Shows

Shows and plant sales that we will be attending in 2012:

Show Results 2010:

Malvern Autumn Show - 25th and 26th September 2010

This year, as last, we exhibited our collection of Sempervivum and Jovibarba as an educational display. We were delighted to be awarded a GOLD medal. It was especially rewarding as although Sempervivums and Jovibarbas are a hardy, reliable and easy plant to grow it takes a great deal of time and patience to produce the high standard required for a display (over 80 plants in total) in addition to producing the educational side of the exhibit. The GOLD medal made everything worth while.

Above - GOLD medal winning display of Sempervivum and Jovibarba Display at Malvern Autumn Show 2010.

RHS Wisley Flower Show - 10th to 12th September 2010

This year for the first time we exhibited and sold plants at the RHS Wisley Flower Show. The gardens make a stunning backdrop for a relaxed and very enjoyable show. If you haven't already been we can highly recommend the event. We exhibited our model greenhouse and cold frame displaying alpines and bulbs, with an adjacent shady border.
We were very busy with plant sales for the 3 days and although the exhibits are not formally judged we were very pleased - if not stunned ! - to be awarded 'BEST IN SHOW' for our display. See Photographs below. We received many compliments about the display.

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - 6th to 12th July 2010

The cold winter had resulted in many of our Rhodohypoxis being very late to surface this spring and whereas last year we were faced with the problem of holding back the plants for Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, this year we were worried they would not be ready in time ! However, on carrying out the final cleaning up of the plants before loading we felt more confident that we had enough plants to put on a reasonable display.
The new style and layout of the Floral Marquee on the North side of the water at Hampton Court was generally to everyones satisfaction and we had many favourable comments confirming this from the public. We were pleased (to put it mildly !) to receive our third successive GOLD medal for our display.
The show included the official launch of Rhodohypoxis 'Hope' and sales went very successfully. In fact sales in general went very well and we had to return home to re-stock.

Below are a couple of photographs of our 2010 display

It takes a week to recover from the 'Hampton Court ' experience but now this is over we are busy potting our autumn / winter growing bulbs. However, we have also managed to resume work on the shade tunnel and on finishing the end framework have started to put the 'hot-spot' tape onto the metal hoops prior to putting the netting on.

Sales and Shows at RHS Rosemoor, Wisley and the Malvern Autumn Show in September are also in our minds and what with these, all the potting and tunnel work keep us constantly busy.

Axe Vale Show - 26th & 27th June 2010

The Axe Vale Show in June gave us the opportunity to stage a small garden display. This earned us a Large Gold Award. As you can imagine we were very pleased with this result. Below are two photographs of our Axe Vale Display.

Malvern Spring Garden Show - 6th to 9th May 2010

This year we departed from our usual formal Rhodohypoxis display at Malvern and did an Alpine House setting incorporating a plunge bed and staging with adjacent shade, sunny and rock garden area including a crevice garden. We included tips and information on how to grow alpines under glass, in cold frames and in the garden as well as suitable plants for shady and sunny areas.We were awarded a Silver Gilt Medal for this display which we were pleased with as it was the first time we had done this type of display.
The photograph on the left below shows a small section of the finished display and the one on the right a close- up of the crevice garden section. We hope it gave people tips and ideas to take home with them.

Show Results 2009:

7th to 12th July: Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Well, the worry of getting the Rhodohypoxis in flower for the Malvern Spring Flower Show was replaced by the anxiety of holding them back in the heat-wave we had for the two weeks before the Hampton Court Show. Although the flowers were beginning to stretch slightly we managed to hold them back sufficiently to produce a good enough show for the judges to award us another GOLD medal. As you can imagine we were thrilled to bits - to say the least !
This year we did a larger exhibit to include examples of how Rhodohypoxis and x Rhodoxis can be grow in alternative containers to clay pots, and as mixed plantings or by themselves. Alternative containers included a traditional stone trough, marble containers, glazed bowls, replica troughs made from lightweight polymer resin, metal containers, plastic bowls, a reconstituted stone container and 'Fibreclay' trough.

Below are a few photographs of the exhibit.
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2009 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2009
Gold medal at Hampton Court 2009 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2009

8th to 10th May 2009: Malvern Spring Gardening Show

Our first main show of the season was at Malvern Spring Gardening Show, the first National RHS Flower Show of the season at the Three Counties Show ground from Thursday 8th to Sunday 10th May.
This year, as last, we exhibited our National Collection of Rhodohypoxis. The early timing of this Show means it is very difficult for us get all our specimens of Rhodohypoxis in full flower and we had to use some heat in the greenhouse in an attempt to do so. We are not keen to do this and leave it as late as possible, the timing not always easy to judge.
Unfortunately, we were unable to persuade the R. milloides and a selection of double varieties to perform in full flower. Consequently, we were awarded a Silver-Gilt (one grade lower than the Gold we obtained last year) and had to agree with the judges that it was a fair award !

..........A couple of photograph showing, on the left, our Silver-Gilt certificate, with the pot of double Rhodohypoxis 'Lily Jean' not in full flower on the left of the certificate. ..............................We live and learn !

Malvern Spring Flower Show 2009Malvern Spring Flower Show 2009

Show Results 2008:

7 - 13 July 2008: Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

Another great success ! ...............At our second RHS Show and our very first Hampton Court Palace Flower Show we were delighted (sorry, ecstatic!) to receive a GOLD medal for our exhibit of Rhodohypoxis and X Rhodoxis. Once again the judges feed-back was very positive as were the comments from the general public who showed a lot of interest in the display. We are still getting over the shock and it is only just sinking in. As Lorraine said on television (!) "It was worth all the late nights and early mornings" - or words to that effect !!

A BIG THANK-YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE ENCOUAGED AND SUPPORTED US.

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2008Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2008

21 & 22 June 2008 : Axe Vale Festival Results.

We are pleased to report that we were awarded a LARGE GOLD medal for our educational display of Sempervivum and Jovibarba in the Floral Marquee at the Axe Vale Festival. We were pleasantly surprised by the award and had good feed-back from the judges as well as the general public.

We are also pleased to report that the Exeter Alpine Society, of which we are members, also won a well deserved LARGE GOLD medal for their educational display of an 'walk through' alpine house.

The Axe Valley Festival is a lovely, friendly show that can appeals to the whole family with something of interest for everyone. Not only is there a wonderful Floral Marquee but also lots of nurseries outside selling a wide range of plants. There are also other trade stands, crafts, antiques, toys and hobbies Marques, art, a food hall, demonstrations, a horticultural show, live bands and arena events, plus a licensed bar and restaurant. A great day out for the whole family!

 

8 - 11 May 2008: Malvern Spring Garden Show

The first of the national RHS Flower Shows, The Malvern Spring Gardening Show attracts over 100,000 visitors from all across Britain.

We exhibited for the first time this year our educational display of Rhodohypoxis and x Rhodoxis. Our aim was to highlight the the two genera, emphasising that with the correct cultural applications they can be a rewarding and easy plant to grow. We provided information as to the plants origins, their introduction into cultivation and their cultural requirements including propagation.

For our effort we were awarded our first RHS GOLD medal at our very first RHS Show. As you can imagine we were (for a change!) speechless and 'over the moon'.

We were especially delighted as only two weeks before the show we were panicking (to say the least) as not one flower could be seen ! (see left hand photograph below).However, after some gentle persuasion and a lot of praying we managed to get a large enough percentage in flower just in time for the show....phew, what a relief !!

Two weeks before the show - ahhhhhh. .................................................................Our first RHS Gold Medal - Yipeee ......