It looks as though there are problems with posting the results (and photos of award plants) to the website (this is hardly surprising when Jim and Christine have probably only just got back from an exhausting, but I hope successful, week at Chelsea). In the absence of the formal results, and making the somewhat implausible assumption that there are lots of people out there waiting to see the best plants, here are some photos.
The show this year was in the same location as previous years, but the school hall it is in has been completely rebuilt, and the facilities are now absolutely ideal for a show. The large entrance hall had room for all the sales tables, and a wide flight of stairs descended to the refreshments area.
The show photography was conducted next to a pair of open fire doors, which was the best way of getting decent light for the pictures, but also provided access for a constant breeze, gusting to gale force, which was essential for the health of plants and exhibitors in the heat of Saturday, but made photography a bit of a trial. So if some of the images seem to lack their usual crispness, that is why; I was using all the tricks I know, higher ISO (hence noise in some of the backgrounds), larger apertures and faster exposures (hence less depth of field), and ended up waiting, with the mirror locked up, for a lull in the wind. This meant that every image took a lot longer than normal, and some needed to be re-taken several times.
When I first got the camera out, the table next to me still contained the plants which had been awarded Certificates of Merit, so let's start with those.
Salvia cyanescens
Exhibited by David Richards, winning a Certificate of Merit.
Dionysia involucrata alba Gothenburg White
Another Certificate of Merit for Paul and Gill Ranson.
Tropaeolum sessiliflorum JCA12337
A Certificate of Merit for Joy Bishop. And to think I just said the open fire doors provided good light; look at the heavy blue shadow on the right, despite my best efforts with the reflector. When it came to the photos, this plant just didn't seem to have a good side.
Iris acutiloba var. lineolata
After the three Certificates of Merit, I turned my attention to the Novice Section for a little while. This nice iris was exhibited by Andrew Ward.
Lewisia rediviva
Exhibited by Rick Lambert
There may only be two flowers on this lewisia, but they were huge.
Ranunculus parnassifolius
Exhibited by Rick Lambert. By the time I had finished photographing it in the wind tunnel, half the petals had blown off - sorry Rick. Fortunately it was after judging.
Sempervivum tectorum
Winner of the Downland Trophy for the best plant in the Novice Section for Andrew Ward.
Iris paradoxa
Exhibited by Audrey Dart. Another plant which took a battering from the wind; I was going to take one from the other side, but when I turned it round, one of the falls was drooping.
Ledebouria socialis
Exhibited by local member Russell Beeson
Saxifraga Southside Seedling
Exhibited by Tony Bennett, and winning the New Forest Trophy for the best plant in Intermediate and Novice Sections from a local group member.
Iris barnumae f. urmiensis x. paradoxa ssp. mirabilis
A lovely new Onco iris hybrid from Director of Shows, Ray Drew.
Ornithogalum dubium
We may be familiar with it as a cut flower, and see the bulbs regularly at garden centres, but it isn't that easy to get such a good display as this, so congratulations to Russell Beeson.
Rebutia aylostera
Exhibited by Clive Dart. Clive has been exhibiting this cactus in the foliage classes all year; it was nice to see it with flowers on for once. Aylostera is one of the sections of Rebutia; this plant looks to me very much like Rebutia muscula, but the peach flowers may suggest some hybrid blood.
Flower Arrangements
The first from Margaret Pickering, the second from Dot Sample.
Gymnocarpium oyamense
I was very taken with this fern from Jean Rich.
Iris innominata
A lovely form, also from Jean Rich.
Phlox adsurgens Mary Ellen
An uncommon cultivar, from Rick Lupp, exhibited by Graham Nicholls.
Polygonatum aff. prattii
Exhibited by Ivan Pinnick
Pelargonium havlasae
A lovely little Australian pelargonium from Cecilia Coller. I took loads of close-ups with more detail of the flowers, but not one is sharp (wind).
Allium bodeanum
Exhibited by Ivor Betteridge. I admired this plant when I saw it in pictures from Southport, so I was delighted to find it had made it down to Wimborne.
Allium shelkovnikovii
Also exhibited by Ivor Betteridge. I don't know whether this was the same pot I photographed at Malvern, but the leaves had been trimmed shorter, and it definitely seemed worth another shot.
Allium nevskianum
Exhibited by Ivor Betteridge
Leucocoryne odorata
Exhibited by John Blanchard
Arisaema consanguineum
And the award for the tallest plant goes to Jean Morris. I could not get a photo where all parts of this were stationary.
Aster natalensis
Exhibited by Anne Vale. A lovely colour; the snails always get mine.
Pleione chunii
Exhibited by Ian Robertson
Rupicapnos africana
Exhibited by Robin Pickering
Delpinium beesianum
Exhibited by Peter Farkasch. Again, I wasted ten shots, trying to get a useable close-up. Even when there was no breeze, the flowers trembled as though on bungies.
Oxalis Clemence Knight
I don't know this oxalis, exhibited by Joy Bishop, but it is beautiful, and I would love to try it outdoors in my crevice garden, where many other South American oxalis seem to be so successful.
Cypripedium parviflorum
Exhibited by Barry Tattersall
x. Ramberlea Inchgarth
Exhibited by Dave Mountfort
After a brief break for lunch and two cups of tea, and spurred on by the offer of assistance, I finally turned by attention to the big pans. And the biggest of them all was...
Campanula sp. MELJ200944 aff andrewsii
This is the same plant which got a Certificate of Merit at Malvern when not fully out. Lee and Julie Martin had kept it in the shade for two weeks, and it was certainly fully out now; no-one walking into the hall could doubt that it would win the Farrer, and it did. What a wonderful collection from Melvyn Jope, in some very capable hands.
Large six pan
This campanula provided the centre-piece of a large 6-pan exhibit, winning an AGS medal for Lee and Julie.
Small 6 pan
The AGS Medal for the small 6-pan went to Cecilia Coller.
Small 6 pan from seed
The Roger Smith Cup for six plants grown from seed also went to Cecilia Coller.
Exhibit by the British Cactus and Succulent Society
This exhibit by the Southampton District Branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society was given a silver award.
Flowers from Israel
David and Christine Hughes staged a lovely exhibit of images of flowers from a trip to Israel, which wasn't judged.
Arenaria hookeri v. desertorum
An interesting spiny cushion, exhibited by Lee and Julie Martin. It has another hidden surprise; boy does it smell bad close-up. I wasn't expecting that from a plant like this.
Rhododendron kiusianum
Expertly grown by Dave Mountfort (typo in the name corrected 18th June - Jon)
Rhododendron lowndesii
If we doubted his expertise after the last plant, this would end the argument. Rhododendron lowndesii in flower, exhibited by Dave Mountfort.
Selago galpinii
Another curious Australian shrub from Cecilia Coller.
Cypripedium lichiganense
Exhibited by Barry Tattersall.
Macowania sp. PK257
Exhibited by Ivor Betteridge. Another stinker I'm afraid.
Nicotiana acaulis
Exhibited by Dot Sample
Cypripedium Maria
Exhibited by Ray Drew. Isn't it lovely?
Dodecatheon pulchellum
Exhibited by Alan and Janet Cook
By now, with all the problems and hold-ups, I was running out of time, and several plants on my mental list didn't get to be photographed. But to finish with, a little sequence of Ramonda myconi.
Ramonda myconi
First, the regular blue-purple form, exhibited by Cecilia Coller
Ramonda myconi alba
A lovely white form from Peter Farkasch
Ramonda myconi Jim's Shadow
This is Jim's Shadow, a lovely just off-white form named after Jim Lever and distributed by Aberconwy Nursery, here exhibited by Peter Farkasch.
Ramonda myconi rosea
Finally, a lovely pink form from Margaret Pickering
