Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society
REPORT OF SPRING FLOWER SHOW held on 25 & 26 March 2006
The Caley’s 2006 Spring Flower Show was held again in the Caledonian Hall and adjoining Marquee within the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on Saturday and Sunday 25th & 26th March. Weather during each of the days was reasonable, giving the 1860 visitors (up over 400 on the previous year and of whom 354 were members of the Society) the added bonus of also seeing the Botanic Garden in fairly good conditions. They also had the opportunity to visit the Terrace Café and receive 10% discount courtesy of Drew Norloch who run the Café. Visitors included 50 from three member Societies of the Scottish Gardeners’ Federation who availed themselves of the opportunity to combine a visit to the Show with a guided tour of the Garden arranged by RBGE.
However with a late spring and a lack of good light during March, it was indeed impressive to see such excellent quality in the exhibits on Show; but it was not surprising that the number of Show entries was down on last year. Although there were eight more Exhibitors, this included the 10 Schools entering the new Schools Section and 4 Groups who had not entered the Inter Society Class previously. So individual exhibitors entering the show were down by six with individual entries down by nearly 60. However, it was encouraging to have 7 Novice Exhibitors with 26 entries between them.
The interest in the Inter Society Pallet Garden competition for an outdoor 1 metre square display of Plants & Flowers and in the Schools Section was considerable, adding new interest to the Show, and making them a must to repeat in future years. There was also much praise for the changes made in displaying both cut flower daffodils and pots of daffodils, the former shown against the green background along the back wall of the hall and the latter exhibited at table top height showing both off to their best advantage.
With only 4 exhibitors successfully defending the awards they collected the previous year, the thirteen Trophies and Special Awards, available for Best Entries etc in the various Classes, were won, in the main, by exhibitors who hadn’t won such an award at the previous year’s Show. (See List at end of report)
The Daffodils provided again by RHS Gold Medal Grower, R A Scamp of Falmouth, and displayed by the Society’s good friend Jim Davidson of Banff were again outstanding and the City of Edinburgh Council’s informative stand giving budding competitors in their Edinburgh in Bloom Contest information on how to enter and offering advice by ‘master composters’ both brought considerable interest as did the Suntrap Garden stand.
The Trade Stands, along with the Caley Plant Sales Tables, offered the public product variety attracting considerable interest although sales overall were down on recent years. It was difficult to understand why they didn't do quite so well this year, with increased visitor numbers, although perhaps the cold weather just meant visitors to the Show were just not keen to buy plants until they are able to get back out into their gardens.
Caley members were set the challenge this year, for its 2006 Show Donation, to produce knee blankets and quilts to go to older people in Romania who get no other help from the State and members certainly met the challenge by producing 126 separate items for distribution. It was also possible this year to provide Marie Curie Cancer Care with space to fund raise through their Great Daffodil Appeal whereby they raised £459.68p over the week-end.
The support for the Show from RBGE staff continues to be excellent, with no real difficulties arising. It just could not have happened without such co-operation. Nor could the Show take place without the 63 ‘Caley’ volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the week-end.
So with reasonable weather, good quality exhibits and excellent support, the Show kept up the standard set in recent years.
Pilrig Park School for the Best Display of Tete a Tete Daffodils
George Duncan of Dalmeny for Best Entry in Cut Flowers Section for 5 blooms Tulips
J Watt Russell of Tranent for Best Entry in Cut Daffodils Section for Vase of 3 Daffodils
Irene Birse for best entry in Three Vases Daffodils each with 3 blooms different cultivars in each vase.
Douglas Neill of Macmerry for Best Entry of Hyacinth in Pots Section
Phyllis Wilson of Edinburgh for Best Entry in Daffodil Bulbs in Pots Section ‘Red Devon’
Watt Russell of Tranent for Best Entry in Alpines Section (i.e. Primula ‘Clarence Elliot’
Alan Weepers of for Best Entry in Cacti Section for a Display of Cacti & Succulents
Morag Romanis for Best Entry in Pot Plant Section for an Amarylis
Haddington Gardening Club for Best Display of Plants in the Inter Society Pallet Garden Competition
Douglas Neill of Macmerry for Best Entry in Novice Section for a Container of Daffodils
Alison Cran of Edinburgh for Best Entry in Handcraft Section
George Anderson of Edinburgh won the R.A. Scamp Voucher for £10 for Best Bloom in Show with a Bloom of ‘Golden Ducat