AGS Midland Show 2023 Report

First Covid then extensive building at the school but we are now back, for the first time since 2019, on a lovely sunny day with the show benches displaying a wonderful exhibition of the plants we all love, four hundred and thirty five. There were a few gaps in the 19 cm Open Section, Intermediate numbers down a little but the plants in the Novice Section all looked great though also down in numbers.

The AGS Medal for Class 1. An astounding six plants Viola, Erythronium, Rhododendron, Paeonia, Trillium and a Pieris shown by Chris Lilley who also won the Edinburgh Quaich with Rhododendron ‘Razorbill’, a hybrid raised by Glendoick in Scotland. It’s flowering time in April perfect for the Show, a lovely red colour. Chris also won Class 72 with his Iris subbiflora, a purple form of Iris lutescens from the Iberian Peninsula.

A lovely Daphne sericea, a member of the Collina Group, from the European Mountains won a Certificate of Merit for David Carver who also won the Blackthorn Trophy for his Daphne three pan in the small Open Section.

The Midland Challenge Cup for best plant in the 19 cm classes was won by Brian Burrow with his Primula x albenensis.

It’s not often we get a ghost at shows but the spirit of our Director of Shows, Martin Rogerson, who was performing his duties in Ulster, won the Midland Primula Bowl with Primula rusbyi, an alluring plant from the damp shady woodlands of SE New Mexico and difficult to grow, brought on his behalf by Dave Charlton, and we had a little cheer with the clap for his award.

The Roy Elliot Memorial Trophy for the best Lewisia or Lewisiopsis went to a lovely pot of Lewisia cotyledon ‘Alba’, a well-deserved reward for Brenda Nickels.

The Leschallas Cup for the Open Aggregate was won by Don Peace on what I liked to call his Pleione day. They certainly looked beautiful when we walked past them in the car park when they were having a drink.

The Intermediate Section was great with 142 plants. The Albury Trophy for the section Aggregate was won by Henry Fletcher who also achieved the accolade of the AGS Award for his six pan of Trilliums.

The Crataegus Trophy for the best plant in the section went to Lesley Travis for her Dicentra cuccularia, a lovely plant that grows in the moist woods in Washington and Oregon.

Chatting to the Novice exhibitors proved very rewarding, they were really keen. Sue Miles’s Tulipa heweri was lovely. Louise Nicholls was quite excited that her Lewisia won a prize as she was given it as a seedling two years ago and she had cared for it into a flowering plant. I’m pleased to say that Selwyn Lane won his first 1st Prize in Class 163 for exhibitors who have not won a 1st prize at a National AGS Show. The Perry Cup for highest Aggregate in Novice Section was won by Christine Jarvis, she was thrilled.

BUT in all of this I just had to leave the best to last, the Farrer medal for best plant in the Show. Anne Vale’s Cypripedium fasciolatum hybrid was magnificent and I don’t think I have ever been at a show when everyone had awarded the medal before even judging began. Anne has had the plant since 2017 when it was three little shoots, what a development. Congratulations to Anne.

The Warwickshire Group of the AGS who managed the show would like to thank everyone who helped: Ray Drew who kept us all calm, Diane Clement for her management of the exhibitors, and our new Secretary, Christopher Snelson, who survived the day.

Show Reporter: Jo Walker
Show Photographer: Jon Evans