AGS Early Spring Show 2026

Last week was very busy for me – I was out giving talks on two of the evenings, and set off for Loughborough on Friday morning, to combine the show with a family visit.  As a result, I didn’t manage to produce a diary entry about the Early Spring show at Chelmsford before photographing the Loughborough show.  So I am running behind, and it may be a week or two before I catch up.

I barely remember the early morning trip across to Essex, but it was overcast, cold and trying to drizzle as we walked across from the car park to the large marquee where the show is held.  In fact it was so cold that I kept my raincoat on for a couple of hours before I warmed up enough to manage without the extra layer.

Welcome Desk

When we arrived they were still setting up the welcome desk, but later in the morning visitors would have been greeted by this charming young lady.

Anne Vale (the show secretary with her husband Steve) sent me this photo and says “This is Grace our granddaughter. She was in her element on the door, taking card payments, welcoming visitors and signing up new members.

“My younger granddaughter Pearl was helping me check the stewards cards. Next year I’ll train her to steward. She loves to grow things from seed (things she can eat) and chilli peppers for her dad.”

Posters promoted AGS activities and encouraged visitors to join. 

And the Mid-Anglia Group had a table advertising their famous Bulb and Plant sale planned for Sunday 23^rd August this year.

Photography

My great friend Doug Joyce was helping me out with the photography, and took all the views of the sales stalls, and of the show, before, during and after judging, and other images of activities during the day, while I focused solely on photographing the plants exhibited.

Sales stalls

As you moved further down the marquee you were surrounded by a plethora of stalls selling plants, but also all manner of food and drink, gardening tools, sculpture and ornaments.

Familiar faces on the nursery stands included Rob Potterton, Andrew Lovell from Gwaun Valley Nursery, Tim Ingram from Copton Ash Nursery, Tim and Rachel Lever from Aberconwy and Cath and Terry Hunt from Edrom Nursery.

From early in the morning the show benches were well stocked with fine plants, whilst the exhibitors made last minute tweaks and changes.

Judging

Soon the judges had finished their tea and set about their business; Doug does such a good job of catching their debates.

Visitors

When the judges had finished, Anne and Steve could let the public into the show area, and the hall flooded with visitors.

Talks

During the day there was a program of lectures at one end of the marquee, with short talks from Ray Drew with Alpine Hints and Tips, Chris Wiley (CEO of Sustainable Plant Store Ltd) on Gardening in a Digital World, and Bob Worsley on his experiences with Cyclamen, Hepaticas and Snowdrops.

All three did a great job and were applauded by the audience, despite problems with the sound system, noise from the hall, and poor image quality in a daylit tent.  From where I was taking photos I caught parts of the presentations, and I am hoping in particular that my local group can get Ray to come to us and share some of his pearls of wisdom about growing alpines.

Six-pan exhibits

One of the first things I photograph at any show, during judging, are the entries in any six-pan classes.

Six pans of Rock Plants in the Intermediate Section

Andrew Ward won the AGS Award for the Intermediate section six-pan class with a grouping including three daffodils (I photographed Narcissus ‘Frisk’ at the back right later on), Scilla greilhuberi, a good Anemone blanda and the white primrose form Primula vulgaris ‘Taigetos’. 

This class helped him win the Epping Trophy for the Intermediate section aggregate by the narrowest of margins from Peter Hurren and Alex O’Sullivan.  All three tied on ‘first points’ and had to be separated by the second places they won.

Six small pans of Rock Plants

Don Peace produced this wonderful varied group to win the AGS Medal small six-pan class.

Six small pans of Rock Plants grown from Seed

There were no entries in the large six-pan class, but two in the class for six small pans of rock plants grown from seed by the exhibitor. Paul and Gill Ranson staged six little domes of Dionysia grown from seed, but four of them were different seedlings of the same species, Dionysia tapetodes, which perhaps left a window of opportunity for Bob and Rannveig Wallis to take the Jane Baldry Trophy for the class with a grouping of Corydalis species and bulbs.

Three Large pans of Rock Plants from a single Continent

At this show there was a special award, the Bill Mackenzie Trophy, for this class.  It was won by Bob and Rannveig Wallis with two large pans of Tecophilaea varieties, and one of the yellow, beautifully scented Ipheion dialystemon, all hailing from South America.

With these two wins, the Elliott Bowl for the Open Section Aggregate went to Bob and Rannveig Wallis, though it was a tight contest, with Don Peace, Paul and Gill Ranson and Bob Worsley all close behind.

Cyclamen persicum high altitude form

It was encouraging to see so many plants (12) in the Novice section, and of such high quality; the local groups must have been working hard to persuade their ‘junior’ members to exhibit.  This Cyclamen was exhibited by Brian Baker.

Dionysia aretioides ‘Bevere’

Rod Willet from the Essex Group is a familiar face at shows, often travelling with his wife Sue and Ray and Sue Drew, but I think this might be the first time I have seen and photographed a plant of his.

Narcissus bulbocodium

One of my favourite plants in the section was this little daffodil from Philip Walker.

Galanthus ‘E A Bowles’

Debbie Leonard also exhibited in the Novice section.  Her plants included this familiar ‘poculiform’ snowdrop named after E. A. Bowles.  Debbie won three firsts in all to take the Essex Award for the Novice section aggregate.

In most snowdrops, the six perianth segments or tepals are arranged in two whorls, three long outer tepals and three shorter inner tepals formed into a tube. ‘Poculiform’ (‘shaped like a cup’) means that a cultivar has six long tepals instead of three.

Narcissus ‘Frisk’

The Intermediate section was also full of entries (72 plants), and I did not photograph enough of them, but time was at a premium.  One of the first things I photographed was this daffodil from Andrew Ward’s winning six-pan entry.

Dionysia ‘Ganymede’

Maurice Bacon exhibited some fine small Dionysia specimens, including this hybrid raised originally by Paul and Gill Ranson.

Dionysia ‘Dove’

I was particularly pleased to see Maurice exhibit this white Dionysia hybrid, raised by Nigel Fuller from Michael Kammerlander seed.  It has a reputation for being tricky.

Iris unguicularis subsp cretensis ‘Mt Difris’

In the Open section, Maurice Bacon exhibited a really good plant of this clone of Iris unguicularis, though the judges felt the yellow tips of the leaves, typical at this time of year, could have been removed.

Callianthemum anemonoides

Alex O’Sullivan was another exhibitor competing in the Intermediate section.  His plants included a fine Callianthemum anemonoides.

Trillium nivale

The best of Alex O’Sullivan’s plants was this great pot of Trillium nivale.  Not only did it win the Geoff Smith Salver for the best bulbous plant in the Novice and Intermediate sections, but it went on to win the Farrer Medal for the best plant in the show. 

I love it when a new exhibitor wins their first Farrer – Alex’s delight was self-evident.  These photos of Alex with his Trillium were taken by Don Peace and Doug Joyce.

Crocus vernus HZ00.45

One of the first things I try to do when judging is finished is to scour the show for plants which might deteriorate in the course of the day, typically bulbous genera such as Crocus, Iris, Tulipa and some Fritillaria.  On this occasion, there weren’t many plants I was worried about, but I did find this charming little Crocus from John Dixon.

Romulea diversiformis

Another plant which I was quick to photograph was this spectacular yellow South African Romulea from Bob and Rannveig Wallis’s six pans grown from seed.  It never wants to flower for me.

Ipheion dialystemon

Finally, although Bob and Rannveig Wallis’s big pot of Ipheion in their large three-pan entry wasn’t cooperating, this little pan was altogether more amenable to the camera. And beautifully scented.

Iris stenophylla

John Dixon exhibited this plant the previous week at Pershore, but I didn’t photograph it because it was looking tired by the time I noticed it.  Here I made sure I took it straight away; I am not sure whether this is a different specimen, or simply a different flower (I suspect the latter), but it looked beautifully fresh.

Iris chrysopetala

This fine yellow Iris won a Certificate of Merit for Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

By now, the Fritillaria season was under way, and they were competing with daffodils and Dionysia for prominence on the benches.

Fritillaria chitralensis

Bob and Rannveig Wallis brought their pan of Fritillaria chitralensis – always a favourite of mine.

Fritillaria gibbosa

They also brought two pans of Fritillaria gibbosa – the first had more pronounced dark markings.

Fritillaria stenanthera

And two pans of Fritillaria stenanthera, also from Bob and Rannveig.

Fritillaria rugillosa

My favourite among this group is always the recently named Fritillaria rugillosa.

Fritillaria bucharica

Bob Worsley had two pans of Fritillaria bucharica, the larger of which received a Certificate of Merit, though it wasn’t fully out.

Fritillaria stenanthera

This pinkish form of Fritillaria stenanthera, with tightly congested flower spikes, also came from Bob Worsley, and received the Lingen Trophy for the best plant in a 19cm pot.  Personally, I find this rather unappealing, and hope that the spikes expand; I like to see long graceful stems on these Fritillaria.

Eranthis x tubergenii Guinea Gold

This aconite from Don Peace is another plant I need to photograph early in the day, before the petals reflex and the flower stems elongate.

Corydalis kusnetzovii Dark form

There is always a risk of the stems of Corydalis elongating in the warmth of a show hall, but at Chelmsford the tent was so cold that it didn’t seem to pose much of a problem.  I have photographed this dark form of Corydalis kusnetzovii from Don Peace several times over the years.

Corydalis schanginii subsp ainae

Here is one of the Corydalis from Bob and Rannveig Wallis’s six pan exhibit of plants they had grown from seed.  The flowers always remind me of divers springing from a high board into a pool below.

Corydalis verticillaris

Now, two very different forms of Corydalis verticillaris, also from Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Corydalis hyrcana

Bob and Rannveig’s deep raspberry pan of Corydalis hyrcana received a Certificate of Merit, and must have been a close contender for best in show.

Leontice minor

Another Certificate of Merit (their third) went to Bob and Rannveig for this seldom seen member of the Berberidaceae.  The timing was just perfect for this; it seems to go over quite quickly.

Ranunculus crithmifolius

Don Peace sowed seed of this New Zealand buttercup in 2019, and exhibited a seedling for the first time in 2024.  This one has now reached the point where it has two flowers, and at least four buds to come, though I imagine that not all the flowers will open at the same time.

Lachenalia kliprandensis

Bob Worsley exhibited two Lachenalia species from South Africa.  First the fat, fleshy spikes of Lachenalia kliprandensis from Kliprand just south of Namaqualand.

Lachenalia mutabilis

Bob’s second Lachenalia was the very variable Lachenalia mutabilis.  This clone had long narrow spikes of flowers in very decorative shades of blue and yellow.

Narcissus bulbocodium

Bob also exhibited a neat clump of a primrose yellow Narcissus bulbocodium.

Narcissus Ice Wings

Steve Clements exhibited a well-flowered pan of a familiar, commercially available daffodil hybrid.

Narcissus triandrus x cyclamineus

Possibly my favourite daffodil was this little cross produced by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Hyacinthella hispida

Bob and Rannveig also exhibited the fascinatingly hairy Hyacinthella hispida.

Scilla bifolia

Scilla bifolia is a familiar garden plant, but it looks surprisingly well in a pot, here exhibited by Bob Worsley.

Scilla caucasica ‘Indra’

This Scilla, from Bob and Rannveig Wallis, is a lovely shade of blue, with striking white stamens.

Saxifraga ‘Coolock Gem’

Mike Chadwick showed a fabulously compact plant of Saxifraga ‘Coolock Gem’.

Hepatica japonica ex ‘Tessin’

Again there were masses of Hepatica cultivars on display.  The one that I couldn’t resist photographing was this deep magenta seedling from Don Peace.

Dionysia species

John Dixon exhibited three small plants of Dionysia species in the class for rock plants with educational information.

These three plants are:

• Dionysia archibaldii JCA3010
• Dionysia michauxii DZ I 00-41/4
• Dionysia zschummelii T4Z GBG 166-2

Dionysia iranshahrii JLMS02-55/GS

John Dixon’s plant of the difficult Dionysia iranshahrii had produced more flowers since the previous weekend, and looked very well.

Dionysia hybrid JLMS02-07-JM1

Last weekend I photographed a small plant of this wild collected hybrid between Dionysia khatamii and possibly Dionysia janthina, exhibited by Paul and Gill Ranson.  John Dixon’s plant is a lot bigger, but had very small flowers compared to the smaller plant.

Dionysia hybrid CIA 232-3 (TBG 6)

This is another wild-collected hybrid, believed to be D. esfandiarii x possibly D. jamzadiae, again exhibited by John Dixon.  I photographed its two tone pastel shades several times last year, as the flowers aged and the colours changed.

Dionysia bryoides PMR-DZ1908/2

Paul and Gill Ranson had a particularly pretty, pinkish seedling of Dionysia bryoides.

Dionysia hybrids

Paul and Gill also exhibited their usual stable of Dionysia hybrids from Michael Kammerlander seed.  So here are:

• Hale Bopp MK94101/1
• Lysithea PMR-MK03310/2
• The curious, caramel coloured unnamed hybrid MK01458/9.

Dionysia hybrid MK9109/4

Now an unnamed hybrid between D. curviflora and D. tapetodes, again from Paul and Gill.  This was raised by Michael Kammerlander, from the same cross as D. ‘Monika’, but seems to be a lot trickier to grow.

Dionysia tapetodes ‘Brimstone’ JRD92/2/1

There were a number of larger pans of Dionysia, but none quite perfect enough in this difficult, wet spring to really appeal to the judges.

Although it was one of John Dixon’s seedlings, this plant was exhibited by Paul and Gill.

Dionysia tapetodes ‘Kate’ JRD92/2/4

Even larger was John Dixon’s dome of Dionysia tapetodes, this clone a sister seedling of ‘Brimstone’, named after his daughter Kate.

Primula allionii BB 99/16/1

Don Peace showed a number of Primula allionii seedlings raised by Brian Burrow.  I think this one was probably my favourite.

Primula allionii BB 03/5/13

However, the plant that caught the judges’ eye was this larger one, again one of Brian’s seedlings, again exhibited by Don Peace, which beat the large mounds of Dionysia to win the Nigel Fuller Award for the best pan of Primulaceae.

Nigel Fuller Award

This was a new award at the show, in honour of our late friend and giant among Dionysia growers, Nigel Fuller, and it features an image of the Dionysia hybrid named after him.

It was lovely to see Nigel’s wife Sandra at the show to see the award presented.  Fittingly, it was Nigel’s grand-daughter Claire, who has a hybrid raised by Nigel named after her, who presented the trophy to Don Peace.

This show made a great day out, and was a great success in terms of the numbers of visitors, and the new members who signed up.  As always we owe huge thanks to Anne and Steve Vale, who do such a wonderful job of organising things, despite all the hurdles which get in their way, to all of their huge team of helpers who work before during and after the show to get everything right, to the judges and stewards, and to all the exhibitors for bringing a fine selection of plants.