AGS Loughborough Autumn Show 2024 Report

At the autumn shows the dominant plants are the Cyclamen and, at this show, the most striking of them were those grown by Ian Robertson.  Ian brought his 30 years’ experience with the genus to bear to take a clean sweep of the four large pan Cyclamen classes.  It is testament to his expertise with the genus that all five of the plants considered for the Nottingham Group Trophy for the best Cyclamen were exhibited by Ian.

The winner and also winner of the Ione Hecker Memorial Trophy for the best Primulaceae and of the Farrer medal, was a Cyclamen maritmum.  As it happens, this was exhibited in the small pan section, but it had such intensity of flower that it was the stand-out plant.

It is amazing that, year after year, Ian can produce plants of such outstanding quality across the genus.

Cyclamen also featured strongly in Bob and Rannveig Wallis’ small six pan and in three of their five three pan first places, helping them to take the show aggregate.

Also included in these was a magnificent Allium thunbergii, which I expect we will see again next week, and superb pots of two Empodium species, E. elongatum and E. flexile, the former of which being awarded a Certificate of Merit.

More yellow appeared in the form of Oxalis speciosa, an excellent specimen of which was also exhibited by George Elder in the Southern Hemishere non-bulbous class – I still find it strange that these South African Oxalis are excluded from the bulbous classes, but their dicotyledonous nature disqualifies them.

Continuing the yellow theme, several Sternbergia made an impact, the pick of which was judged to be George’s S. lutea.  George also took the Southern Hemisphere bulbous class with his Nerine filimentosa standing tall and straight.

At this time of year Petrocosmea make an appearance and this week Dave Mountford’s P. longianthera was outstanding, its perfect felted leaves adding to the attraction of its many flowers.  I don’t recall seeing a better Petrocosmea since Dave’s Farrer medal winning P. minor in 2017.

Unsung heroes of our shows are the cushion plants and there were many immaculate examples at the show.  As well as the usual subjects I was particularly attracted to John Dixon’s Androsace villosa.  This was his Farrer medal plant from the Midland Show which he had kept well watered through the summer to maintain the quality of the rosettes, such that it is now an attractive foliage plant.

In the Novice Section, Christine Jarvis swept the board, consolidating her position at the top of the Novice aggregate table.  I particularly liked the colour of her Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Corfu Red’ seedling.  I know from my own experience that you need to sow a lot of seed to obtain one with the true colour and this is a good one.  We shall look forward to seeing Christine’s plants boosting the Intermediate benches next year.

In the Intermediate Section Michael Wilson did his claim to the year’s aggregate trophy no harm by taking the show aggregate and winning the trophy for the best bulb in Intermediate and Novice with his Allium callimischon ssp callimischon, although his Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’ ran it close.

Whereas from these benches Dave Harris deservedly won the overall trophy for the best autumn foliage plant with his impressive Aruncus aethusifolius.

I shouldn’t forget the Artistic Section, which was again dominated by Rannveig Wallis; an enormous talent, but I don’t understand where she finds the time.

I think this was the only show that I have visited where there were no miniature gardens – a gap that surely someone should be looking to fill.  However, overall it was a very good show with many high quality plants.

Reporter: Bob Worsley
Photographer: Jon Evans & Don Peace