Early Shows and a Cold Winter

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On Saturday we went down to Dunblane for the first Scottish Rock Garden Club show and conference day aka ‘Early Bulbs’. Often the tables are groaning under the weight of pots of snowdrops, crocus, iris etc. but this year we noted the effect of the prolonged, cold spell. I have been know to take a couple of crates of plants down but this year I took every flowering pot of bulbs that I had – all seven of them! All was not doom and gloom though. There were still loads of snowdrops, quite a few crocus, some cyclamen and a few iris to be enjoyed. The nurserymen were having a similarly difficult time in producing flowering plants on their stands and the predominant colour was white.
The main purpose, though, of this show is to be able to socialise with friends after the winter and some 200 of us did so with gusto. We also enjoyed two excellent talks, Ron Macbeth and Robert Rolf, on bulbs.
It is not only in Scotland that we having difficulty producing flowers at the moment. Two weeks ago it was the South Wales AGS show and the pictures I saw were of very light tabels but with some excellent plants. I have just been talking to one of the organisers of the Harlow show this Saturday where they are resigned to a low entry but, again, some really good plants. I am sure that they will have an enjoyable day, non the less, and if you live near Harlow the show (and plant sales) will be well worth visiting. (Mark Hall School, First Avenue, Harlow, ).

• 22 Feb, 2010
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