AGS/SRGC Show Report, Kendal 14th March 2026

It was so good to welcome back this show after its absence last year as this is one of the few opportunities we have of getting growers based on both sides of the border together to show and swap knowledge.

Before visiting the show benches, I must congratulate the teams who put together three Gold Award meriting non-competitive displays:

Ashwood Nursery for a wonderful display of Hepaticas surrounding a beautifully flowered example of Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’. This cherry used to win first prizes at shows about 25 years ago before the judges discovered that it was capable of growing into a fairly substantial tree. My own former prize-winning example is now ten feet tall in the garden!

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, usually referred to just as RBGE, also produced a stunning variety of bulbous plants in flower backed by a large banner creating a mountain view background.

The third was a display of photographs depicting the flora of the Julian Alps in Slovenia assembled by Syd Cumbus. The only slightly disturbing note from this exhibit was it reminded me how old I was as I last visited this region 40 years ago.

Time to move on to the show benches to discuss the plants, in no particular order, which took my fancy.

I’ll start with the day’s strange plant, Kalanchoe tubiflora, shown by Stan da Prato. I think this member of the Crassulaceae is now classified as Kalanchoe delagoensis and is native to Madagascar. It has become widely introduced, and naturalised due to its ability to propagate vegetatively, across Africa, South America, South East Asia and Australia. In many countries it is considered a noxious weed, being poisonous to cattle among other animals. The example shown was in bud rather than flower. Given its distribution and desire for a very dry climate I doubt its suitability as a show plant within the alpine plant community.

In the small pan Intermediate Section my eye was drawn to a plant of Primula elatior, the Oxlip, shown by Vivien Self. The plant was in perfect condition, beautifully presented, and as the judges say, coming rather than going. The Oxlip is widely distributed across Europe and Northern Asia well beyond the Arctic Circle in areas usually calcareous and damp. No doubts about the suitability of this plant.

In the Novice Section, new exhibitor Helen Knowles staged a small pan of Fritillaria caucasica. There were only a few flowers but of a beautiful dark hue. I’ll let the viewer decide what to call the shade. You won’t be surprised to hear it is native to the Caucasus but also Turkey and Iran. It grows in peaty alpine meadows, damp in spring but dry in the summer. Like many alpines it spends winter tucked up in a nice blanket of snow and dislikes our wet winters so best kept under glass in the wet season.

Continuing with the Frit. theme, Don Peace exhibited an interesting specimen which, from the cultivar name, is the result of his own breeding programme. Fritillaria ‘Lentune Russet’ was diminutive with gorgeous mahogany flowers with a lustrous sheen and hints of yellow on the tips of the tepals. It was exhibited in a 3 pan class along with two more examples of his work.

In the class for mini gardens with accessories, Anne Vale produced another example of her amusing art. She really has mastered this genre. On this occasion, however, the judges only awarded a second. I assume they felt the accessories had taken over at the expense of the garden aspect.

The winner of the Farrer Medal the previous week, Chris Lilley’s Hepatica japonica ‘Anstonian’, was on display again but did not repeat the feat. It is worth comparing this week’s photograph with last week’s (see the Loughborough report) to see the effect on the display of the foliage starting to stretch above the flowers. Still a stunning example of the grower’s skill.

My next choice was a very dainty little pot of Isopyrum thalictroides shown by Diane Clement. This diminutive member of the Ranunculaceae is often referred to as coming from the Balkans but Kew give its distribution over much of Europe from Spain to Ukraine and most places on between. You only have to look at it to conclude it wants woodland conditions and a reasonable amount of moisture.

The fight for the top honour of Best in Show was between two growers who stun us every year with magnificent, large plants smothered in flowers. Three plants were in contention.

Geoff Rollinson showed Primula ‘Alice Evans’ and an extremely well flowered plant of Androsace ciliata.

The Primula has a long history and I quote here from the report on the Cleveland show in 2015 written by Chris Lilley. “The P. allionii hybrid ‘Alice Evans’ (Geoff Rollinson) [right] was rescued by Brian Burrow in the 1970’s, who was given the last known plant by long-time Primula champion David Philbey. Brian’s propagation skills have now seen this plant, named after the wife of the late Alf Evans from Edinburgh Botanical Gardens, widely distributed among specialist growers”.

The Androsace is native to the central Pyrenees on slate and granite rocks and not easy to grow to the size seen here. I’ve certainly not seen better and it would have been my choice for the premier award.

Democracy prevailed and the Farrer Medal was awarded to Frank & Barbara Hoyle’s magnificent Saxifraga ‘Coolock Gem’. This hybrid, raised by Jim Almond, regularly graces the show bench and has won both Farrer and Forrest Medals over the years for a small number of expert Saxifrage growers. I am no expert, my attempts usually ending in a 19cm pot with large dead patches!

So ended a welcome return of this joint show. Long may it continue.

Reporter. Martin Rogerson
Photographer. Jon Evans