloponnese Snow"
One of the highlights of the show was this lovely white form of Iris unguicularis exhibited by Robin White.

Galanthus Sophie North
Now the most urgent exhibits had been captured it was time to turn to the plants which had won awards. Dominating this list was Don Peace, who seemed to have brought 5 or 6 pans of Galanthus Sophie North. This, the largest, deservedly won both the Galanthus Goblet and the Farrer Medal. I hadn't realised, until I carried it over to the photography bench, how beautifully scented it is.

Galanthus ikariae
Don did bring at least one pan of snowdrops other than Sophie North; this is Galanthus ikariae, grown from seed sown in 2001.

Colchicum kesselringii
Also from Don Peace came this well flowered pan of Colchicum kesselringii, awarded a Certificate of Merit. The flowers on this refused to open further than this all day, but at least that allows us to admire the striped markings on the back of the petals.

Cyclamen alpinum var. leucanthum
One other Certificate of Merit was awarded, to this neat and well flowered plant of Cyclamen alpinum, exhibited by David Richards.

Iris histrioides Lady Beatrice Stanley
Returning to the irises, this pan of Iris histrioides Lady Beatrice Stanley exhibited by Anne Vale was in perfect condition for the show. Again I am a little unhappy about the colour, which seems to have gone a little too blue and ought to be a fraction greyer than this.

Iris Katharine Hodgkin
One of the best plants in the Intermediate Section was this pan of Iris Katharine Hodgkin, exhibited by the editor, John Fitzpatrick.

Iris winogradowii alba
This iris, exhibited in the Novice section, won a first for Andrew Ward. It attracted a great deal of interest, and there was extended discussion about whether it was really a white form of Iris winogradowii, or a hybrid.

Crocus reticulatus ssp. reticulatus AP27952
Whilst looking in the Novice section, I found some more crocuses on a section of table reserved for non-competitive exhibits. First was Crocus reticulatus ssp. reticulatus AP27952 from Serbia, exhibited by Robert Rolfe.

Crocus vernus var. albiflorus
Another non-competitive exhibit was this charming little pan of Crocus vernus var. albiflorus, shown by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Cyclamen coum
Finally, in the non-competitive section was this Cyclamen coum with pink markings on white flowers, which looked lovely, but caused much discussion as to whether or not the cause was virus. I don't know whose plant it was.

Fritillaria gibbosa
There were quite a number of early fritillaries at the show; this form of Fritillaria gibbosa grown by Bob and Rannveig Wallis was one of the more unusual ones.

Fritillaria karelinii
This pan of Fritillaria karelinii, from seed sown 11 years ago, was exhibited by Joy Bishop. No one seemed terribly sure what it should be named.

Narcissus cyclamineus x. alpestris
Among the snowdrops, irises and crocuses, there were a few pans of daffodils, though not the array of large pans of hoop petticoats we are used to. This is a hybrid between Narcissus cyclamineus and Narcissus alpestris made by Bob and Rannveig Wallis, and increased by twin-scaling.

Narcissus asturiensis
Eric Jarrett exhibited a nice pan of Narcissus asturiensis, perhaps a little tall, but in good condition and not looking drawn.

Anemone biflora
The highlight of the show for some was Ivor Betteridge's pan of Anemone biflora, grown from JJA seed sown in December 2001. It didn't have as many flowers as I remember from previous years (perhaps a different pan), but compensated for this with the huge size of the flowers this year.

Cyclamen coum
Ian Robertson won the large pan Cyclamen class with this pot of Cyclamen coum. Some of the flowers looked a little tired, because of the confused season we have had, but it was still magnificent.

Cyclamen elegans
Smaller, and more unusual, Cyclamen elegans from Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Corydalis nariniana
There were several corydalis on display; always charming in the flesh and tricky to photograph. This is Corydalis nariniana exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Corydalis oppositifolia
This plant of Corydalis oppositifolia was exhibited by George Elder.

Dionysia viva
Some years this show is full of perfect large domes of dionysias. This year they were not in evidence, spoiled by the cold snap which interrupted the very early start to the season. Perhaps most interesting was this plant of Dionysia viva exhibited by Eric Jarrett.

Pinus mugo Zwergkugel
Someone stopped me at the show, and complained that I did not take enough pictures of conifers. Since I was not overwhelmed with a long list of photos to take, I thought it might be a good opportunity to remedy that. Maybe it is time the Alpine Gardener featured an article on the slowest and most miniature forms. This is Pinus mugo Zwergkugel exhibited by Ivor Betteridge.

Juniperus horizontalis Neumann
The pine above was runner-up to this very neat exhibit of Juniperus horizontalis Neumann, exhibited by David Richards.

Rebutia aylostera
On the same thinking, here are some foliage and cushion plants. This cactus was exhibited as part of a 3-pan exhibit for foliage effect, by Clive Dart, prompting lots of discussion as to whether or not the stems and spines of a cactus could be described legitimately as foliage. As far as I can see, this needs an authoritative answer from someone with a botanical background, but it is certainly an attractive plant.

Benthamiella patagonica
It doesn't seem long since Benthamiella patagonica first appeared on the showbenches, as little domes the size of half a cricket ball, with a scattering of pale yellow flowers. Now those little domes have grown to rival that stalwart of the cushion classes, Gypsophila aretioides caucasica; this huge specimen was produced by Eric Jarrett.

Benthamiella azorella
Eric also brought a much smaller Benthamiella, B. azorella; this is one I have never seen before, and well worth a photo with its peculiar growth, a bit like a miniature Hebe cheesemanii.

Nassauvia gaudichaudii
I would like to finish this collection of new South American cushions with Nassauvia gaudichaudii, exhibited by Paul and Gill Ranson. I love the irregular patterns made by its tiny rosettes.

By now, not only had the rain stopped, but the sun was shining brightly; rather than fight it I tried to take advantage of it for a last few pictures.

Daphne jezoensis
Robin White brought this yellow Daphne to the show. As you can see, the sun was causing harsh shadows with the photo of the whole plant; the close-up worked better.

Galanthus nivalis
This clump of snowdrops was exhibited by my artist friend (and rival) Kath Baker. I am sad to say that she has been unable to paint much this winter, following an operation to her hand, and we won't be seeing any of her beautiful paintings in the artistic section this year.

Narcissus triandrus var. concolor Dinah Rose
Again trying to exploit the sunshine like a searchlight, here is Narcissus Dinah Rose, exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Romulea monticola
Finally, I noticed this South African Romulea, exhibited by George Elder, opening in the afternoon sun. George brought several South African bulbs, and I meant to photograph more of them.

Let's hope the weather remains stable between now and Harlow, giving the next flush of plants a chance to develop evenly.