The Kent Show this year meant an earlier than usual start for me - I added an hour to my journey by detouring via Petersfield to collect my stepfather David Philbey.  It was well worth it; he thoroughly enjoyed the day out, and spent most of it talking to old friends in the show circles.  Everyone helped him; I even found Jim Macgregor giving him a hand back from the toilets.  Several very kindly brought plants for him to replace those he has lost recently; thanks to all of you for that.  This is the first time I can remember for a long while when he has gone through the day without an afternoon nap; he was so full of the show that he talked about it all the way home.

At the entrance to the main hall, outside the room housing most of the plant stalls, were three nurseries under a glass roof.  That worked well later in the day, but at 8am I was greeted by a decidedly chilly Tim Ingram, wrapped up against a nippy northeast wind, trying to arrange plants on his sales table.  Also outside were Plantbase and local Madrona Nursery.  By the afternoon the weather was a bit more clement (the sun was out) and Gillian had taken over from Tim - here she is talking to Jude Lawton from Plant Heritage and that nice chap from Plantbase (Graham ?).

Inside in the warm, there was a sales and information table from the Saxifrage Society, with some excellent plants from David Hoare and Tony Hale.

Also inside, Aberconwy, Parham Bungalow, Jacques Amand and Pottertons, and some seeds for sale (correction: from Derry Watkins, Special Plants), who also brought a few plants for display, including this lovely white form of Geranium maderense.

I should point out that I took these pictures of the plant sales at the end of the day, not in the morning when it was busy.

The main hall provides a spectacular show venue, with wonderful light.

Around the seating and food area were an array of craft sales tables, an interesting exhibit from RHS Wisley which was given a Silver Award, and one more plant sales table.  When I approached the last with its auricula theatre, there were three ladies sitting chatting in the middle, on stage as it were, but when they saw the camera they dived for cover.

Behind these two displays were the artistic classes, featuring four paintings by Rannveig Wallis, and four paintings and five pieces of needlework by Jean Morris, and last but by no means least a single entry in the Intermediate Section by Andrew Ward.

The show benches were comfortably populated, if not as full as they might have been, and there were some excellent plants.  When two shows take place on the same day, there are always a few exhibitors who might have travelled the length of the country who instead attend the other show, and a date on Easter Saturday will also cause problems for a few.  A show schedule designed for mid to late March also meant a few sparse classes, and others which were crowded.

It was great to see the usual contingent of visitors from across the channel.

Doug Joyce was the official show photographer on the day, but I ended up setting up a 'studio' on a table near him and taking pictures for this forum.  Because I was not working from the official list, I managed to miss a lovely Kalmia polifolia f leucantha from Gemma Hayes, which won the Longfield Trophy for the best plant in the Intermediate Section, so my apologies to Gemma for that.

Pleione Shasta

I started by photographing plants from the Novice and Intermediate Sections, while Doug worked on the award winners.  This little pan of pleione from Ben Parmee was wonderfully fresh.

Pleione formosana Snow Bunting

Again from Ben Parmee.  He also had the Pleione Marion Johnson Bubs which I photographed two weeks ago at Rosemoor, now with three flowers.

Pleione Shantung

In the open section, exhibited by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Pleione grandiflora hybrid

Another plant I photographed at Rosemoor, from Bob and Rannveig Wallis, here with more flowers on but looking slightly tired as the day wore on.

Ophrys picta

Barry Tattersall exhibited this tiny flowered Ophrys at the same show last year, three or four weeks earlier, and I loved it then.  Here, later in the season, the leaves were looking very tired, but the tiny flowers were still beautiful.

Anacamptis laxiflora

Barry Tattersall also brought a small pot of Jersey orchid seedlings.

Cypripedium Hideki Okuyama grex

A nice Cypripedium from RHS Wisley.

Iris schachtii

Moving back to the Novice Section, this lovely pan was exhibited by Philip Walker as Iris reichenbachii, but considered by Tony Hall to be (probably) Iris schachtii.  This won the Invicta Trophy for the best plant in the section, helping Philip to the Sastre Trophy for the section aggregate.  It also won the Northdown Trophy for the best plant in the show in a 19cm pot.

Iris schachtii AM form

In the open section Tim Lever exhibited a purple form of the same iris and was awarded a Certificate of Merit.

Iris scariosa

In the New and Rare section, Bob and Rannveig Wallis exhibited this little iris, also awarded a Certificate of Merit.

Narcissus Woodstar

Back to the Intermediate section.  Janine Doulton exhibited some lovely pans of Narcissus, and went home with the Jean Elliott Trophy for the section aggregate.

Tulbaghia cominsii

Not to be outdone by husband Ben, Paddy Parmee brought some nice plants from Chandlers Ford.

Allium Chameleon

Another plant from Paddy Parmee; this made an excellent photo.

Allium elburzense

Another onion from Lee and Julie Martin's small six-pan exhibit in the Open Section.

Allium libani

And an unusual allium in the New and Rare section from Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

Gladiolus sp Syria RRW9321

Bob and Rannveig Wallis also exhibited this gladiolus which they had collected from the wild in Syria (not recently !).

Ornithogalum bungei

Ian Sharpe exhibited a fine pan of one of my favourite ornithogalums.

Fritillaria ojaiensis

As last year, RHS Wisley brought this tall fritillary with attractive little yellow flowers.

Trillium flexipes x sulcatum Harvington Dusky Pink

Maurice Bacon exhibited this lovely trillium in the Intermediate section.

Arisaema species

A fabulous photographic subject from Ian Robertson; lots of experimentation with lighting it to best advantage.

Oxalis laciniata A/02/VL

An unusual form of Oxalis laciniata from Peter Erskine.

Large six pans of Rock Plants

Ian Robertson won the AGS Medal for the large six pan.

Daphne calcicola Gang Ho Ba

From Ian Robertson's winning six pan exhibit.

Cyclamen persicum f puniceum

A lovely colour - also from Ian Robertson's winning six pan exhibit.

Cyclamen rhodium subsp peloponnesiacum

One final plant from Ian Robertson's winning six pan exhibit.
This one won the David Wisdom Award for the best pan of Primulaceae.

Dionysia Lauren

The dionysia classes were nearly empty in mid-April, but Nigel Fuller managed to produce this one.

Androsace vandellii

As we move from March into April, dionysias and primulas start to be replaced by Androsace, here exhibited by Nigel Fuller.

Androsace villosa taurica

I *think* this was exhibited by Nigel Fuller, but I don't have a photograph of the label so it may have been Mike Chadwick's plant.  Correction - it was Mike Chadwick's - I found another photo of it on Facebook.

Primula hybrid BB 10/21/3

A lovely European primula hybrid raised by Brian Burrow, and here exhibited by Nigel Fuller.

Primula mistassinica

I was most surprised on entering the show hall to see the unexpected but welcome face of Cliff Booker, who had come down from Lancashire to give a lecture to one of the Kent groups.  This plant had spent two days in his car to get to the show.

Ranunculus insignis

Cliff Booker had also brought some of his favourites - buttercups.

Ranunculus seguieri

Again from Cliff Booker; we don't see these often in Southern England.

Viola spathulata

Keith and Rachel Lever exhibited a lovely pan of this viola, awarded a Certificate of Merit.

Anigozanthus humilis

We don't often see Kangaroo Paws at shows - most of them are far too large, but this species exhibited by Ian Sharpe seems a little dwarfer.  Whether it is hardy or not I don't know - these plants come from South-West Australia.

Flower Arrangements

There were two lovely exhibits in the flower arrangement class, one from Paddy Parmee, and one from Lee and Julie Martin.  I had trouble finding the right angle for the latter, and it was only when I had returned it to the bench that I realised it wanted a higher viewing angle.

Larix kaempferi Nana

We are used to this little larch winning the dwarf conifer classes at this time of year, when its buds erupt like little green jewels, but Lee and Julie Martin produced something I have never seen before in 25 years of shows - their plant had flowers on.

Rhododendron groenlandicum Compactum

Exhibited by Lee and Julie Martin.  The shrub and lewisia classes weren't the same without Clive Dart and his plants, and we missed him and his wife Audrey (Clive died in December).

Small six pan

Lee and Julie Martin won the AGS Medal for the small six pan, and many other classes, helping them towards the Bluebell Hill Trophy for the Open Section aggregate.

Ramonda nathaliae JCA 686

I waited all day for the sun to come round the hall before photographing the Farrer Medal plant, exhibited by Ivan Pinnick.  I have photographed this plant once before, at the Midland Show in 2009, when it was much smaller, and not properly out - ten days later it won the Farrer at the Harrogate show.  Back then, it looked much better with the sun shining through it, and I thought it would again.

That's all I took.  My thanks to show secretary Adrian Cooper and his wife Samantha for organising an excellent show, and to all the local group, stall holders and other helpers who made it go so well, and to the judges, stewards and exhibitors who are so essential to a successful show.  Harris Howland seemed to be stationed all day at the entrance to the plant sales area, well-wrapped up against the cold wind, but even so, displayed remarkable dedication.